Hiring a contractor in Post Falls: registration, permits and inspections

A job on a Post Falls house runs through two sets of rules. The State of Idaho decides who may take the work. The City of Post Falls issues the permits and sends the inspectors. Both are public and free to check before you sign. Neither says whether the work will be good; that part is still references, a written scope and your own eyes.

This is general information, not legal advice.

Idaho's rule: registration above $2,000

Idaho does not license general contractors. It registers them, under the Idaho Contractor Registration Act, which has required registration since January 1, 2006. Anyone who takes a construction job worth more than $2,000, counting materials and labor, has to be registered with the Idaho Contractors Board unless an exemption applies. The board is part of the state Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL).

The rule is about the job, not where the company is based. Post Falls is about four miles from the Washington line, so this comes up: a company from across the line taking a job here over $2,000 needs the Idaho registration too.

To register, a contractor files proof of workers' compensation coverage (or a statement of why it is not required) and a general liability policy of at least $300,000. The registration renews every year. The contractor must show the registration number at the place of business and the jobsite and on advertising, contracts and building permits, so a missing number on an estimate is a fair thing to ask about.

The exemptions are narrow. Wage employees and suppliers who install nothing do not register. Tradespeople who hold their own state license, such as electricians, plumbers and HVAC installers, work under that license instead, as long as they stay inside its scope. An owner doing work on their own land with no plan to sell within 12 months is exempt.

What skipping registration costs the contractor

The state lists the penalties. An unregistered contractor cannot get a building permit, gives up lien rights and gives up the right to sue for payment under a contract that required registration. Working unregistered is a misdemeanor, with a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in county jail, or both.

The Act also puts a duty on the contractor you hire: get proof that everyone they bring onto your job is registered. Asking to see that proof for the subcontractors is reasonable.

The trades with their own boards

Electrical, plumbing and heating and air conditioning work each have their own state board under DOPL: the Idaho Electrical Board, the State Plumbing Board and the HVAC Board. DOPL's public search covers both the registrations and these trade licenses. Check that the status is current and the name matches the estimate.

Two disclosures you are owed

Idaho Code section 45-525 requires a general contractor to hand a homeowner a written disclosure before signing a residential contract over $2,000, and to get a signed receipt for it. It tells you that you may:

1. Require lien waivers from the subcontractors and suppliers, at your reasonable expense.
2. Get proof of general liability insurance, including completed operations, and of workers' compensation.
3. Buy an extended title insurance policy covering certain liens not yet filed.
4. Require a surety bond, at your expense, up to the value of the project.

A second disclosure comes before final payment. The contractor signs a list of every subcontractor, material supplier and equipment rental company with a direct contract on the job for more than $500, with their names, addresses and phone numbers, and those companies may tell you what they are still owed. Failing to give either disclosure counts as a deceptive practice under the Idaho Consumer Protection Act.

Use the list. Before the last check goes out, a quick call to each name on it tells you whether anyone is still waiting for money.

City permits: the Building Division and the portal

Inside city limits, the City of Post Falls Building Division does plan review, issues permits and inspects new work and changes to existing homes and businesses. Applications go through the city's online Community Development Portal, where you or your contractor can apply, upload plans, pay fees, schedule inspections and see results. The city also posts monthly building reports on its website, with a guide to reading them.

Plumbing and electrical permits come from the city too. The city took them over from the state in 2015, on June 7 for plumbing and July 9 for electrical, so older permits on a house may show the state Division of Building Safety instead.

Ask your contractor who is pulling the permit, and look it up on the portal before work starts. An unregistered contractor cannot get one at all.

How inspections are booked

The city runs a dedicated inspection line. The caller leaves the permit number, the job address, the type of inspection and the date wanted, and an inspection cannot be scheduled if any of those is missing. Requests left after midnight cannot be booked for the next day.

The Building Division does not book morning or afternoon slots, so the job has to be ready the morning of the inspection. The one exception is concrete: leave your pour time, and the inspectors will try to work around it.

Adding a second unit

The city allows one accessory dwelling unit per lot, attached, detached or converted from existing space. It needs its own electricity, kitchen and bathroom, one more paved off-street parking space, and materials that match the main house. It can be no larger than half the main home's living area or 1,000 square feet, whichever is smaller, and a detached unit goes behind the house except on a corner lot. The permit needs a site plan, mechanical plans and truss sheets, and goes through plan review.

Watch for fee scams

In late 2025 the city warned about emails asking for permit and application fees that did not come from the city. The city says it never takes payment by wire transfer, and it collects fees only in person or through its approved platforms. Real city email comes only from the city's own email domain or from OpenGov, the company behind its permit portal. If a fee request looks off, do not reply or click; call the Community Development Department at a number you find yourself on the city's site, or ask at City Hall.

Using our listings

Our Remodeling and Contractors, Roofing, Concrete and Paving, Electricians, Plumbers, and Heating and Air Conditioning categories list businesses working in Post Falls, with addresses and phone numbers. We have not hired or checked any of them, and a listing here is not a registration or license check. Run every name through DOPL's search yourself.