Bolthole Index

Fremont County, Idaho

Building permits, zoning and septic rules in St. Anthony, Idaho

For building-permit questions in St. Anthony, Idaho, start with the city’s Building Inspector; we could not confirm the operative city permit requirement or current fees.1 St. Anthony’s zoning ordinance limits visitor RV stays on residential lots to 14 days per calendar year.2 For onsite wastewater in St. Anthony, in Fremont County, Eastern Idaho Public Health handles septic site evaluations, permits and inspections under Idaho’s rules.3

At a glance

Building permits
Ask the city Building Inspector; city requirement and fees unconfirmed1
Zoning
City Planning & Zoning Administrator is the local contact4
Septic
Eastern Idaho Public Health administers onsite wastewater rules3
RV occupancy
Visitor stays on residential lots: up to 14 days per calendar year2
Owner-builder
Contractor-registration exemption for qualifying owners; no blanket permit exemption5
Floodplain
City floodplain construction restrictions apply6

Who to call

Building permits

City of St. Anthony Building Inspector

City contact for building-permit and inspection questions

(208) 624-3494

[email protected]

420 North Bridge Street

Planning & zoning

City of St. Anthony Planning & Zoning Administrator

City contact for parcel zoning and land-use questions

(208) 624-3494

[email protected]

420 North Bridge Street

Septic permits

Eastern Idaho Public Health, Fremont County Office

Local contact for onsite wastewater questions in St. Anthony

(208) 522-8065

45 South 2nd West

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 11, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in St. Anthony means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Do you need a building permit in St. Anthony, ID?

St. Anthony lists a city Building Inspector, so take city-limits building-permit questions to that office.1 We could not confirm St. Anthony’s operative building-permit requirement, adopted code edition, inspection schedule or current fee schedule; ask the Building Inspector for the requirements for your proposed home, addition or outbuilding.1

Idaho requires electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits, with administration varying by location; ask which trade-permit programs apply to your St. Anthony address before work begins.7 An owner-builder’s contractor-registration exemption does not establish an exemption from municipal building permits or inspections.5

Who handles building permits and zoning in St. Anthony?

The City of St. Anthony staff directory identifies a Building Inspector and a Deputy Clerk/Planning & Zoning Administrator.14 Contact City Hall and request the Building Inspector for construction questions or the Planning & Zoning Administrator for parcel-use questions.14

Before buying, ask the Planning & Zoning Administrator to identify the parcel’s district and provide the applicable lot-size, setback and dwelling standards; we could not confirm those parcel-specific dimensions here.4 Ask the Building Inspector for the application route, required plans, fees and inspection sequence for your project.1 Septic questions belong with Eastern Idaho Public Health, which administers onsite wastewater rules serving St. Anthony.3

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in St. Anthony?

St. Anthony’s residential-lot RV rule permits temporary use to accommodate visitors for no more than 14 days during a calendar year.2 The visitor limit does not apply to an owner’s storage of a personal RV or camper when unoccupied.2 The visitor provision does not establish permission for an owner to live in an RV while constructing a home; ask the city Planning & Zoning Administrator about that proposed use.24

Visitor RV use must not obstruct visibility, traffic, streets, sidewalks or public rights-of-way, and must not create sanitation or public-health concerns.2 The provision also bars city-maintained water or wastewater service or disposal for that use.2 We could not confirm St. Anthony’s tiny-home, accessory-dwelling or minimum-home-size rules; request a city determination before purchasing a unit.4

How do septic permits work inside St. Anthony?

Eastern Idaho Public Health administers Idaho’s onsite wastewater rules for St. Anthony, including site evaluations, septic permits and installation inspections.3 Idaho generally requires a valid septic installation permit, subject to the specific exceptions in the state rules.8

A septic permit may be denied when public or central wastewater treatment facilities are reasonably accessible; that state rule does not establish a universal sewer-connection requirement.9 We could not confirm St. Anthony’s city-limits water or sewer connection requirements, so ask City Hall about service and Eastern Idaho Public Health about septic eligibility before choosing a wastewater system.13 Idaho requires inspections of septic installations, so arrange the inspection with the health district before concealing work.10

Building a home in St. Anthony: what steps come first?

Use this sequence to resolve the city and state approvals before committing to construction.

  1. Ask St. Anthony’s Planning & Zoning Administrator for the parcel’s zoning standards and a decision on the proposed dwelling type.4
  2. Ask the city Building Inspector for the building application, adopted code, plan requirements, fees and inspection schedule; those city details remain unconfirmed here.1
  3. Resolve wastewater eligibility with Eastern Idaho Public Health; the district handles septic site evaluations and permits.3
  4. Identify the electrical, plumbing and HVAC permitting authority for the address and obtain the applicable trade permits.7
  5. If doing your own construction, verify owner-builder eligibility: owners working on their own land must not intend to sell within 12 months to qualify for the contractor-registration exemption.5

What should you check before buying in St. Anthony?

St. Anthony subjects construction in its floodplain to the city’s floodplain restrictions; ask the Planning & Zoning Administrator how those restrictions affect the parcel and proposed building location.64 St. Anthony’s bona fide agricultural land-division exception concerns the definition of a subdivision, not a blanket exemption from building, zoning or health requirements.11

We could not confirm city-limits private-well or off-grid sanitation permission; ask City Hall before treating either as an alternative to municipal service.4 If a private well is allowed, Idaho requires an IDWR drilling permit before drilling and a licensed well driller.12 For land outside St. Anthony, consult the Fremont County guide; Idaho’s county planning powers apply to unincorporated land.13

Watch-outs

  • St. Anthony’s visitor RV allowance is limited to 14 days per calendar year and does not establish permission to live in an RV while building.2
  • We could not confirm St. Anthony’s building-permit fees, inspection schedule or municipal utility-connection requirements; ask the city Building Inspector before budgeting construction.1
  • A qualifying owner-builder’s contractor-registration exemption does not waive municipal building permits or inspections.5

Sources

  1. City of St. Anthony Building Inspector (cityofstanthony.org)
  2. Title 17 Zoning Ordinance of the City of St. Anthony, Idaho (St. Anthony), quoted and re-checked
  3. Septic and Septage (St. Anthony), quoted and re-checked
  4. City of St. Anthony Planning & Zoning Administrator (cityofstanthony.org)
  5. dopl.idaho.gov (St. Anthony), quoted and re-checked
  6. Title 17 Zoning Ordinance of the City of St. Anthony, Idaho (St. Anthony), quoted and re-checked
  7. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (Idaho statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  8. IDAPA 58.01.03 – Individual/Subsurface Sewage Disposal Rules and Rules for Cleaning of Septic Tanks (Idaho statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  9. IDAPA 58.01.03 Individual/Subsurface Sewage Disposal Rules (Idaho statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  10. IDAPA 58.01.03 Individual/Subsurface Sewage Disposal Rules (Idaho statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  11. Title 17 Zoning Ordinance of the City of St. Anthony, Idaho (St. Anthony), quoted and re-checked
  12. Wells Overview (Idaho statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  13. Idaho Code § 67-6504 — Planning and zoning commission (Idaho statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

Written October 11, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for St. Anthony

St. Anthony’s own rules

  • Living in an RVLimited

    Parking and use of a recreational vehicle or camper on a residential lot inside St. Anthony city limits.

    • Temporary use must accommodate visitors on a residential lot.
    • The total period may not exceed 14 days during one calendar year.
    • The 14-day limit does not apply to storage of a personal RV or camper by the property owner when it is not occupied.
    • The RV may not block the clear vision triangle, be placed in a street, public right-of-way, or sidewalk, or impede traffic.
    • The use may not create sanitary or public-health concerns, use city-maintained water or wastewater for service or disposal, use private dumpsters, or violate noise restrictions.

    visitor RV occupancy: <= 14 days per calendar year (storage of an unoccupied personal RV or camper by the property owner)

    “The total length of time an R.V. or camper may be located on a lot to accommodate visitors shall not exceed 14 days during one calendar year. (This shall not apply to the storage of a personal RV or camper by the owner of the property when it is not occupied.)”
  • Agricultural exemptionConditional

    Subdivision-definition exception for a bona fide agricultural division inside St. Anthony city limits.

    • The exception applies to a bona fide division of land for agricultural purposes.
    • This is an exception from the ordinance's definition of subdivision; it does not establish exemption from all other zoning, building, or health requirements.
    “Subdivision: The division of any parcel of land in single ownership into two (2) or more lots, parcels, tracts or sites for the purpose of sale, lease, transfer or development, excepting therefrom a bonafide division of land for agricultural purposes.”
  • Building in a floodplainLimited

    Construction in the floodplain inside St. Anthony city limits.

    • The ordinance defines the floodplain as land adjoining a channel, stream, lake, or other water body that may be covered by a 100-year-frequency flood.
    • All construction in the floodplain is subject to Title 15.24 restrictions.

    flood frequency: 100 years

    “All construction in the floodplain as defined in Title.15.24 of the City of St. Anthony Municipal ordinance is subject to the restrictions of that title.”

Rules another office applies inside St. Anthony

St. Anthony does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

  • Owner-builder exemptionAvailable (with conditions)

    Owner construction work on the owner's own land, including inside St. Anthony city limits, for contractor-registration purposes.

    • The owner must do the work on the owner's own land.
    • The owner must not intend to sell the property within 12 months.
    • This source addresses contractor registration and does not establish exemption from municipal permits or inspections.

    intended sale period: > 12 months

    “Owners: Owners who do their own work on their own land and do not intend to sell the property within 12 months are exempt from registration.”
  • Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

    Onsite wastewater systems serving property inside St. Anthony city limits.

    • Idaho DEQ establishes the statewide onsite-wastewater rules.
    • Public health districts administer those rules under an MOU with DEQ.
    • Eastern Idaho Public Health serves Fremont County.
    “Idaho’s seven public health districts administer these rules under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with DEQ. The public health districts conduct site evaluations, issue septic system permits, inspect installations, and assist with property-specific questions about permitting, existing systems, and permit records.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask St. Anthony or Fremont County directly.

  • Building permit — Building permits inside St. Anthony city limits.
  • Building code adopted — Building-code adoption inside St. Anthony city limits.
  • Inspections — Building inspections inside St. Anthony city limits.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside St. Anthony city limits.
  • Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside St. Anthony city limits.
9 more unanswered
  • Manufactured homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Driveway access
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees
  • Permit process

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that St. Anthony publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Fremont County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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