Cascade building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Cascade, Idaho.
Last verified 2026-07-08 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 105 South Main Street, Cascade, ID 83611
- Phone
- (208) 382-4279
- Office hours
- Mon–Fri 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM (per City of Cascade March 2023 newsletter; not independently republished elsewhere on the city site as of verification date)
- Website
- Official site
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Cascade — sequence, scheduling & re-inspection fees.
Codes adopted
Idaho adopts a statewide baseline building code set under the Idaho Building Code Act (Idaho Code Title 39, Chapter 41) and IDAPA rules administered by the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL). Effective January 1, 2021, the statewide baseline includes the 2018 International Building Code (IBC), 2020 Idaho Residential Code (based on the 2018 IRC Parts I–III and IX with Idaho amendments), 2020 Idaho Energy Conservation Code (based on the 2018 IECC with Idaho amendments), 2018 International Existing Building Code (IEBC), 2018 International Mechanical Code (IMC), 2018 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), and 2018 International Fire Code (IFC). The National Electrical Code is adopted separately by the Idaho Electrical Board (IDAPA 24.39.10), not bundled with the building code: Idaho enforces the 2023 NEC, effective July 1, 2024 (the state used the 2017 NEC with amendments before that and skipped the 2020 edition). Local jurisdictions must enforce the state baseline and may adopt amendments only where those amendments are at least as stringent as the state-adopted editions; local amendments may not be less restrictive. Enforcement is local — each city or county issues permits and performs inspections. Always confirm the current adopted edition and any local amendments with your specific jurisdiction before submitting plans.
- 2018 International Building Code (IBC)
- 2018 International Residential Code (IRC)
- 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — 2018 REScheck Energy Certificate required with submittal
Permit types & fees
Residential Building Permit
Required for new residential construction, manufactured home placement, foundations, pole structures, snow roofs, roof extensions, re-roofs, decks, window replacement, and additions/alterations within the City of Cascade. Administered by the City Building Inspector under the 2018 IRC/IBC/IECC.
Manufactured Home Permit
Required for placement of manufactured homes within the City of Cascade, whether on a permanent foundation or a block set. Landing and stairs at all exits must comply with the 2018 IRC and IBC.
Demolition Permit
Required prior to demolition of any structure within the City of Cascade.
Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit
The City of Cascade has no dedicated solar/photovoltaic permit type or fee line -- confirmed directly against the City's Schedule of Building and Land Use Fees (FY2022-2023), which itemizes every other special-scope permit (manufactured home, demolition, sign, condemned-building investigation, accessory structure) but contains no solar/photovoltaic/PV/renewable-energy entry. A rooftop or ground-mount solar PV installation in Cascade is instead split across two separate permitting authorities, same as the rest of the City's trade permits: a City building permit (racking/structural mounting, using the same valuation-based fee structure plus the standard 40%/65% plan-review surcharge) and a State of Idaho DOPL electrical permit (grid interconnection), since Cascade -- like all Idaho cities -- has electrical work inspected by the state, not the city.
Sign Permit
Required prior to erecting, re-erecting, constructing, altering, or maintaining any sign within the City of Cascade, per City Code 2-2 (Sign Ordinance).
EV Charger / EVSE Permit
The City of Cascade has no dedicated EV-charger/EVSE permit type or fee line -- confirmed directly against the City's Schedule of Building and Land Use Fees (FY2022-2023), which itemizes every other special-scope permit (manufactured home, demolition, sign, condemned-building investigation, accessory structure) but contains no EV-charger/EVSE/electric-vehicle entry. Installing electric vehicle charging equipment (e.g., a dedicated 240V Level 2 circuit) is purely electrical work in the typical wall-mounted residential case, and per this file's own solar-pv-permit entry pattern, electrical work in Cascade -- like all of Idaho -- is inspected and permitted by the State of Idaho DOPL (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses), not the City. A City building permit would only be triggered if the installation involves new structural/accessory work (e.g., a freestanding charging pedestal or new electrical service structure), using the same general valuation-based building-permit process as any other structural addition.
New residential construction activity
New privately-owned residential construction onlyHousing units authorized by building permits for new privately-owned residential construction — this is not total permit volume (no commercial permits or remodels).
- Latest month (2026-05)
- No data reported
- Trailing 12 months
- No data reported
- Year to date (2026 YTD)
- No data reported
- Full year 2025
- 34units
17 buildings · $6M valuation
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey (BPS), 2026-05 vintage. Census survey data — separate from the permit-requirements verification above. All Idaho building activity
Tips & gotchas
- The City of Cascade runs its own independent Building Department — it is NOT covered by the Valley County Building Department, which explicitly excludes the cities of Cascade, McCall, and Donnelly and serves only unincorporated Valley County. Don't confuse the two when researching permit rules or fees.
- Electrical, plumbing, and HVAC/mechanical work in Cascade is inspected and signed off by the State of Idaho (DOPL), not the City — the City Building Inspector performs the structural/building inspections (footing, foundation, framing, insulation, final) and requires the State sign-off on those trades before conducting the final building inspection.
- Roof design snow load is 100 PSF (live load) — higher than many lower-elevation Idaho cities — reflecting Cascade's mountain/lake climate.
- Frost depth is 24 inches minimum — footings must extend below this depth.
- A Fire District Impact Fee of $2,891 (residential) or $1.16/sq ft (non-residential) is collected by the City on behalf of the Cascade Rural Fire Protection District as part of the new-construction building permit process.
- 24-hour advance notice is required to schedule any inspection with the City Building Inspector.
- The permit card must be posted visibly from the road, and house numbers must be posted visibly from the road (including for new construction), prior to any inspection.
- A job copy of approved plans must be kept on site at all times and available to the inspector.
- The City's published Schedule of Fees (FY2022-2023) does not itself reprint the base building-permit valuation fee table — it only lists fees additional to that base fee (plan review percentage, impact fees, flat fees for specific permit types). Confirm the base valuation-based fee directly with the Building Inspector.
- No plan-review or permit-issuance turnaround time is published anywhere on the City's official site — call the Building Inspector at 208.382.4279 for a current estimate before planning a project timeline.