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Permitting Authorities / City of Post Falls - Community Development Department, Building Division

City of Post Falls - Community Development Department, Building Division

Adopted code

The Building Division sits inside the City of Post Falls Community Development Department and is the building authority for everything inside the Post Falls city limits, in Kootenai County in the Idaho panhandle. It runs its own plan review, permit issuance and inspections for both new construction and existing residential and commercial buildings, and since 2015 it issues all plumbing and electrical permits and inspections in the city rather than the State. A re-roof is permitted work here and the City prices it as a flat residential re-roof fee whatever the size of the roof. The one thing that sets Post Falls apart is the weight of its own published design criteria: ice shield underlayment is required outright "because of occasional severe conditions", and the minimum roof design snow load is 40 psf against a 56 psf ground snow load -- a figure the City has also written into its enacted code rather than leaving it on a handout.

Jurisdiction
City of Post Falls, Idaho
Jurisdiction type
city
Address
408 N Spokane Street, Post Falls, ID 83854
Contact
Permit portal
Permit portal
Roofing permit required
Required
Contractor registration required
Required
Registration details
  • state_level: STATEWIDE, AND INDEPENDENT OF WHATEVER THIS JURISDICTION REQUIRES. Idaho Code 54-5204(1), in the Idaho Contractor Registration Act (Title 54, Chapter 52): "On and after January 1, 2006, it shall be unlawful for any person to engage in the business of, or hold himself out as, a contractor within this state without being registered as required in this chapter." A roofer is inside the definitions rather than at their edge: "Construction" means "the performance of building, altering, repairing, adding to, subtracting from, improving, reconstructing, moving, excavating, wrecking or demolishing any building ... or improvement to real property, or to do any part thereof" (54-5203(2)), and "Contractor" means any person who "undertakes, offers to undertake, purports to have the capacity to undertake, or submits a bid to, or does himself or by or through others, perform construction" (54-5203(3)(a)). Roofing is not separately licensed in Idaho, so this registration is the whole of the state credential. THRESHOLD: 54-5205(2)(f) exempts work on "one (1) undertaking or project considered casual, minor, or inconsequential, whether by one (1) or more contracts, the aggregate contract price of which, for labor and materials and all other items, is less than two thousand dollars ($2,000)" -- a per-project figure covering labour and materials together, not annual revenue, and the same paragraph voids the exemption where the work is part of a larger project or where one job is split into sub-$2,000 contracts. A residential reroof is rarely under $2,000. An owner working on his own residential property is exempt (54-5205(2)(l)), as is an owner who hires a registered contractor (54-5205(2)(k)); an employee on wages is exempt but an unregistered subcontractor is not (54-5205(2)(a)). CONSEQUENCES OF NOT REGISTERING, and a homeowner should check: an unregistered contractor "shall be deemed to have conclusively waived any right to place a lien upon real property" (54-5208); may not "bring or maintain any action in any court of this state for the collection of compensation" without proving registration throughout the work (54-5217(2)); and is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $1,000, up to six months in county jail, or both (54-5217(1)). AT THE PERMIT COUNTER: 54-5209(1) requires every county, municipality or district that issues building permits to request the contractor's Idaho registration number and print it on the face of the permit, or else print "no contractor registration provided"; 54-5209(2) requires the permit to be posted at the site so that statement is visible. WHAT IT TAKES: an application under oath, proof of worker's compensation coverage or a statement why it is not required, and a general liability policy including products and completed operations coverage of not less than $300,000 single limit (54-5210(1)). It is a registration, not a competency licence -- there is no examination. Administered by the Idaho Contractors Board within the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (54-5206(1)); registrations can be checked by name at the Division's public search.
  • city_level: Post Falls adds no contractor credential of its own, and it enforces the state one at the counter. Title 5 of the Post Falls Municipal Code, Business Licenses and Regulations, contains eight chapters -- alcoholic beverage control, secondhand and junk dealers, hotel and motel registers, door to door solicitation, merchant and security police, bathhouses and massage parlors, mobile food vending, and general business license -- and none of them is a construction-trade, contractor or roofing credential. What the City does have is a general business licence at Chapter 5.32, which applies to "all wholesale and retail businesses and all activities, occupational callings, trades, pursuits or professions that conduct business from a location within the City of Post Falls with the object of gain, profit, benefit or advantage" (5.32.020), requires the licence before engaging in business (5.32.030(A)) and runs for one calendar year so long as ownership, management, nature of business and location are unchanged. That is a general business registration rather than a trade credential, and whether it reaches a roofing contractor with no Post Falls business location is a question for the Community Development Department. What Post Falls does require on a permit is the state number: its residential plan submittal requirements list, among the items a completed building permit application must carry, "Owner and/or contractor name & registration number, address, phone numbers, signed and dated".
Permit process note
Post Falls takes building applications through its Community Development Portal, where the City states you can "apply, upload plans, pay fees online, schedule inspections, and view inspection results". An account is tied to the email address it is created with; the City suggests one account per company rather than one per employee, and warns that a shared generic account gives everyone with that password access to every permit filed under it. INSPECTION SCHEDULING IS THE PART THAT COSTS A CREW A DAY. The City states that inspections run Monday to Friday, 9am to 3:30pm, except holidays, that requests received before 11:59pm are scheduled for the following business day, and that same-day inspections are not allowed. There is a dedicated inspection line at 208-457-3334; a request must leave the permit number, job address, inspection type and the date wanted, or it cannot be scheduled, and requests left after midnight the night before cannot be taken for the following day. The Building Division does not schedule morning or afternoon slots, so the job has to be ready first thing. The Building Division counter is on the 1st floor of City Hall, 408 N Spokane Street, open 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday. Since 2015 the City, rather than the State, issues all plumbing and electrical permits and inspections for work in Post Falls; permits issued before June 7, 2015 for plumbing and July 9, 2015 for electrical remain with the State. Appeals from a decision of the Building Official are heard by the City's Building Code Board of Appeals, whose application fee the City's schedule sets at $150.00.
Adopted code
LOCALLY ENACTED, ON A STATE-MANDATED EDITION. Post Falls Municipal Code 15.04.020 adopts "The 2018 International Residential Code (IRC), prepared by the International Code Council, Inc., as adopted by the State of Idaho through the Idaho Building Code Board, together with any amendments or revisions to the IRC made by the Idaho Building Code Board through the negotiated rulemaking process ... with the following exceptions or amendments", enacted by Ordinance 1328 of 2017 and amended by Ordinance 1405 of 2020. Post Falls Municipal Code 15.04.020, the City's own adopting section, lists nineteen exceptions and amendments to the 2018 International Residential Code, and none of them touches Chapter 9, Roof Assemblies, or Chapter 8, Roof-Ceiling Construction; they reach occupancy classification, plan submittal and construction documents, snow loads, garage separation, under-stair protection, flood-resistant construction, footings and foundation reinforcement, and which parts and appendices of the code are adopted. Two of the nineteen matter to a roofer even though neither is a roofing rule: item 8 replaces Section R301.2.3 and sets a minimum roof design snow load of 40 psf, and item 19 adopts no appendices except Appendix J, Existing Buildings and Structures, with named exclusions, and Appendix K, Sound Transmission. Item 18 records that Parts VII Plumbing and VIII Electrical of the IRC are not adopted, because the City runs those trades on separate codes. The rest of Chapter 15.04 adopts the 2018 International Building Code (15.04.010), the 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (15.04.030), the 2018 International Fuel Gas Code (15.04.040), the 2018 International Mechanical Code (15.04.050), the 2018 International Existing Building Code (15.04.060), the 2017 Idaho State Plumbing Code (15.04.070), the 2023 National Electrical Code (15.04.080) and the 2009 International Property Maintenance Code (15.04.090). The City's own Current Adopted Codes and Design Criteria sheet lists the same suite and adds ICC A117.1-2009 for accessibility. Post Falls Municipal Code 15.04.110 makes the Building Official the administrative authority for all of those codes and provides that any provision of them "that are more restrictive than the provisions of other local or State codes take precedence over such local or State Code". THE STATE FRAMEWORK: Idaho's residential code is set by the Idaho Building Code Board, not by the city. IDAPA 24.39.30.600.03 adopts the "International Residential Code, 2018 Edition ... Parts I, II, III, and IX of the 2018 Edition for one (1)- and two (2)-family dwellings", effective July 1, 2024, together with a list of state amendments; Idaho Code 39-4116(2) requires a local government that issues building permits and performs code enforcement to adopt the Idaho residential code parts I-III and IX by ordinance. Parts IV through VIII -- energy, mechanical, fuel gas, plumbing and electrical -- are not part of the Idaho residential code (Idaho Code 39-4109(1)(b)); roofing sits in Part III and is included. Idaho Code 39-4116(2) also bars a local jurisdiction from adopting provisions of a later IRC edition the Board has not adopted, so a city cannot be ahead of the state. Idaho Code 39-4116(6): "Permits shall be governed by the laws in effect at the time the permit application is received."
Drip edge
Required — IDAPA 24.39.30.600.03 -- the State of Idaho's complete list of amendments to the 2018 International Residential Code, read in full -- does not touch Chapter 9, Roof Assemblies. Post Falls Municipal Code 15.04.020, the City's own adopting section, lists nineteen exceptions and amendments to the 2018 International Residential Code, and none of them touches Chapter 9, Roof Assemblies, or Chapter 8, Roof-Ceiling Construction; they reach occupancy classification, plan submittal and construction documents, snow loads, garage separation, under-stair protection, flood-resistant construction, footings and foundation reinforcement, and which parts and appendices of the code are adopted. The base 2018 IRC drip-edge requirement for asphalt shingle roofs (Section R905.2.8.5) therefore applies unmodified. Confirm the flashing detail and the fastener spacing against the shingle manufacturer's printed instructions as well, which the code makes binding. About drip edge
Ice & water shield
Required — Sourced from Post Falls's own climatic and geographic design criteria, not inferred from climate. The City's Current Adopted Codes and Design Criteria sheet states, under Design Criteria: "Ice Shield Underlayment is required because of occasional severe conditions, reference R905.1.2". The same sheet gives weathering as "Severe (see Ice Shield for roofs below)", an air freezing index of 1000 and a mean annual design temperature of 45 degrees. This is a live local difference rather than a formality -- the City of Boise publishes the opposite answer on its own table -- so do not carry another Idaho city's entry to a Post Falls roof. Idaho's state rule does not answer the question either way: IDAPA 24.39.30.600.03 amends nothing in Chapter 9 of the 2018 International Residential Code, and Table R301.2(1) is the one part of Part III that Idaho Code 39-4116(4)(c) leaves a city free to fill in and amend for local conditions. The extent the barrier must reach up the roof slope is governed by the unamended base 2018 IRC text at the section the City's own sheet points to. About ice & water barrier
Impact-resistant roofing
Not required — No impact-resistance mandate applies in Post Falls. IDAPA 24.39.30.600.03 -- the State of Idaho's complete list of amendments to the 2018 International Residential Code, read in full -- contains no amendment to Chapter 9, Roof Assemblies, and no UL 2218, Class 4 or FM 4473 impact-rating reference anywhere in the rule. Title 15 of the Post Falls Municipal Code, Buildings and Construction -- all four of its chapters, covering the building and related construction and maintenance codes, manufactured homes, flood damage prevention and construction site requirements -- was read in full and contains no such reference either, and no amendment to Chapter 9. Neither the state's nor the city's adopted code imposes an impact-resistant roof covering requirement. Note that a fire rating and a hail rating are different things: Class A, B and C describe fire performance under ASTM E108 or UL 790, while UL 2218 Class 4 describes impact. An insurance discount for impact-rated shingles, where a carrier offers one, is a matter between the homeowner and the insurer and is not a code requirement.
Repair permit threshold
No square footage figure and no dollar figure -- Post Falls charges one flat fee for a residential re-roof however large it is. The City's Building Fee Schedule, revised October 1, 2025, lists under Building Permits: "Re-Roof, Residential $150.00 Flat Fee" and "Re-Roof, Commercial Based upon the valuation of the work to be performed, minimum of $150.00 fee". Neither that schedule nor the City's building pages state any size or value below which a re-roof may go ahead without a permit. Nor does either government carve roofing out of the code's own list of work exempt from permit: Post Falls Municipal Code 15.04.020's nineteen exceptions and amendments to the 2018 International Residential Code, read in full, do not amend Section R105.2, and the State of Idaho's only two amendments to that section change a dimension in item 7 and add "11. Flag poles". So the base list applies unmodified and no roofing item was added to it. Two figures a roofer should price in: work done without a valid permit is charged at "Permit fee x 2 (double permit fee)", and a re-inspection or special inspection is "$100.00 per hour, one hour minimum". Separate flat fees apply to adjacent trades often bundled with a roof -- $100.00 for residing a structure and $100.00 for replacing windows, residential.
Wind design criteria
Take these from the City's own sheet, which Post Falls publishes filled in. Its Current Adopted Codes and Design Criteria give, under Design Criteria: "Wind Speed -- 115 mph, 3 second gusts for residential, Commercial is established by calculation"; "Exposure B"; and "Seismic Design Category C". CHECK THE BASIS BEFORE YOU APPLY THE NUMBER. The sheet states the averaging time (a 3-second gust) but not whether 115 mph is an ultimate design wind speed or a nominal one, and both bases are expressed as 3-second gusts. Those are two different numbers for the same wind loading and are not interchangeable, so confirm which basis your design method, engineering or product listing expects before using the figure, and ask the Building Division rather than converting it yourself. For roof loading the same sheet gives a roof snow load of 40 psf and a ground snow load of 56 psf, and the City has enacted those figures rather than only publishing them: Post Falls Municipal Code 15.04.020 item 8 replaces IRC Section R301.2.3 and requires a minimum roof design snow load of 40 psf, with 56 psf used for roof drifting snow load design. Other entries a roofer may need: frost line depth 24 inches, weathering severe, winter design temperature 25 degrees, air freezing index 1000. Note also that the State of Idaho deletes the model code's wind-borne debris opening-protection section statewide: IDAPA 24.39.30.600.03(d) reads "Section R301.2.1.2 Protection of Openings. Delete." That is an opening (window and door) provision rather than a roofing one, and under Idaho Code 39-4116(4)(b) a local jurisdiction may not re-adopt a provision the Idaho Building Code Board has expressly rejected. The City's commercial wind figure is established by calculation on the International Building Code track -- do not carry a commercial figure onto a one- or two-family dwelling.
Roof layer limit / recover
Neither the State of Idaho nor the City of Post Falls modifies the model rule. IDAPA 24.39.30.600.03 -- the Idaho Building Code Board's complete list of state amendments to the 2018 International Residential Code, seventeen items, read in full -- contains no amendment to Chapter 9, Roof Assemblies. Post Falls Municipal Code 15.04.020, the City's own adopting section, lists nineteen exceptions and amendments to the 2018 International Residential Code, and none of them touches Chapter 9, Roof Assemblies, or Chapter 8, Roof-Ceiling Construction; they reach occupancy classification, plan submittal and construction documents, snow loads, garage separation, under-stair protection, flood-resistant construction, footings and foundation reinforcement, and which parts and appendices of the code are adopted. The base 2018 IRC provisions therefore apply unmodified. Base-code rule, 2018 IRC Section R908.3.1.1 (Roof recover not allowed): a roof recover is not permitted where the existing roof or covering is water-soaked or has deteriorated to the point that it is not an adequate base for additional roofing; where the existing roof covering is slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile; or where the existing roof already has two or more applications of any type of roof covering. One existing layer may be recovered; a second forces a full tear-off. A local Idaho amendment to this rule would be unusually visible: Idaho Code 39-4116(4)(d) allows a city or county to amend this part of the residential code only by ordinance, on a recorded finding that "good cause for building or life safety exists" and that the amendment is "reasonably necessary", after a public hearing noticed in the official newspaper with at least thirty days' written notice to the local chapters of the industry bodies listed in Idaho Code 39-4109(5).
Deck & sheathing requirements
IDAPA 24.39.30.600.03 -- the State of Idaho's complete list of amendments to the 2018 International Residential Code, read in full -- contains no amendment to Chapter 8, Roof-Ceiling Construction, which carries the code's roof sheathing provisions, nor to Chapter 9, Roof Assemblies. Post Falls Municipal Code 15.04.020, the City's own adopting section, lists nineteen exceptions and amendments to the 2018 International Residential Code, and none of them touches Chapter 9, Roof Assemblies, or Chapter 8, Roof-Ceiling Construction; they reach occupancy classification, plan submittal and construction documents, snow loads, garage separation, under-stair protection, flood-resistant construction, footings and foundation reinforcement, and which parts and appendices of the code are adopted. The base 2018 IRC roof sheathing and decking requirements therefore apply unmodified, along with the shingle manufacturer's printed installation instructions, which the code makes binding. WHAT POST FALLS DOES CHANGE ABOUT A ROOF IS THE LOAD IT MUST CARRY, NOT THE DECK. Post Falls Municipal Code 15.04.020 item 8 deletes and replaces IRC Section R301.2.3, Snow Loads, and states: "The minimum roof design snow load shall be forty (40) pounds per square foot. A ground snow load of fifty six (56) pounds per square foot shall be used for roof drifting snow load design." The same amendment bars placing any manufactured home, commercial coach or modular building not constructed to withstand a minimum 40 psf roof load unless the owner provides a separate roof cover built to carry it, with a grandfather clause for homes already installed in the city when the section passed. That is a structural loading rule, so a Post Falls re-roof that opens up framing or changes the covering's weight is working against a heavier design load than most of the state. For new work the City's residential plan submittal sheet asks for the roof framing plan and individual truss sheets, and for "all lumber types, grades, and species including sheathing type and thickness", so the deck specification is reviewed against the submitted plans rather than set by a local prescriptive figure.
Sales & use tax
6.0% -- the Idaho state rate, with no local add-on. Idaho Code 63-3619 imposes the state sales tax "at the rate of six percent (6%)". Idaho has only two kinds of local sales tax, and neither applies here: a resort-city local-option tax, which Idaho Code 50-1044 confines to resort cities "with a population not in excess of ten thousand (10,000)" and which the Idaho State Tax Commission's own list of participating cities does not include this jurisdiction in; and an auditorium-district tax, which the Tax Commission states "can charge a local sales tax only for short-term lodging (30 days or less)" and so never reaches roofing work. Post Falls is in neither. Idaho counties levy no sales tax at all, so nothing is added for Kootenai County. HOW A ROOF IS TAXED, which matters more than the rate: the Tax Commission's contractor guidance states that "Idaho sales tax law says contractors are the consumers (end users) of all the goods they use. As a result, they must pay sales tax on all purchases", and it names roofers among the contractors it covers. The roofer pays the 6% on materials at the supply house; the homeowner's invoice carries no sales tax line at all, on materials or on labour, because "a contractor doesn't charge sales tax to the customer" and the tax is absorbed into the bid. The Commission adds that "if sales tax is charged on the bill, the customer can refuse to pay it." A customer's own sales-tax exemption does not carry over to the contractor.

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