Donnelly building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Donnelly, Idaho.
Last verified 2026-08-02 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 169 Halferty Street, PO Box 725, Donnelly, ID 83615
- Phone
- (208) 325-8859
- Office hours
- Mon–Thu 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (City Hall; closed Fridays — leave a detailed message after hours or on weekends)
- Website
- Official site
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Donnelly — 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 Residential Code (IRC)
- 2018 International Building Code (IBC)
- 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC)
- City of Donnelly Municipal Code Title 15 — Building Codes (Chapter 15.05)
Permit types & fees
Residential Building Permit (New Construction)
Required for new single-family residences, manufactured/modular homes, additions, alterations, and most other structures within the City of Donnelly. Applications are submitted to Donnelly City Hall; Valley County Building Department performs plan review support and all inspections under an interlocal service arrangement — Donnelly issues the permit and sets its own fee schedule.
From$24.00Commercial Building Permit (New Construction, Additions, Remodels & Tenant Improvements)
Covers new commercial construction, additions, and remodel or tenant-improvement work on commercial and community-type structures within Donnelly city limits. The City of Donnelly does not maintain a separate commercial application or fee schedule: the same Building Permit Application and the same valuation-based fee table used for the City's residential building permit apply to commercial work, per the City's own Building Permit Application Information and Instructions (2021). Commercial work is reviewed against the International Building Code rather than the International Residential Code that governs single-family homes on that same fee table; Donnelly City Code Section 15.05.050(A) adopts the International Building Code, current edition, and the City's Building Department currently identifies that edition as the 2018 IBC. Applications are submitted to Donnelly City Hall; Valley County Building Department provides plan review support and performs inspections under an interlocal service arrangement, but Valley County's own Building Department page states its office does not cover the City of Donnelly, and the County publishes its own separate building-fee structure for the area it does administer directly. The fees below are Donnelly's own.
From$24.00Solar Panel Permit (via Valley County Building Department)
Required for installation of solar photovoltaic panels on an existing building in Donnelly. The City of Donnelly's own Building Department relies on the Valley County Building Department for plan review and inspections (Donnelly does not maintain its own in-house plan review/inspection staff). Valley County's own published fee schedule lists a distinct 'Solar Panel on Existing Building' fee that includes both plan review and inspection. The electrical/interconnection wiring itself requires a licensed electrical contractor holding an Idaho DOPL electrical license; Idaho's Solar Photovoltaic electrical license category specifically requires NABCEP (or equivalent) photovoltaic installer certification.
$200.00EV Charger / EVSE Permit (State of Idaho Electrical Permit)
Installation of an electric vehicle charging station in Donnelly is electrical work and is NOT permitted by the City of Donnelly or Valley County at all — like all electrical work in Donnelly (see the residential-building-permit entry), it requires a separate State of Idaho electrical permit issued by the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) / Division of Building Safety (dbs.idaho.gov). DOPL's own Contractor Electrical Permit Worksheet (Fee Schedule) has NO distinct 'EV charger,' 'electric vehicle,' or 'EVSE' line item — a dedicated Level 2 charger circuit added to an existing residence is billed under the worksheet's 'Existing Residence / Modular, Manufactured or Mobile Homes / Detached Shop' bucket: $65 base fee plus $10 per additional branch circuit beyond the one circuit included in the base fee.
From$65valuation-based
Donnelly's permit history isn't searchable here yet
This page covers what the permit requires. What we don't have for Donnelly yet is the record of permits actually issued — the history you'd search by street address. That is a gap in our coverage, not a statement about any particular property.
Your email, and the place — never an address. We only use it to tell you when Donnelly lands. Privacy.
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 (2026-07)
- No data reported
- Trailing 12 months
- No data reported
- Year to date (2026 YTD)
- No data reported
- Full year 2025
- 0units
0 buildings · $0 valuation
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey (BPS), 2026-07 vintage. Census survey data — separate from the permit-requirements verification above. All Idaho building activity
Tips & gotchas
- Donnelly issues its own building permits (its own application, fee schedule, and City Hall office) but Valley County Building Department performs plan review support and all inspections under an interlocal service arrangement — Valley County's own website explicitly states it does not administer permits for Donnelly, McCall, or Cascade, but it does provide inspections for Donnelly.
- Electrical, plumbing, and HVAC permits are NOT issued by Donnelly or Valley County — they are separate State of Idaho permits through the Division of Building Safety (dbs.idaho.gov, 208-332-7100), purchased online since January 1, 2023. Exception: wood-stove inserts are inspected/permitted by Valley County.
- A Donnelly Rural Fire Protection District (DRFPD) impact fee has been collected at building permit application since October 2, 2023: $1,290 for single-family residences, $0.52/sq ft for commercial buildings.
- Design criteria are more stringent than nearby Boise: 120 psf live snow load, Seismic Zone D, 115 mph minimum wind, 24-inch frost depth.
- Commercial or community-type structures may require an approved Conditional Use Permit from Donnelly Planning and Zoning in addition to the building permit.
- All permits are issued under the property owner's name, regardless of whether the owner or contractor signs the application.
- Give Valley County at least 24 hours' notice when scheduling any inspection.
- Permits expire without notice if work has not commenced within 180 days of issuance, or is suspended for 360 days — a re-issue fee applies to reopen a lapsed permit.
- Donnelly has no distinct commercial-building-permit or tenant-improvement-permit product. Both the City's Building Permit Application Information and Instructions (2021) and its current Forms & Permits page confirm commercial/community-type construction and remodels/TIs use the same Building Permit Application and valuation-based fee schedule as residential ('Remodels/additions require the same information'). See the fee entries and FAQ in the residential-building-permit entry for the specific commercial-only add-ons: a CUP that may be required ($330 + $11/lot or unit), a DRFPD impact fee calculated at $0.52/sq ft for commercial buildings (vs. the flat $1,290 SFR rate), and a $200 Change of Use Permit when occupancy converts.
- The City of Donnelly Fee Schedule adopted August 18, 2025 is the current source for Planning & Zoning development fees (Conditional Use Permit, Change of Use Permit, Design Review, Development Agreement, Rezone, Variance, etc.) — it supplements, and does not replace, the 2021 Building Permit Instructions' valuation-based building-permit fee table.