How permitting works in Eastern Idaho
Every Eastern Idaho county uses the International Residential Code as the base, but the year they’re on and the local amendments differ. Wind, snow, and seismic loads also vary by location. The same plans that get stamped in Idaho Falls may need redrafting for Driggs.
Bonneville County
- Code year: 2018 IRC (verify; Idaho regularly updates)
- Permit fees: Tiered by home valuation. A $700k custom home typically lands $4–7k all-in.
- Impact fees: [PLACEHOLDER — confirm 2026 schedule.]
- Plan review timeline: 2–4 weeks in normal seasons, 4–8 weeks in peak
- Notes: Most established trade base in Eastern Idaho. Fastest typical turnaround.
Madison County
- Code year: 2018 IRC
- Permit fees: Generally lower than Bonneville for the same home value
- Plan review timeline: 3–6 weeks in normal seasons, can stretch to 8–10 in summer
- Notes: Rexburg and Sugar City growth has pushed plan-review queues longer in summer. Submit ahead of schedule.
Bingham County
- Code year: 2018 IRC
- Notes: Rural areas can have looser oversight than incorporated cities; Blackfoot and Shelley follow city rules.
Jefferson County
- Notes: Rigby + surrounding area. Similar fee structure to Bonneville. Plan review tends to be faster than Madison.
Fremont County
- Notes: Includes Island Park. Snow load is much higher than valley counties — plan accordingly. Permit timelines are slower simply because the building department is smaller.
Teton County (Driggs, Victor)
- Code year: Often ahead of valley counties; check current adoption.
- Permit fees: Highest in Eastern Idaho. A $1M home can land $10–18k in permit + impact fees.
- Plan review timeline: 4–8 weeks typical
- Notes: Wind, snow, and seismic loads are much higher than the Idaho Falls area. Engineering requirements are real. Plans approved in Idaho Falls usually need redrawing for Teton County.
[PLACEHOLDER — Curtis to add specific Teton County requirements current as of 2026.]
What every county asks for
Regardless of county, plan to submit:
- Stamped architectural plans
- Stamped structural / engineering plans
- Truss package (or “by others” if framing is on-site)
- Energy compliance documentation (ResCheck or equivalent)
- Septic / well design if applicable (EIPH approval required)
- Site plan with setbacks
- Foundation plan with soils report
The three places permits stall
- Energy compliance. ResCheck failures are the #1 stall in Eastern Idaho. Plan-check engineers send these back constantly.
- Snow load math. Mountain counties require explicit snow-load calculations. Valley plans often don’t include enough math for a Teton County reviewer.
- Site plan + septic interaction. EIPH needs to sign off on septic before the county will issue. If those approvals aren’t sequenced right, you wait.
What to do before you submit
- Confirm your designer is drawing to the right code year for your county
- Run a ResCheck on your envelope before submission
- Get the soils report and any septic perc test in hand
- Verify lot setbacks and any HOA/CCR restrictions
A clean submission typically clears review in the lower end of each county’s range. A messy submission can sit in revision loops for weeks.