You’ve signed the contract with your custom home builder and are ready to build your dream home in Ada County, Idaho. Maybe you are building in Boise proper, or maybe you have a piece of land just outside of Boise in Eagle or Meridian, either way, you are ready to build a custom home on your land. Now, it’s time to break ground.
Well – almost… Before you start building your new home, you’ll need a building permit from your local municipality or Ada County if you are in an unincorporated area of the county.
What many first-time home builders and those who’ve built a home in other areas outside of Ada County don’t know is that before you secure your building permit, there are things you need to do before you submit your building permit application in order to get approval.
As an on your land builder located in Meridian, we know a thing or two about the permitting process in Ada County. Here, we’ll share with you the pre permitting process in Ada County, Idaho, complete with an easy-to-use checklist. If you are building a custom home in Boise, Meridian, Eagle, Star, or elsewhere in Ada County, you can use this information to ensure that you have everything ready for your building permit application when the time comes.
Required Pre Permitting Approvals Ada County
Waste Water Approvals or Preliminary Approval
As part of the pre permitting process in Ada County, you’ll need to obtain either approval or preliminary approval regarding how you will handle wastewater for your new home. If you are putting in a septic system, you’ll need to get preliminary approval for your system and submit this with your building permit application.
If your home will be hooked up to the wastewater utility system in your area, you’ll need approval for this from your city or local jurisdiction.
There is a third case in which you may be using a subdivision community septic system for wastewater. If this is the case, you won’t need any preapprovals for wastewater and can skip this item in the pre permitting process for Ada County. The same goes if you have purchased a developed lot in a subdivision. A lot that is already set up with a sewer or septic connection doesn’t require additional approval from the county or local municipality, because that has already been taken care of during the development of your lot.
Preliminary Approval For Septic System
To get preliminary approval for your custom home’s septic system in Ada County, you’ll need to contact Central District Health for approval. Central District Health covers all locations in Ada County no matter where your property is located.
Before you can receive your approval, you’ll need to fill in the Subsurface Sewage Disposal application, provide a plot plan, and pay the required fee. Once submitted you will need to call Central District Health to schedule an appointment to get the required test holes completed.
Test holes are required for all lots and parcels to check soil suitability and must be done with an Environmental Health Specialist present on-site.
In some cases, your property will also require groundwater monitoring. If this is the case, you’ll need to complete the monitoring in order to obtain your septic approval.
Once these steps have all been completed you will receive the necessary septic approval required to submit your building permit application.
City Approval for Wastewater Hookup
If you are not using a septic system for your new home, you may need to obtain approval to use city wastewater services before you submit your building permit application. Because city-specific requirements can vary, it’s best to check with the wastewater management company for your municipality for specific requirements on approval for your wastewater hookup. Below are links to a few of the Ada County municipalities’ wastewater management departments for more information.
Boise Public Works Sewer Connection Information
City of Meridian Utility Contacts
Kuna Wastewater Treatment Plant
Highway District Approval
Another important part of the pre permitting process in Ada County is obtaining Highway District approval for the approach off the road to your new home. You’ll also need this approval if you are building an ADU in Ada County that will have separate road access.
To get Highway District approval you’ll need to submit a Driveway Approach Request via the Ada County Highway District. In Ada County, the Ada County Highway District covers all roadways in the county.
When you submit your Driveway Approach Request, you’ll need to provide a drawing of the site as well as the location of the proposed driveway and a description of the plan for the driveway.
Note: Once you have Driveway Approach Request approval, you’ll also need to apply for a Zone Permit with Ada County Highway District before the work can be completed.
Fire District Approval
In some areas of Ada County, local fire district approval is required before your building permit is approved.
The best way to determine if your property requires fire district approval is to contact the local fire district or fire department where your property is located and ask about approval for new construction.
In Ada County, there are eight Fire Districts and two fire departments. You can use this map of the fire district areas to determine the correct fire district to contact based on your property’s location.
Energy Compliance
In several municipalities in Ada County, like Boise and Meridian, you’ll need to provide information on compliance with the residential energy code. This means submitting proof that your new house will be built within the minimum energy efficiency standards, which are found in the Idaho Energy Conservation Code. There are two methods to show compliance, either the Prescriptive Method, which means you meet the minimum criteria of the code, or an alternate method, such as an approved software analysis, which indicates how your new residence meets the minimum requirements if not conforming to the Prescriptive Method.
To find out if your jurisdiction requires energy compliance approval to get your building permit, see the links for local building permit checklists in the resources section below.
Special Pre Permitting Considerations Ada County
There are a few instances where your pre permitting checklist will include a few extra items. This occurs when you are building a custom home in a planned subdivision or if your land is located in a floodplain.
Building In A Planned Subdivision
If you are building your home in a subdivision, you’ll want to check with the homeowner’s association or developer to determine if there are any special requirements to build in your location. These special requirements should also be in the Plat notes for your property, which are public records and can be found online on the Ada County recorder’s office website.
Some subdivisions also have ACCs or ARCs, Architectural Control Committees, or Architectural Review Committees. These committees require pre-approval before construction can commence. Many planned subdivisions have square footage requirements, exterior guidelines, and minimum setback requirements that you need to follow.
Before submitting your building permit, have your ACC review your floor plan, exterior elevation, colors, and site plan to make sure it is in line with all subdivision requirements. Doing so will ensure that your ACC has also approved the plan you submit with your building permit application and you’ll avoid having to make changes and resubmit a building permit with a plan that satisfies all of your neighborhood requirements.
Building Your Home In A Floodplain
Building a custom home on property located in a floodplain requires a few extra items to take care of during the pre permitting process in Ada County, similar to what’s needed for floodplain development in the Canyon County pre permitting process. First, you will need an elevation certificate. To get an elevation certificate you can check with the local floodplain administrator (find all Idaho floodplain administrators here) to determine if an elevation certificate already exists for your property. You can also check your property deed to see if an elevation certificate was included with the deed.
If there is no existing elevation certificate for your Ada County Property, you will need to hire a licensed land surveyor or professional engineer who is authorized to certify the elevation information.
Note: If you are unsure whether your land is in a floodplain, you can check FEMA’s National Flood Hazard Map.
Securing A Floodplain Development Permit
Once you have your property’s elevation certificate, you’ll need to use it to secure a floodplain development permit. Both your floodplain development permit and elevation certificate will need to be submitted with your building permit application.
What’s needed for your floodplain development permit can vary based on your local jurisdiction. If you are building in Boise, you can use the floodplain review checklist provided by the planning and development services department. For properties in Meridian, you can find additional information and the floodplain application on the City of Meridian website. The city of Eagle also includes floodplain development permit requirements and information on their website.
In other jurisdictions, you can contact the city for additional information on floodplain development permits, or you can contact the Ada County floodplain administrator(s) for your location.
Local Jurisdiction Requirements
There are several municipalities in Ada County that have specific requirements for information that must be included with their building permit applications. We’ve listed a few below, but each city in Ada County has its own checklist of requirements, which you can find linked in the resources section below. For any specific requirements for your jurisdiction, use the information in the links below or contact your municipality to inquire about any pre-permitting approvals required in your area.
Boise
If building in Boise you may also need to secure an Erosion & Sediment Control (ESC) Permit before submitting your building permit application. This permit is required only when specific amounts of soil disturbance are exceeded. For more information and full details on ESC permits in Boise, see the ESC website.
Meridian
In Meridian, you’ll need to submit a Soils and Geotech report with your building permit application. This must be signed by an Idaho-licensed engineer. This report provides information for the foundation and safe excavation of the property.
Other Ada County Pre Permitting Items Needed
Beyond these pre permitting approvals, there are a few other items you’ll need when you submit your building permit application. These remaining items are all things that you likely already have in your possession or have dedicated the most time to thus far in the custom home building process. You’ll want to confirm that you have them ready, or will have them ready to submit as part of your pre permitting process for Ada County.
Deed or Sales Agreement
You’ll need to submit the deed to your property or the sales agreement (if purchased less than sixty days ago) with your building permit application. If you don’t already have this in your possession, you can search for your deed in the public records via the Ada County Recorder’s office.
Plat Map
Another item you’ll need to submit is a survey or plat map with distances for your property. Typically you’ll receive a plat map when you purchase your property, but if you don’t have it you can also contact your title company or find your plat map in the public records.
Note: You’ll also want to make sure that your property pins, the markers of the four corners of your property, are visible. If they are not easily visible, be sure to locate them so you know where they are. They’ll need to be findable during the permitting and building process.
Detailed Site Plan
Your builder will likely be assisting you with the detailed site plan, so there isn’t much for you to do to collect this information, besides confirm with your builder that they will provide this for your permit application.
At Pathway Builders, the detailed site plan is included in any ADU or custom home build. As a client of ours, this is one item you can remove from your pre permitting to-do list.
Building Plans to Scale
Building plans are another item you can quickly check off your pre-permitting checklist for Ada County because this should also be handled by your home builder or architect.
At Pathway Builders, submitting your building permit application is included in our work. You’ll benefit not only from having this building permit application taken care of for you but also from having someone who has been through the permitting process before confirming that you have all the necessary items to submit a complete application.
If you follow this pre permitting checklist for Ada County, you’ll be ready with all of the items you need to submit your building permit application and avoid any construction delays that may have happened due to an incomplete permit application.
If you have any questions about the pre permitting process in Ada County, the permitting process in general, or you’d like to get started with plans to build a home on your land in Ada County, contact us. We’d love to help you build your dream home.
Pre Permitting Checklist Ada County
- Confirm Building Plans & Site Plans with Your Builder / Architect (Ensure proof of energy code compliance if required by your local municipality.)
- Locate Your Deed or Sales Agreement
- Obtain Your Plat Map
- Submit An Application with the Relevant Highway District For Property Access / Approach Approval
- Submit Application for Septic System Approval or Wastewater Management Approval
- Contact the Relevant Fire District To Determine If Approval Is Required, & Secure Approval [If Applicable]
Special Considerations
- [Building In A Subdivision] Review Any Plat Notes and Confirm All Requirements are Met
- [Building In A Floodplain] Get A Floodplain Development Permit
- [Building In A Floodplain] Locate the Elevation Certificate For Your Property
- Review Local Jurisdiction Building Permit Application Information And Obtain Any Additional Approvals Necessary To Obtain Your Building Permit
Ada County Pre Permitting Process Resources
Ada County Permitting Division
Ada County Building Permit Checklist
Ada County Building Permit Fee Schedule
Ada County Floodplain Development Application
FEMA Information on Floodplain Certificates
Ada County Building Permit Application
City of Boise Building Permit Application
City of Meridian Building Permit Checklist
City of Eagle Building Permit Checklist
Kuna Building Permit Instructions
Related Resources
