Bonner County, ID HOA Rules: CC&R Enforcement (2026)

Bonner County's zoning code separates county enforcement from private covenants. The clearest statement sits in the vacation rental ordinance, § 12-484(C)(8), which requires the vacation rental permit to be posted inside each dwelling unit within five feet (5') of the front door. The posted notice has to carry the local representative, the owner's mailing address, Planning Department and Sheriff's Office contacts, the maximum occupancy, the parking plan, the solid waste collection day, boating and recreational rules, and under item (g) the rules of the area and Homeowners Association rules. That item ends with a direct statement: Bonner County will not enforce Homeowners Association rules or Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions.

The county therefore enforces its own standards and leaves private covenants to the associations and the owners who hold them. A neighbor complaint about noise, disturbances or nuisances from a vacation rental still reaches the local representative, who must respond within seven (7) business days under § 12-484(D)(4), and the county can act on violations of the Bonner County Revised Code or State Law, IC 18-6409.

The relationship runs the other way too. Section 12-112(B) provides that when Title 12 imposes a greater restriction upon the use of buildings or premises, or requires larger spaces than other codes, laws, resolutions, rules and regulations, or covenants, the provisions of Title 12 control. A covenant cannot loosen a county standard. Likewise, the flood damage prevention title at § 14-305 says it does not remove the necessity of compliance with covenants or deed restrictions, and where they conflict the more stringent control.

Homeowners associations also carry duties in county approvals. Under § 12-480(G)(7), required common open space in a cottage housing development is maintained by the homeowners' association or another incorporated or private entity formed to ensure long term maintenance.