SwagerBuilds LLC · 4510 E 168 N, Rigby, ID 83442 · (208) 520-0636

Idaho Building Permits by County: Eastern Idaho + Teton County WY (2026)

I’m Bryce Swager. I’ve pulled residential permits across every jurisdiction on this page. If you’re planning a custom home, remodel, addition, or shop in eastern Idaho or the Teton corridor, this is the reference I wish existed when I started — code editions, review timelines, required submittals, fee source PDFs, and contact info for the office that will actually process your job.

Everything below links to the primary source. Verify the current PDF before you build to numbers on any page (including this one). Call me at (208) 520-0636 if you want help translating any of it into a real project plan.

State-Level Baseline: Idaho DBS Adopted Codes

Idaho does not have a statewide unified building department. The Idaho Division of Building Safety (under DOPL) adopts the code editions the state operates under; each county and city then adopts and administers them locally. Per the 2025 Updated Idaho Adopted Codes list:

  • Building: 2018 International Building Code with amendments
  • Residential: 2018 International Residential Code (Parts I, II, III, IX) with Idaho amendments — the Idaho Residential Code 2020 Edition
  • Energy: 2018 IECC with amendments — the Idaho Energy Conservation Code 2020 Edition
  • Existing Building: 2018 IEBC
  • Electrical: 2023 NEC with amendments
  • Mechanical: 2018 IMC + 2018 IFGC + IRC Parts V & VI
  • Plumbing: 2017 Idaho State Plumbing Code (based on 2015 UPC)
  • Fire: 2018 IFC

All of the eastern Idaho counties below have adopted the 2018 I-Code family and layer their local amendments on top. Wyoming’s Teton County runs the 2024 IRC/IBC — one full code cycle newer.

Bonneville County (Idaho Falls, Ammon)

Bonneville County covers Idaho Falls, Ammon, Iona, Ucon, Swan Valley, and a large area of unincorporated county. Permits are issued by whichever jurisdiction covers your parcel.

Bonneville County (unincorporated)

  • Department: Building Inspection sits inside Planning, Zoning, and Building. Department page
  • Address: 605 N Capital Ave., Idaho Falls, ID 83402
  • Phone: 208-524-7920 (Building Inspection) / 208-529-1350 (Planning & Building)
  • Adopted codes: 2018 I-Codes family (per state adoption)
  • Fee schedule: The county doesn’t publish an inline residential fee table. Fees are distributed as PDFs on the Building Permit & Zoning Fees page. Project-specific fee estimates come from the department by phone.

City of Idaho Falls

  • Department: Community Development Services / Building Division
  • Address: 308 Constitution Way, Idaho Falls, ID 83402
  • Phone: 208-612-8100
  • Adopted codes: 2018 I-Codes family
  • Fee schedule: Idaho Falls 2025–2026 Fee Schedule (PDF)
  • Plan check: Approximately 65% of permit valuation for residential construction; double-fee assessment if work starts without permit
  • Process page: Permit Processing — hosts residential plans requirements checklist, patio cover / addition / garage submittal packets, manufactured home guide, and Real Property Form

City of Ammon

For cost detail specifically inside Bonneville County, see my cost to build in Bonneville County page.

Madison County (Rexburg, Sugar City)

  • Department: Madison County Building Department. Department page
  • Building Official: David Decker, 208-359-6305
  • Permit Tech: Cecile Wellwood, 208-359-6262
  • Portal: iWorq
  • Adopted codes: 2018 IBC, 2018 IRC, 2018 IMC, 2018 IECC (Commercial and Residential), 2018 IFGC, 2018 IEBC, 2018 IFC, plus 2017 Idaho State Plumbing Code and 2017 NEC
  • Review timeline: Verbatim from the department: “the review process will require a minimum of ten (10) working days”
  • Fee estimator: Published Madison County Permit Fee Estimates PDF

Submittal Requirements

Per the Madison County building permit page, required submittals include: septic permit from Eastern Idaho Public Health, recorded warranty deed, site plan showing setbacks/well/septic/driveway, Idaho contractor state registration, and PDF plans (cross sections, elevations, foundation, electrical with smoke alarm locations, window/door schedule, engineered truss and floor layouts). Driveway access requires a permit from Road & Bridge. Energy compliance goes through ResCheck or the Climate Zone 6 prescriptive path. Any open span over 900 sq ft triggers engineered plans per IRC 2018 Table R602.10.1.3 seismic bracing.

Submittal Deposits

Verbatim: “Accessory structures will be required to pay a non-refundable review fee of 10% upon submittal of application. Non-accessory structures will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit of $500 that will be applied to permit fee, if approved and permitted.” Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing permits for county jobs are handled through the City of Rexburg building department — not by the state.

Jefferson County (Rigby, Menan, Lewisville)

  • Department: Jefferson County Planning, Zoning & Building
  • Scope: The county handles building permit services for the cities of Lewisville, Menan, and Rigby (per Post Register reporting on the Rigby–County building permit revenue-sharing agreement). Those small cities do not run their own building/plans review — the county does.
  • Fees: The county’s official fee and department pages at jcgov.us are JS-rendered and don’t return content to scrapers; get fees by phoning the county or via the live site.
  • Adopted codes: 2018 I-Code family (per Idaho DBS baseline)

City of Rigby

  • Department: City of Rigby Building Department. Building Department page
  • City-issued permits: Deck, Fence, Garage/Shed, Sidewalk/Curb/Approach, Sign, Solar
  • Structural review + inspection: Delegated to Jefferson County
  • New construction / remodel / addition: Building permit required inside city limits

For a step-by-step on shop permits in this county, I wrote Do I need a permit to build a shop in Jefferson County?

Bingham County (Blackfoot, Shelley, Firth)

Teton County ID (Driggs, Victor, Tetonia)

  • Department: Teton County Building Department. Department page
  • Address: 150 Courthouse Drive, Room 107, Driggs, ID 83422
  • Phone: 208-776-8171
  • Hours: Mon–Thu 9–5, Fri 9–noon
  • Adopted codes: Verbatim: “The 2018 I-Codes are used for determining and enforcing the requirements of construction projects in Teton County. Teton County Building Code, Title 6 is available in the Codes section of this website.”
  • Fee estimator: Excel-based FY25 residential fee web estimator, published on department page
  • Payment quirk: Verbatim: “Please note that the Building Department will no longer be accepting personal checks for amounts over $5,000.00. Any payments exceeding this amount will need to be made via certified check.”

The City of Driggs runs its own planning and building applications. Per WebSearch summary of the Driggs Planning and Building page, the FY26 application fee schedule is effective October 1, 2025, amended February 3, 2026.

For a full Teton Valley cost breakdown, see the 2026 Teton Valley cost guide and my Teton Valley builder page. City-specific: Driggs and Victor.

Teton County WY (Jackson, Wilson, Alta, Moose)

Teton County WY is the outlier on this list. Different state, newer code cycle, and a fee methodology that catches Idaho-side owners off guard.

Adopted Codes

Per the Teton County WY Building page, verbatim: “All permits submitted on or after 2/1/2025 will need to be using the 2024 IRC & IBC Code Edition.” The canonical resolution is the 2025 Teton County Building Codes Resolution (effective 7/1/2025).

Design Criteria

From the Teton County WY Design Criteria page:

  • Ground Snow Load: Use ASCE Hazard Tool (site-specific; no county-wide value)
  • Wind Speed: 105 mph (IRC Figure R301.2(4))
  • Seismic Design Category: D (D1, D2)
  • Weathering: Severe
  • Frost Depth Line: 34 inches below finished grade
  • Termite: None to Slight
  • Winter Design Temperature: -30°F
  • Ice Shield Underlayment: Required
  • Mean Annual Temperature: 38°F
  • Air Freezing Index (100-yr, 99%): 2,531 (NOAA/NCEI)

Insulation Requirements (Climate Zone 7/8)

  • Fenestration: U-0.30
  • Skylight: U-0.55
  • Ceiling: R-60
  • Wood-Frame Wall: R-20+5, or R-13+10, or R-0+20
  • Floor: R-38
  • Basement Wall: R-15ci, or R-19, or R-13+R-5ci
  • Slab: R-10 at 4 ft
  • Crawl Space Wall: R-15ci, or R-19, or R-13+R-5ci

Permit Fee Methodology

Per the Teton County WY 2026 Fee Schedule, verbatim: “Building Permit Fees for new construction will be established using the most current Building Valuation Data published by the International Code Council and a Permit Fee Multiplier as listed below: 1 – 2,500 square feet 0.006; 2,501 – 5,000 square feet 0.009; 5,000 + square feet 0.012.” Remodel valuation is 75% of new construction valuation. Minimum Building Permit Fee $305. Plan Review Fee = 65% of Total Building Permit Fee. Planning Review Fee $125 + $60 per 1,000 sf greater than 5,000 sf.

Energy Mitigation Program

For structures over 2,500 sf, Teton County WY assesses an Energy Mitigation fee on gross conditioned square footage: $4/sf between 2,501–5,000 sf, and $10,000 plus $8/sf on everything above 5,000 sf. Additional non-essential element fees: exterior heated hardscape $10/sf, pools/spas $10/sf, solid-fuel decorative fireplaces $5,000 (one-fireplace exception), ponds/water features with pump $150/hp. Credits available: $5,000/kW installed PV; $8,000 for super-insulated envelope (R-60 ceilings + R-28 walls); $8,000 passive solar design; $8,000 ductless zoned primary heat; $1,500 HRV.

Additive Fees

Per the Building Permit Fees page, verbatim required additive fees at submission: “basic use permit ($500), grading and erosion control fee ($700 for plan level and $400 for statement level), small wastewater facility/septic ($250 for the first bedroom and $100 for every bedroom after that for new and $50 for repairs/renewals), and/or sewer connection ($100).” Refunds are capped at 80% of non-review fees and 100% of Affordable Housing / Energy Mitigation fees per IBC 108.6 as amended.

See my Jackson Hole custom home builder page for how I approach Teton County WY work as a cross-state builder.

Snow Load, Seismic, and Energy — Idaho Notes

Two design criteria trip up owner-side estimates in eastern Idaho:

  • Ground snow load. The ASCE 7 lookup for Bonneville County returns “Site Specific Location: Case Study Required”. There’s no single county-wide pg value. Your engineer establishes the design ground snow load from site-specific analysis or the University of Idaho 2015 Ground Snow Loads study alongside ASCE Table 7.2-3.
  • Seismic Design Category. Idaho DBS does not publish a county-by-county SDC table. Teton County WY publishes SDC D (D1, D2) for its Design Criteria — as a proxy, expect similar seismic design conditions across the Teton Range corridor into Teton County ID. Confirm SDC per IRC Table R301.2(1) with the local building official.
  • Energy code. Idaho’s current energy code is based on the 2018 IECC with state amendments (per the DBS PDF above). Most eastern Idaho jurisdictions sit in Climate Zone 6; the Teton corridor is Zone 7/8, which is materially more stringent on envelope R-values.

How Eastern Idaho Compares to the National Picture

Permit volume in Idaho isn’t slowing. Per Construction Coverage’s 2025 analysis of Census Building Permits Survey data, Idaho leads the nation in new construction activity, authorizing 21.2 new units per 1,000 existing homes — more than twice the national average. The Census BPS is the canonical source for county-level authorized permits and FRED publishes Idaho-specific time series based on it.

Practical implication: plans reviewers, inspectors, and trades are all running near capacity. That’s the actual reason a plan-review window that used to take a week now takes two, and why sub calendars fill 6–10 weeks out. Every jurisdiction on this page is processing more permits than it did five years ago with roughly the same staffing. Build that into your schedule assumptions.

Contractor Registration

Idaho requires contractor registration through DOPL for anyone performing construction work on residential and commercial projects over $2,000 in labor and materials. The DBS adopted codes list and Idaho Contractor Board rules govern which trades need additional specialty licensure (electrical and HVAC, in particular).

Wyoming does not have a statewide general contractor license, but Teton County WY runs its own contractor registration process. If you’re hiring for a Teton corridor project that crosses the state line, confirm both sides — I’ve watched owners get bounced at permit issuance because their GC wasn’t registered on the Wyoming side.

Practical Takeaways

  • Every county publishes fee schedules as PDFs, not inline HTML. Print the current version before you sign a contract.
  • Review timelines vary from 5–10 business days (Ammon) to 10 working days minimum (Madison County) to 6–12 weeks for LDR-adjacent Teton County WY work.
  • Small cities in Jefferson County (Rigby, Menan, Lewisville) delegate structural review to the county — you file at the county even for a project inside city limits.
  • MEP permits in Madison County unincorporated jobs route through the City of Rexburg building department, not the state.
  • Teton County WY runs one code cycle ahead of Idaho (2024 IRC vs 2018) and layers Energy Mitigation fees on top of every home over 2,500 sf.
  • The state DOPL / DBS baseline changes on a legislative cycle. Verify the DOPL adopted-codes PDF each year for changes.

For cost context alongside these permit rules, see my eastern Idaho custom home builder pillar and my Bonneville County cost page. For a broader look at property tax impact as a transplant, see Idaho property tax for transplants.

Start Your Build

If you’re trying to understand what any of this means for your specific parcel or plan, call me at (208) 520-0636 or fill out the intake form. I’ll tell you what your jurisdiction is going to ask for, how long it’ll take, and what the fees will land at — from a set of PDFs I already have open.

Start Your Build

About the Author

Bryce Swager, Founder — 4th-generation Rigby custom home builder. BuildZoom score 94. Licensed in Idaho + Wyoming. Direct: (208) 520-0636. More about Bryce.