Unincorporated Valley County building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Unincorporated Valley County, Idaho.
Last verified 2026-07-13 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 700 S. Main Street, PO Box 1350, Cascade, ID 83611
- Phone
- 208-382-7114
- Office hours
- Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (inspectors available for public assistance 8:00–10:00 AM; remainder of day governed by daily inspection schedule; after-hours/weekend calls go to voicemail)
- Website
- Official site
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Unincorporated Valley County — 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) — adopted effective January 1, 2021
- 2018 International Building Code (IBC) — adopted effective January 1, 2021
- 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — adopted effective January 1, 2021
- Valley County Code Title 6 — Building Codes, Regulations & Permits
- Valley County Ordinance # 05-02 — Outdoor Lighting Ordinance
- Valley County Ordinance # 6-1-9 — sanitary sewer/septic evidence requirement for habitable buildings
- Valley County Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance (FIRM-mapped flood-prone areas)
- Valley County Best Management Practices (BMP) Ordinance — erosion/sediment control, required before excavation in Riparian Overlay areas
Permit types & fees
Residential Building Permit (New Construction / Addition / Alteration)
Required for new single-family residences, additions, alterations, repairs, manufactured/modular homes, moved structures, tiny homes, and most other structures on land in unincorporated Valley County (outside Cascade, Donnelly, McCall, and McCall's Area of Impact). Valley County Building Department reviews plans and performs all inspections directly for this territory. Applications are submitted by mail or drop-off at the Cascade office — not currently accepted by email.
Manufactured Home Permit
Required for placement of new or used manufactured/mobile homes on land in unincorporated Valley County, whether set on blocks or on a permanent perimeter concrete or all-weather wood foundation. Processed through the same Building Permit Application and Valley County Building Department review pipeline as other building permits.
Demolition / Removal Permit
Required prior to demolishing or removing any structure, including mobile homes, on land in unincorporated Valley County. Also used to remove the value of a demolished structure from the property's tax assessment.
Agricultural Building Permit
Covers agricultural structures on land in unincorporated Valley County. The Valley County Building Department directs applicants to Planning and Zoning for specifics on qualifying use and process; the department's own fee schedule lists a flat $25.00 Agricultural Permit fee.
Solar Panel Permit (Panels on Existing Building)
Valley County has a distinct, flat-fee permit for installing solar panels on an existing building in unincorporated Valley County: 'Solar Panel on Existing Buildings' at $200.00, which the county's own fee schedule states 'includes plan review and inspection.' This is issued through the Building Department using the same Building Permit Application used for other structures, but billed at the flat solar rate rather than the valuation-based table used for new construction. As with all electrical work in unincorporated Valley County, the electrical interconnection itself is separately permitted and inspected by the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL/Division of Building Safety), not the county.
Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station / EVSE Permit
Unincorporated Valley County does not itself issue electrical permits, and the county's own Building Department Fees schedule (Title 6, PDF) has no distinct line item for EV charger, EVSE, or electric-vehicle charging-station work. As with the electrical interconnection component of the county's solar-pv-permit entry, EV charging station wiring is permitted and inspected by the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL, formerly the Division of Building Safety) under the state's standard electrical permitting program, not by Valley County. If an EV charger installation involves new structural work (e.g., a new carport/garage to house the charger), that structural component would separately require a Valley County building permit billed under the county's standard valuation-based table -- but the electrical circuit/charger itself is a state, not county, permit.
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)
- 34units
34 buildings · $25.6M valuation
- Trailing 12 months
- 245units
12 of 12 months reported · #21 in Idaho coverage by units
- Year to date (2026 YTD through 2026-05)
- 103units
101 buildings · $59.9M valuation
- Full year 2025
- 268units
251 buildings · $173.1M valuation
County-wide figures: BPS reports county-wide totals; jurisdiction is the unincorporated remainder. Valley County's own Building Department states explicitly: 'Valley County's jurisdiction for building matters does not include the cities of Cascade, Donnelly, McCall, or the City of McCall's Area of Impact' (Building Permit Application Information and Instructions, Rev. 5/20/2026, p.1) — confirming a real, standalone unincorporated-area building program distinct from the three incorporated-city jurisdiction files in this corpus.
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
- Valley County Building Department's jurisdiction explicitly excludes Cascade, Donnelly, McCall, and McCall's Area of Impact — it covers unincorporated county land only. The county's own instructions state this directly.
- Electrical, plumbing, and HVAC/mechanical work require separate state permits from the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) — dopl.idaho.gov, 208-334-3233 — not from Valley County. Exception: wood-stove inserts are permitted/inspected directly by Valley County ($65).
- Applications are not currently accepted by email; mail to PO Box 1350, Cascade, ID 83611 or drop off at 700 S. Main Street, Cascade.
- Design loads vary by location within the county: 120 psf snow load for most areas, 150 psf for the West Mountain area (Blackhawk to Smith Ferry) and McCall-area sites. Confirm site-specific load with the department before engineering.
- Development Impact Fees (Cascade $1,876/unit, Donnelly $1,290/unit, McCall $1,165/unit residential; per-sq-ft rates for non-residential) apply only if the parcel sits within one of the three rural fire protection districts — collected by the County alongside the building permit fee.
- Plan review fee is added to every permit: 35% of the building permit fee for in-house review, or the greater of 65% / actual outside-consultant cost if an outside consultant reviews the plans.
- Give at least 24 hours' notice for inspections; requests must be phoned in to the office, not made in the field. A $50 re-inspection fee applies starting with the 3rd visit for the same inspection.
- FAA Form 7460-1 review may be required before permit issuance and can take up to 6 months — check the FAA's online prescreen tool (oeaaa.faa.gov) at least 45 days before submitting.
- Propane tank installations require sign-off from the applicable local fire department (Cascade, Donnelly, or McCall Fire) before the Building Department will issue a final inspection or certificate of occupancy.
- Permits become null and void if work is not commenced within 180 days of issuance, or is suspended/abandoned for 365 days.
- Setbacks (residential): front/rear 20 ft, side 7.5 ft, side street 20 ft, distance between buildings 6 ft, high water line 50 ft, Riparian Overlay 150 ft, State Highway 55 100 ft — all measured from the building eave; more restrictive subdivision covenants can override.
- Valley County Building Department is located at 700 S. Main Street, Cascade, ID 83611. Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM; inspectors available for public questions 8:00-10:00 AM.