City paperwork
Inside St. Anthony city limits you need two permits, in order
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Two permits, and the order is fixed
Most people planning a house think of “the building permit” as one thing. Inside the St. Anthony city limits it is two things, and they happen in a set sequence. The city puts it plainly at the top of its own application:
“All Building Permit Applications need Zoning Permit approval PRIOR to permit issuance.”
“A $150 deposit is required for application to be accepted.”
— City of St. Anthony, Residential Building Permit Application, Rev. 11.2023, retrieved 14 August 2026
Two separate facts sit in that quote and both are easy to miss. There is a permit before the permit. And there is money before either — the city will not accept your application without the $150 deposit, which means an incomplete package does not join the queue and quietly wait. It simply is not in the queue.
What each permit is actually asking
They check different things, which is why one cannot substitute for the other.
| Zoning permit | Building permit | |
|---|---|---|
| The question | May this use go on this land, in this position? | Is this structure built to code? |
| What you submit | A site plan: proposed construction and existing improvements, building site and setback dimensions, the use of each building, easements | Two sets of detailed plans and supporting documents |
| Who can sign | Inspector, Planning Commission, City Council | The city office notifies you when it is approved |
| Special question on the form | Is a variance required, yes or no? | A good-faith valuation of the work |
| Who has to prepare it | The applicant | Prepared or signed off by a registered design professional |
The order things actually happen in
- Zoning permit application. Site plan with setbacks, easements and the use of each building. Answer the variance question honestly — a variance discovered late is the most expensive kind.
- Zoning approval. Inspector, and where required the Planning Commission and City Council.
- Building permit application, with the $150 deposit. Without the deposit it is not accepted.
- Water and sewer application and hookup fees paid, if you are connecting to city services. This must clear before the building permit is approved.
- Permit approved and picked up. The building permit fee and hookup fees are payable at pickup. The permit goes on the site and stays there until final inspection and occupancy.
- Inspections, which you book: (208) 709-3030, with 24 hours' notice. It is the applicant's job to call, not the inspector's job to appear.
Two lines on the forms worth reading twice
- “The issuance of the permit does not waive restrictive covenants.” The city is telling you, on its own form, that its approval says nothing about your subdivision's rules. If there is an association, its requirements are a separate gate and can be stricter than the city's.
- The locate requirement, printed in capitals. Contact Idaho Dig Line at (800) 342-1585 or call 811 two days before you dig. It applies to exploratory digging too, and it is a statewide legal obligation rather than a local formality.
If your lot is outside the city
None of the above applies in that form. The county's checklist names no separate zoning permit; it wants a complete application with the parcel, section, township and range, a deposit on submittal, a $50 site plan review fee, two sets of plans with engineering calculations and truss designs, and roughly four to six weeks to review. Which desk you are dealing with is settled by the parcel, and it is the first thing to establish.
Not sure which one you are? City of St. Anthony, 420 N Bridge Street Suite A, St. Anthony, ID 83445 — (208) 624-3494; inspections (208) 709-3030, 24 hours' notice. Or ask us on (208) 656-1745 and we will tell you who to call.
Related reading on this site
- St. Anthony issues its own building permits — the one sentence that decides which of these paths you are on
- You build the sidewalk before you get the keys — the city requirement that lands at the very end of the process
- Who has to stamp your plans in St. Anthony — what a registered design professional sign-off means in practice
Common questions
Do I need two permits to build inside St. Anthony city limits?
Effectively yes. The city's residential building permit application states that all building permit applications need zoning permit approval prior to permit issuance. The zoning permit is a separate application with its own form, its own review and its own approval signatures.
What does the zoning permit actually check?
It is the land-use check rather than the construction check. The city's zoning permit application asks for a site plan showing the location of proposed construction and existing improvements, building site and setback dimensions, the use of each building, and easements. It also asks whether a variance is required.
Who signs off on it?
The city's zoning permit form carries signature lines for the Inspector, the Planning Commission and the City Council. Not every application goes to all three — but the form is built so that it can, which tells you the review is not always a counter transaction.
How much money do I need up front?
The city requires a $150 deposit before the building permit application will be accepted at all. Building permit fees themselves are calculated on square footage and the type of construction, and are payable when you pick the permit up, along with any water and sewer hookup fees.
What else has to happen before the building permit is approved?
If you are connecting to city water or sewer, the application for services and the hookup fees have to be paid before building permit approval. Two sets of detailed plans are required, and the submittal documents must be prepared or signed off by a registered design professional.
Does the zoning permit override my subdivision's covenants?
No, and the city says so on the form itself: the issuance of the permit does not waive restrictive covenants. A city approval and a homeowners' association requirement are two separate hurdles and clearing one does nothing for the other.
What happens if I dig before any of this?
Aside from the permit problem, the city's zoning permit application prints the locate requirement in capitals: contact Idaho Dig Line at (800) 342-1585, or call 811, two days before digging. That is a statewide obligation, not a local courtesy.
How long is the permit good for once I have it?
Ask the city, because the two desks differ. The county states plainly that its building permits are valid for two years. The city's application says the permit application expires if the permit is not collected, but does not print a validity period on the form — so get that answer from the city office rather than assuming the county's two years applies.
Ask about a build in St. Anthony
Describe the parcel and roughly what you have in mind. What comes back is an honest read on which firms here take that kind of work, plus the one thing most people have not established yet: whether the city or the county will be reviewing your plans. Free, and nothing automated ever follows.
- Say where the ground is and what you intend to put on it.
- You are pointed toward the firms in this town with that work behind them.
- From there it is between you and them. No commission, no introduction fee, and nobody standing between you and your own contract.
One contact method is plenty — whichever you prefer. A human being writes back.