Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Soda Springs, Idaho

Soda Springs’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Buildings and structures inside Soda Springs city

  • Smaller structures below the building-permit size threshold need a city zoning permit instead
  • Accessory buildings need a building or zoning permit from the city building inspector
  • Agricultural buildings exempt from building codes

  “"zoning permit" means a permit required by the city when a proposed building or other structure does not meet the minimum square footage requirements necessary to require a building permit.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Inside Soda Springs city

  • IRC Section R703 (exterior covering) and Section R907 (reroofing) are not adopted
  • Adopts IBC, IRC Parts I-IV and IX, and IECC as adopted by the Idaho Building Code Board; later versions supersede
  • Agricultural buildings are exempt

  “are adopted as the official building codes of the city of Soda Springs, Idaho, except as provided in this chapter.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Soda Springs city (and its impact area)

  “the city of Soda Springs and city impact area is divided into the following use districts:”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Soda Springs city and impact area: R-1, R-2, R-3, C-1, C-2, C-3, M-1, M-2, A-1, A-2, FP overlay

  “the city of Soda Springs and city impact area is divided into the following use districts: a. r-1 single-family residential; b. r-2 combined residential; c. r-3 multiple-family residential; d. c-1 neighborhood commercial; e. c-2 community commercial; f. c-3 service commercial; g. m-1 light industrial; h. m-2 heavy industrial; i. a-1 agricultural; j. a-2 agricultural; k. fp floodplain overlay.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Manufactured homes qualifying as single-family dwellings inside Soda Springs city; no general minimum for site-built homes found

  • Minimum 500 square feet per section

  minimum total square footage: >= 1000 square feet

  “the total square footage minimum shall equal one thousand square feet;”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1 single-family residential zone, Soda Springs city

  • Lot width at building line not less than seventy-five feet
  • Legal lots of record may be used if nonconforming

  minimum lot area: >= 9000 square feet

  “The minimum lot area for each residential structure shall be nine thousand square”

  3 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — R-2 combined residential zone, Soda Springs city

    “The minimum lot area for single-family and two-family dwellings, seven thousand square”

  • Specified — A-1 agricultural zone single-family dwelling, Soda Springs city

    “single-family dwelling as regulated in the r-1 zone with the exception that the minimum lot size for such use shall be one acre;”

  • Specified — A-2 agricultural zone, Soda Springs city

    “The minimum lot area shall be five acres.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 single-family residential zone, Soda Springs city

  • Front yard 25 feet from street right-of-way (averaging rule, max 35 feet required)
  • Side yard 5 feet; corner lots 20 feet on street side
  • Rear 20 feet principal, 5 feet accessory
  • No building in any prescriptive or written easement

  front yard: >= 25 feet (averaging rule) · side yard: >= 5 feet (corner street side 20 feet) · rear yard principal: >= 20 feet · rear yard accessory: >= 5 feet

  “no building or structure shall be erected nearer than twenty-five feet from the right-of-way line of the street;”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-2 combined residential zone, Soda Springs city

    “There shall be a twenty foot rear yard setback from the rear lot line for”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  R-1 single-family residential zone, Soda Springs city

  maximum lot coverage: <= 35 percent

  “Not more than thirty-five percent of the lot area may be covered by buildings or structures.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes as single-family dwellings inside Soda Springs city

  • Must be HUD-certified, at least twenty feet wide, 1,000 square feet minimum
  • Permanent foundation, 2:12 roof pitch, 6-inch eave, no metal skirting
  • Building permit required
  • Only newly manufactured homes (built within one year before placement)
  • Owner must record declaration as real property with Caribou County recorder
  • Must be permanently connected to city utilities

  minimum total floor area: >= 1000 square feet · minimum width: >= 20 feet

  “be at least twenty feet wide at the narrowest point, with a minimum of five hundred square feet per section.”

• Who permits septicState (with conditions)

  Septic systems inside Soda Springs city where public sewer is not available; city code requires the state Department of Health and Welfare or its subdivisions to approve

  • Permit must be submitted to the city with the building or zoning permit application
  • Specific health district not named in the section

  “a permit and approval from the department of health and welfare, state of idaho, or its subdivisions, authorizing the construction and installation of a septic tank or other sanitary sewage disposal facility upon said property.”

• Septic permitRequired

  New structures inside Soda Springs city or its area of impact needing sanitary facilities that are not connected to public sewer

  • Applies where the structure cannot be connected to or is not required to connect to a public sewer line
  • Permit submitted to city with building or zoning permit application

  “where said facility or structure cannot be connected to a public sewer line of the city or is not required to be so connected, cause to be obtained and submitted to the city, together with his application for building or zoning permit, a permit and approval from the department of health and welfare”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  Land and premises inside Soda Springs city requiring sanitary facilities

  • Connection within ninety days after official notice
  • Unless connection is impractical by reason of topography
  • Applies where a public sewer is within two hundred feet

  distance to public sewer: <= 200 feet (unless impractical by reason of topography)

  “where there is a public sewer within two hundred feet, to compel every owner or occupant”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  Agricultural buildings inside Soda Springs city

  • Exempt from adopted building codes only; remain subject to zoning placement requirements

  “Agricultural buildings are exempt from the building codes adopted herein but shall”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision of land within Soda Springs city limits and one mile beyond

  • Exceptions listed in Section 16.04.050
  • Planning commission and city council review

  “This title shall apply to the subdividing of all land within the corporate limits”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Areas of special flood hazard inside Soda Springs city (FP overlay)

  • Applies to all structures including mobile homes and other development including fill
  • Anchoring, flood-resistant materials and utility standards under 17.60.070

  “A building permit shall be obtained before construction or development begins within”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Building permit and inspection fees inside Soda Springs city and impact area

  • Fees set by city council resolution; schedule not opened

  “shall be prescribed by resolution of the city council.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Soda Springs or Caribou County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Inside Soda Springs city
• Inspections — Inside Soda Springs city
• Certificate of occupancy — Inside Soda Springs city
• Building height — Inside Soda Springs city
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy inside Soda Springs city

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.