Kootenai County, ID Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Front yard setback
- 25 feet
- Side yard setback
- 10 feet (6 feet on alley)
- Rear yard setback
- 25 feet
- Flanking street setback
- 15 feet
- Applies to
- all structures uniformly
- Governing section
- LUDC 8.2.409(A), Ord. 493
- Minimum parcel size
- 8,250 sq ft (5 acres over aquifer)
Summary
Kootenai County's Restricted Residential Zone imposes one uniform setback table on every structure, per LUDC 8.2.409(A): a 25-foot front yard, 10-foot side yard (shrinking to 6 feet where the lot backs onto an alley), 25-foot rear yard, and 15-foot setback where a parcel flanks a second street. Off-street parking is handled separately under section 8.4.1301, not folded into these distances.
8.2.409: SETBACKS AND OFF STREET PARKING: A. Setbacks: The following setbacks shall apply to all structures in the Restricted Residential Zone: Setback Type Distance Front yard 25 feet Side yard 10 feet Side yard, with an alley 6 feet Rear yard 25 feet Flanking street 15 feet B. Off Street Parking: Standards for off street parking are set forth in section 8.4.1301 of this title. (Ord. 493, 6-9-2016)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-10: Code current through: Ord. 633, passed December 23, 2025).
Full Breakdown
302 push the floor up to a full five acres. 409(A) sets one setback table that shall apply to all structures: 25 feet at the front lot line, 10 feet on each side, only 6 feet on a side that runs along an alley, 25 feet at the rear, and 15 feet on a flanking street where a corner lot faces a second public road. 1301. 203 makes compliance a condition of using or building on the land at all, providing that no building, structure, or land shall hereafter be used or occupied, and no building or structure shall hereafter be erected, constructed, reconstructed, moved, or structurally altered except in conformity with the title's zone provisions, unless federal or state law preempts them.
204 layers the county building code, title 7, chapter 1, on top, with the stricter of the two controlling if they conflict. The land use title traces its authority to Idaho's Local Land Use Planning Act, title 67, chapter 65, Idaho Code, along with title 31, chapter 7 and title 50, chapter 13, the statutes that let Kootenai County zone the unincorporated area at all.
Violations & Fines
Setback violations do not carry their own fine in title 8, so Kootenai County Code 1-4-1's general penalty controls: a conviction for building or using land out of conformity with the zone's provisions draws up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in jail, or both, and section 1-4-2 treats each day the encroaching structure stays up as a separate offense. Community Development opens these cases as code-compliance complaints first, giving the owner a chance to relocate, modify, or remove the structure before a citation is filed.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far back from the street must a house sit in Kootenai County's Restricted Residential Zone?
Does a shed or detached garage get a smaller setback than the house?
What is a flanking street setback and when does it apply?
What if my Restricted Residential parcel sits over the aquifer?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kootenai County
Compare Kootenai County to another location·View the Idaho building setbacks & zoning overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.