Business Licensing & Operations in Kootenai County, ID (2026)
4 rules for unincorporated Kootenai County, Idaho.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Kootenai County allows a sexually oriented business by right only in the Industrial zone; it is prohibited everywhere else. LUDC 8.4.1202 also imposes a one-thousand-foot buffer from schools, residential districts, dwellings, parks, childcare facilities, places of worship, alcohol-licensed businesses, and any other sexually oriented business, and bars more than one such business on the same lot.
Sexually Oriented Business Rules in Kootenai County
Significant RestrictionsKootenai County LUDC 8.4.1202(A)-(D)
A. Sexually oriented businesses shall be permitted of right in the industrial zone only. Sexually oriented businesses are prohibited in all other zones. B. Sexually oriented businesses shall comply with the location requirements set forth in section 67-6533, Idaho Code. C. No sexually oriented business shall be located within one thousand feet (1,000'), measured from property line to property l...
Massage Establishments
Kootenai County requires a license before anyone opens or operates a massage establishment or bathhouse in the unincorporated county, issued through the county clerk after a sheriff's background investigation. Employees need their own separate license too. Fees are set by county resolution, licenses expire every January 1, and operating without one is a misdemeanor under the county's general penalty section.
Massage Establishment License in Kootenai County
Significant RestrictionsKootenai County Code 3-2-2
A. License Required: It is unlawful for any person to conduct, operate or maintain a massage establishment or bathhouse or cause a massage establishment or bathhouse to be conducted, operated or maintained without first obtaining a current and valid massage establishment or bathhouse license issued pursuant to the provisions contained herein for the premises thereof. Such license shall be poste...
Pawnbrokers
Anyone acting as a pawnbroker in unincorporated Kootenai County needs a county license on top of any state license under Idaho Code title 63, and the sheriff investigates every applicant. Felons and anyone whose license was revoked in the last five years are disqualified. Pledged property must be held ninety days before resale, and licenses cost fifty dollars per quarter.
Pawnbroker License Requirements in Kootenai County
Significant RestrictionsKootenai County Code 3-3-3
A. Licenses Required: It shall be unlawful for any person, partnership, association, corporation or agent thereof, to act as a pawnbroker or secondhand dealer as defined in this chapter, unless a valid license therefor has been issued as provided for in this chapter and which license is in full force and effect. B. Qualifications For License: No license shall be issued to any pawnbroker, second...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Kootenai County lets homeowners run "automotive hobby activities" (restoring, maintaining, or repairing vehicles) under LUDC 8.4.503, but the operation can't turn into a commercial repair shop: no retail or wholesale sale of auto parts, and the only vehicles you may sell are ones you personally own and restored. No more than two inoperable or unregistered vehicles can be visible from a neighboring property.
Home Auto Repair Rules in Kootenai County
Some RestrictionsKootenai County LUDC 8.4.503
Automotive hobby activities involve the restoration, maintenance, repair, or preservation of motor vehicles, and similar activities. Automotive hobby activities shall be subject to the following standards: A. No commercial retail or wholesale sales of automotive parts or supplies shall be conducted. B. A property owner or person who resides on the property may sell vehicles that he or she owns ...
All Kootenai County ordinances
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