Non-Residential Building Permit Application

Submit a complete application package to building@gardencityidaho.org.

PLEASE NOTE: We will not accept incomplete applications or applications that refer to materials in other applications. 

Non-Residential Building Permit Application

Any authorized agent and/or property owner who intends to construct, alter, demolish, etc... shall first submit an application to Garden City and obtain the required permit. The permit, or copy, and the approved plans shall then be kept on the site of the work until the completion of the project. (Ord. 973-14, 12-8-2014)

Before you start, please make sure you have the appropriate entitlement permits in place such as an approved Conditional Use Permit and/or Design Review approvals. 

An application to the North Ada County Fire and Rescue District must also be submitted for a Fire Review with your application. Please refer to the Fire Submittal User Guide. 

 

The required applications must include the materials identified on the application and associated fees must be paid prior to the application being routed for review.

Garden City contracts with both SAFEbuilt and Idaho Division of Occupational & Professional Licenses (DOPL) to provide building services. 

SAFEBuilt: Projects reviewed by SAFEBuilt will be shared via Sharepoint and tracked by Garden City. Communication and Plan Reviews will be emailed directly to the Applicant listed on the Building Permit Application. 
**Please note: Initial submittals plus two (2) re-reviews are included in your initial invoice. The 4th resubmittals and all resubmittals following are subject to additional fees. 


DOPL: Reviews are conducted via ProjectDox administered by Idaho Division of Building Safety. An email with your username will be provided to the Applicant listed on the Building Permit Application. Use this to log on and track the progress of the reviews and resubmit if necessary. If there is a team effort, please share the username and password so that individuals in your team can check the status and also upload any revised submittal documents. 

Any required resubmittals shall be routed to Garden City accompanied with a Resubmittal Form to ensure they are added to the review queue in a timely manner.

**We recommend that you resubmit responses to all reviewers for a review cycle at one time to avoid delays and expenses. 

Feel free to reach out to the individual reviewers if you have questions on their review.  

Invoices must be paid in full before a permit is released. After your permit is issued, please make sure to print out a set of the stamped approved plans to maintain on site and have your permit(s) posted and clearly visible. If the permit and plans are not available to inspectors, they will not perform their inspection, and this can result in a additional charges and a failed inspection. 

An inspection card will be provided at permit issuance however, it is your responsibility to know which inspections must be scheduled. If you have any questions, please reach out to the individual inspectors at DOPL or Safebuilt.

No building or structure shall be used or occupied until a Certificate of Occupancy has been issued. To request your C of O, please complete and provide a completed Certificate of Occupancy Request Form to building@gardencityidaho.org.

Quick Links

Applying for a Fire Code Plan Review

Inspection Information

Design Professional Requirements

Ordinances & Statutes

Building Permit Contacts

Architectural Drawing Requirements

Per Idaho Statutes architectural drawings are required to be provided by a licensed professional.

The following exceptions for architectural stamped plans:

  1. Occupancy Groups B, F1, F2, M, S1, and S2 not exceeding two (2) stories and 6,000 square feet total area may be prepared, signed, & sealed by a professional engineer licensed by the State of Idaho.
  2. Interior Tenant Improvements, where no change of use or occupancy is occurring, within existing tenant spaces of 1,500 square feet or less for existing A, B, E, F1, F2, M, S1, and S2 Occupancies.
  3. Where work scope is limited to interior nonbearing partitions not exceeding sixty (60) lineal feet.
  4. When there is no proposed alteration to the structure.

Plans not drafted by a licensed professional are still to be legible and provide all applicable information.

Required Documents

Fees

A typical application will incur the following fees:

Building

  • Admin set up (and resubmittal fees if resubmittals are necessary)
  • Building Permit (to cover the cost of standard inspections)
  • Structural Review
  • Design Compliance Review/Inspection
  • Floodplain review (if in floodplain)

Public Works

  1. Erosion and Sediment Control (per review/inspection)
  2. General Erosion Permit
  3. Water Meter (new construction)
  4. Sewer Treatment (new construction)
  5. Sewer Connection (new construction)
  6. Engineer Review (per review)
  7. Pre-treatment
  8. Drainage Observation

Fire Review Fees

  • Paid Directly to NACFR via City of Boise Fire

Impact Fees

Helpful Hints and FAQs

  • Know the requirements prior to signing a lease or purchasing a property.  Each process, such as a conditional use permit, or building permit, will trigger different potential required improvements and associated timeframes.    
  • The applications that seem to avoid unnecessary hang-ups tend to be those who employ a professional to guide their project. 
  • Once you are ready to submit, try to provide all the information at one time.  Each time that you submit separate documentation it resets the review cycle.  The reviewers are reviewing many projects, and they review on a first in first out basis.  Each review cycle can take 15 working days.
  • Make sure that all initial submittals and resubmittals are sent to building@gardencityidaho.org, ProjectDox, or directly to the Development Services Department office front window.  Submittals to other staff or departments are not considered formal submittals.
  • Reach out to the specific reviewer if you have any questions regarding their review comments.  
  • There are many different reviewers and inspectors verifying code compliance for many different regulations.  Just because one discipline indicates compliance, does not mean that it will conform with all disciplines.
  •  The State of Idaho adopts a new version of the International Building Code (IBC) every three years.  Per State Statute, if any municipality adopts building codes, they must adopt those that the State adopts.  The IBC requires that for any change of occupancy as defined by the IBC be reviewed and the structure updated accordingly.  To review the building codes in place, please refer to the Ordinances and Statutes link.
  • We are often asked to provide specific design advice.  The task that the reviewers and inspectors are tasked with is to verify that the proposal meets adopted code requirements, and that the construction meets the approved proposal. The reviewers and inspectors cannot design a project.   
  • According to Idaho Code § 54-5205(2)(m), owners of commercial properties—or lessees with the owner's consent—are exempt from contractor registration if they or their employees perform maintenance, repair, alteration, or construction work on the property. This exemption applies as long as the owner is not acting with the intent to evade the registration requirements and does not hold themselves out as a registered contractor. Additionally, the owner must not intend to sell the improved property during construction or within 12 months of completion. While registration as a contractor may not be required, obtaining the necessary permits is still mandatory. Idaho Code § 39-4111 stipulates that it is unlawful to undertake construction, improvement, extension, or alteration of any building or structure without first procuring a permit from the appropriate authority. This applies to both state and local jurisdictions enforcing building codes. ​