5 rules for unincorporated Kootenai County, Idaho.
Verified from official government sources
A residential in-ground pool is a structure requiring a building permit from the Kootenai County Building Department under the adopted International Residential Code. Idaho no longer runs a state public-pool program, so private-pool review is purely building/barrier based.
Kootenai County Code 7.1.201(B)
The 2012 International Residential Code, as published by the International Code Council, including Appendix G thereto, and also including Appendix Q as adopted herein, but excluding parts VII and VIII thereof.
Kootenai County has no separate pool-fence ordinance; barrier rules come from the International Residential Code adopted in Title 7. That standard requires a barrier at least 48 inches high with self-closing, self-latching gates around residential pools.
Kootenai County Code 7.1.201(B)
The 2012 International Residential Code, as published by the International Code Council, including Appendix G thereto, and also including Appendix Q as adopted herein, but excluding parts VII and VIII thereof.
Beginning July 1, 2025 Idaho discontinued its statewide Swimming Pool Rules, so Panhandle Health District no longer inspects public pools. Residential pool safety in Kootenai County is now handled through the county building code's IRC barrier requirements.
Panhandle Health District, Water Protection (public pools)
Beginning July 1, 2025, the Idaho Swimming Pool Rules are discontinued and are no longer applicable in the State of Idaho.
Above-ground pools follow the same building path as in-ground pools: they are regulated under the county building code's adopted International Residential Code, and a pool deep enough to hold water above a set depth needs the same barrier the IRC requires.
Kootenai County Code 7.1.201(B)
The 2012 International Residential Code, as published by the International Code Council, including Appendix G thereto, and also including Appendix Q as adopted herein, but excluding parts VII and VIII thereof.
A residential hot tub or spa is handled like a pool under the county building code's adopted IRC. Idaho ended its public-spa rules on July 1, 2025, so a backyard spa's safety rules come from the adopted building code, not a health-district inspection.
Panhandle Health District, Water Protection (public spas)
Beginning July 1, 2025, the Idaho Swimming Pool Rules are discontinued and are no longer applicable in the State of Idaho.
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