Bolthole Index

Lewis County, Idaho

Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Craigmont, Idaho

Craigmont, Idaho requires a city building permit for construction, alteration, demolition, excavation and foundations inside city limits.1 Craigmont has its own zoning; septic permits come from Public Health – Idaho North Central District, serving Lewis County, with city sewage-disposal requirements also applying.234 Public sewer connection is mandatory when the city’s distance and physical-connectability conditions are met.5

At a glance

Building permits
Required from the City of Craigmont before covered work begins1
Zoning
City zoning applies inside Craigmont city limits2
Sewer connection
Required after official notice if sewer is within 200 feet of the property line and the property can physically connect5
Septic permits
Health-district permit plus city private-sewage-disposal requirements; private disposal only where public sewer is unavailable under the city rule67
Move-in approval
City building inspector issues the required certificate of occupancy for covered buildings and changes8
Private wells
IDWR drilling permit and an IDWR-licensed well driller required9

Who to call

Zoning

City of Craigmont City Hall

Starting contact for Craigmont zoning, building application routing and city utility questions

(208) 924-5432

109 E Main Street

Building permits

City of Craigmont building permit application

City building permit application, reviewed by the building inspector and Mayor

208-924-5432

109 E. Main St.

Septic permits

Public Health – Idaho North Central District, Lewis County office

Septic applications, site evaluations, permits and inspections for Lewis County

(208) 935-2124

132 N Hill Street

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 12, 2026.

Off-grid gear

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

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Do you need a building permit in Craigmont, ID?

Craigmont requires a city building permit before construction, alteration, demolition, building use, excavation or foundation work inside city limits.1 The application must include a scale drawing showing the lot dimensions and building location and size, plus written proof that other agencies’ required fees and conditions have been satisfied.1 Work must commence within 60 days of issuance, and the permit expires after 1 year unless the City Council grants an extension following a written request and payment of applicable fees.1 Craigmont’s City Council can establish separate building-permit fees and penalties for starting without approval; ask City Hall for the current charges before budgeting.1011

Who issues building permits in Craigmont, and how do you apply?

Craigmont’s building permit comes from the city, so start with Craigmont City Hall for an address inside city limits.111 The city’s published application requires authorization by the building inspector and Mayor before construction can begin.12 The application also asks applicants to attach a drawing of the proposed building.12 Approval to build is separate from approval to occupy: Craigmont requires a certificate of occupancy issued by the city building inspector for covered new buildings and changes in use or structure.8 The occupancy provisions also require a licensed design professional’s stamped certification that the stormwater system matches its approved design and functions properly.8

Does Craigmont have zoning, and can you live in an RV or tiny home?

Craigmont has city zoning, with published district categories covering residential, commercial, industrial and transitional-agricultural land.213 The residential categories include R-1 Single- and Two-Family Residential and R-2 Multiple-Family Residential; T-A is Transitional-Agricultural.13 Ask City Hall to identify the parcel’s district and provide its permitted uses and dimensional requirements before choosing a home design.1311 We could not confirm Craigmont’s private-lot RV occupancy, temporary camping, tiny-home or accessory-dwelling rules; ask City Hall about the exact proposed living arrangement.11 We also could not confirm district-specific minimum lot sizes, dwelling sizes or setbacks, so request those provisions for the parcel rather than treating agricultural zoning as permission to build anything.1311

How do sewer connections and septic permits work inside Craigmont?

Craigmont requires public sewer connection at the owner’s expense within 90 days after official notice when sewer is within 200 feet of the property line and the property is physically capable of connecting.5 Craigmont allows private sewage disposal only where public sewer is unavailable under the city rule, subject to city permit, inspection, lot-size and health-officer requirements.7 Public Health – Idaho North Central District issues septic permits and handles site evaluations and installation inspections for Lewis County properties, including Craigmont.314 The district application requires parcel information, a plot plan with a replacement area, a floor plan for new construction or modifications, payment and a site evaluation.15 Craigmont also requires notice to the city supervisor before underground work is covered; the city provision calls for inspection within 48 hours of notice.4 Coordinate both city and district inspections.416

What are the steps to building a home in Craigmont?

  1. Ask Craigmont City Hall to identify the zoning district and the requirements for the proposed home and parcel.21311
  2. Resolve public sewer availability with the city; where private sewage disposal is eligible, contact Public Health – Idaho North Central District for the septic application and site evaluation.5715
  3. Submit the city building application with the scale drawing and proof of other agencies’ required approvals and fee payments, then wait for authorization before starting construction.112
  4. Arrange applicable sewage-system inspections before covering underground work and obtain the city certificate of occupancy before moving into a covered new or altered building.4168

What stays outside Craigmont’s authority, and what should you check before buying?

Craigmont controls city building permits and zoning, while Public Health – Idaho North Central District administers septic permitting and inspections under statewide DEQ rules.1214 A proposed private well requires an Idaho Department of Water Resources drilling permit before drilling and an IDWR-licensed driller; ask City Hall separately about city utility requirements for the address.911 We could not confirm Craigmont’s operative floodplain-development or ordinary residential driveway-access rules; ask City Hall to route those parcel questions before purchase.11 For land outside Craigmont city limits, use the Lewis County guide for the county’s building and zoning answers, which concern unincorporated land.1718

Watch-outs

  • Craigmont’s sewer connection requirement can rule out private septic even when a health-district system would otherwise be feasible.57
  • Craigmont building permits become void if work has not commenced within 60 days of issuance.1
  • Idaho’s homeowner exception for personally installing a standard/basic septic system without hired help is an installer exception, while the health-district septic permit requirement still applies.196
  • We could not confirm Craigmont’s general owner-builder exemption or adopted building-code editions; ask City Hall before relying on either.11

Sources

  1. 9-1-3 Building Permits (Craigmont), quoted and re-checked
  2. Title 10 Zoning Regulations (Craigmont), quoted and re-checked
  3. Septic and Septage, quoted and re-checked
  4. 8-3-3 Private Sewage Disposal (Craigmont), quoted and re-checked
  5. 8-3-2 Use Of Public Sewers Required (Craigmont), quoted and re-checked
  6. Septic and Septage, quoted and re-checked
  7. 8-3-2 Use Of Public Sewers Required (Craigmont), quoted and re-checked
  8. 9-1-2 Certificates Of Occupancy (Craigmont), quoted and re-checked
  9. Wells Overview, quoted and re-checked
  10. 9-1-3 Building Permits (Craigmont), quoted and re-checked
  11. City of Craigmont City Hall (cityofcraigmontid.com)
  12. City of Craigmont building permit application (cityofcraigmontid.com)
  13. Title 10 Zoning Regulations (Craigmont), quoted and re-checked
  14. Septic Systems, quoted and re-checked
  15. Septic Permit Application, quoted and re-checked
  16. Septic and Septage, quoted and re-checked
  17. Lewis County Idaho Planning and Zoning (2026 county census)
  18. Lewis County Zoning and Development Ordinance No. 1997-2 (2026 county census)
  19. Septic and Septage, quoted and re-checked

Written October 12, 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 Craigmont

Craigmont’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Construction, alteration, demolition, use of a building or structure, excavation, and foundations inside Craigmont city limits.

    • Work must commence within 60 days of permit issuance or the permit becomes null and void.
    • Permits expire after one year unless the City Council grants a six-month extension upon written request and payment of applicable fees.
    • A scale map or drawing showing actual lot or parcel dimensions and building location and size must accompany the request.
    • Written proof that required fees imposed by other public agencies have been paid and other agency conditions met must accompany the request.

    work commencement deadline: 60 days (permit becomes null and void if work has not commenced) · permit expiration: 1 year (City Council may grant a six-month extension upon written request and payment of applicable fees)

    “without first having obtained a permit to do so from the City.”
  • Certificate of occupancyRequired

    A building or premises, or part thereof, created, erected, changed, converted, or wholly or partly altered or enlarged in use or structure inside Craigmont city limits.

    • The certificate must be issued by the City building inspector.
    • The certificate must state that the proposed use conforms to the chapter.
    • A stamped certification from a licensed design professional must be submitted to the City Clerk-Treasurer stating that the stormwater system was constructed according to the approved design and is functioning properly.
    • The building, proposed use, and land must conform to all other conditional provisions imposed.
    • A temporary certificate may be issued for up to six months during alterations or partial occupancy.
    • The City Council establishes occupancy-permit fees by resolution.

    temporary certificate maximum period: <= 6 months (during alterations or partial occupancy pending completion)

    “until a certificate of occupancy shall have been issued therefor by the City building inspector”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Craigmont city limits.

    “TITLE 10 ZONING REGULATIONS Title, Purpose And Definitions   1 Administration And Enforcement   2 Zoning Districts And Map   3”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Craigmont city zoning districts.

    • The published Title 10 table of contents identifies R-1 Single- and Two-Family Residential, R-2 Multiple-Family Residential, C Commercial, I-C Industrial-Commercial, I Industrial, and T-A Transitional-Agricultural districts, plus a zoning district map chapter.
    “R-1 Single- And Two-Family Residential District [...] T-A Transitional-Agricultural District”
  • Septic inspectionRequired

    Private sewage disposal installation inside Craigmont city limits.

    • The city supervisor may inspect at any stage.
    • The applicant must notify the supervisor for final inspection before underground portions are covered.
    • Inspection must occur within 48 hours after notice.
    • Health-officer requirements may also apply.

    inspection response time: 48 hours (after receipt of notice of readiness for final inspection)

    “A permit for a private sewage disposal system shall not become effective until the installation is completed to the satisfaction of the supervisor. He shall be allowed to inspect the work at any stage of construction and, in any event, the applicant for the permit shall notify the supervisor when the work is ready for final inspection, and before any underground portions are covered. The inspection shall be made within forty eight (48) hours of the receipt of notice of the supervisor.”
  • Off-grid sanitationLimited

    Private sewage disposal inside Craigmont city limits only where public sewer is unavailable.

    • Privies, septic tanks, cesspools, and other sewage-disposal facilities are prohibited when the public-sewer rule applies.
    • Private sewage disposal must comply with city permit, inspection, lot-size, and health-officer requirements.
    “Where a public sanitary or combined sewer is not available”
  • Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

    Properties used for human occupancy, employment, recreation, or other purposes inside Craigmont city limits where a public sewer is within 200 feet of the property line and the property is physically capable of connecting.

    • Connection is required within 90 days after official notice.
    • The owner pays the connection expense.
    • If public sewer is unavailable under the city's rule, private sewage disposal is allowed subject to permit and inspection.
    • A written sewer permit is required for connections to public sewer.

    public sewer distance threshold: <= 200 feet from property line (property must also be physically capable of connection) · connection deadline after official notice: 90 days

    “within ninety (90) days after date of official notice to do so; provided, that said public sewer is within two hundred feet (200')”
  • Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

    Building permits inside Craigmont city limits.

    • If building-permit fees are established independently from the adopted Building Code, the City Council sets them by resolution.
    • The City Council may establish penalty fees by resolution for constructing or starting construction without an approved permit.
    • Applicable fees may be required for a six-month permit extension.
    “If fees for building permits are established independently from the fees provided in the adopted Building Code, such fees for building permits shall be established by resolution of the City Council. The City Council may also establish by resolution penalty fees for constructing (or starting construction of) a building without an approved building permit.”

Rules another office applies inside Craigmont

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

  • Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

    Septic permitting and installation inspection for property inside Craigmont city limits, administered through Idaho public health districts under a DEQ memorandum of understanding.

    • Idaho public health districts conduct site evaluations, issue permits, and inspect installations under an MOU with DEQ.
    • For a specific property, the public health district for the county where the property is located is the contact.
    “The public health districts conduct site evaluations, issue septic system permits, inspect installations”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Craigmont or Lewis County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Craigmont city limits.
  • Building code adopted — Building-code adoption inside Craigmont city limits.
  • Inspections — Building inspections inside Craigmont city limits.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size in Craigmont residential and transitional-agricultural districts.
  • Minimum lot size — Minimum lot size in Craigmont residential and transitional-agricultural districts.
13 more unanswered
  • Setbacks
  • Lot coverage
  • Building height
  • Living in an RV
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Manufactured homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals

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 Craigmont publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Lewis County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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