Having recently adopted the new Comprehensive Plan, Kootenai County is now in the process of reviewing and rewriting the ordinances that relate to land use and development. For more information about the process, please click here. The rewritten ordinances will be brought together into a "Unified Land Use Code", which will be guided by the Comprehensive Plan and further shaped by extensive public review and input. The Board of County Commissioners have hired Kendig Keast Collaborative, a planning and plan implementation firm that serves client communities around the country, to lead the Unified Land Use Code development effort. Kendig Keast Collaborative will be working with the County and its interested residents to create a code that is uniquely tailored to the County's shared values and perspectives.

The planning process, both current and long range, is an opportunity for a county to prepare a set of strategies for the future. Planning and Zoning in Kootenai County was non-existent before 1973. Prior to that year, anything built on a piece of property followed no set of standards. Current planning and zoning regulations went into effect in 1973, and the "Idaho Local Planning Act" was created. Now, changes, upgrades, and variances must conform to this current code to determine whether structure is harmonious with the proposed site's zoning.

Permits are required from the the Planning Division of the Community Development Department prior to engaging in site disturbance activities such as grading, excavating, and storm drainage or runoff control, if planned within a subdivision. In addition, water quality issues are of concern. If a septic system is involved, inquiries are directed to Panhandle Health at 8500 N. Atlas Road, Hayden, ID 83835 (415-5100). If a community water system is affected by the site disturbance, inquiries are addressed to the Department of Environmental Quality at 2110 Ironwood Parkway, Coeur d'Alene (769-1422).