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Kootenai County, ID Public Conduct: Skateboarding Rules (2026)

Significant Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Banned gear
Skateboards, roller skates, rollerblades
Where
County beaches, boat ramps, trails, docks
First offense
Infraction
Repeat within 1 year
Misdemeanor
Civil penalty option
$25 per violation
Governing law
Parks and Waterways Ordinance, ch. 6.2

Summary

Kootenai County bans skateboards, roller skates and rollerblades on any beach, boat ramp, trail, dock or dock area at a county park or waterway facility. The same subsection also bars bicycles, motor vehicles and horses from those surfaces, except vehicles briefly launching a boat. A first offense is an infraction; a repeat violation within a year becomes a misdemeanor, with a $25 civil penalty option.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Kootenai County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

D. Horses, Motor Vehicles Or Bicycles: No person shall ride or drive a motor vehicle or bicycle, operate a skateboard, roller skates or rollerblades, or ride or permit a horse under his control to be on any beach, boat ramp, trail, dock, or dock area located at any county facility, except that motor vehicles used in the process of launching a vessel shall be permitted on boat ramps for that purpose only. No person shall operate a snowmobile or off road vehicle on any beach, boat ramp, park, trail, dock, or dock area located at any county facility. ... G. Classification Of Violations; Civil Penalties: ... 2. The first violation of any provision of subsections B through F of this section shall constitute an infraction. Any subsequent violation of the same provision within one year after the most recent violation shall constitute a misdemeanor. 3. In addition to or in lieu of any infraction penalty, the director or sheriff, or designee thereof, or a court of competent jurisdiction, may impose a civil penalty of twenty five dollars ($25.00) for each violation of subsections A through F of this section.

View official code

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

2 of the county code, which governs every county-owned or county-managed beach, boat launch, dock, pier and trail outside the incorporated limits of Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, Hayden, Rathdrum and the county's other cities. 109(D), titled 'Horses, Motor Vehicles Or Bicycles,' groups skateboards, roller skates and rollerblades with bicycles, motor vehicles, snowmobiles, off-road vehicles and horses as prohibited on any beach, boat ramp, trail, dock or dock area at a facility. The only carve-out is for a motor vehicle actively launching or retrieving a vessel at a boat ramp; that vehicle may be on the ramp for that purpose only, not to sit, unload gear or ride around.

Enforcement runs through the director of Kootenai County Parks and Waterways or the sheriff's office, the same agencies that police the chapter's camping, littering, glass-container and animal-leash rules. Because the ban is written into the facility-use subsection (B through F), it carries the escalating penalty structure set out in subsection G rather than a flat fine: a first citation is classified as an infraction, and a second violation of the same provision within twelve months becomes a misdemeanor. On top of that criminal classification, the director, sheriff or a court may separately impose a $25 civil penalty per violation, and an unpaid civil penalty itself becomes an infraction that can be reduced to a civil judgment.

Kootenai County's authority under this chapter runs to Idaho Code sections 31-806, 31-807 and 67-7031, and reaches only county-controlled facilities, not city parks or the Coeur d'Alene Tribe's trust land in the southern county, which set their own rules.

Violations & Fines

A first skateboard, roller-skate or rollerblade citation at a county beach, ramp, trail or dock is an infraction. Any repeat violation of the same rule within one year is upgraded to a misdemeanor. Separately, the director, sheriff or a court may impose a $25 civil penalty for each violation; failing to pay that penalty is itself an infraction, and a court may enter a civil judgment for any unpaid fees.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I skateboard at a Kootenai County boat launch or dock?
No. Section 6.2.109(D) of the Parks and Waterways Ordinance prohibits operating a skateboard, roller skates or rollerblades on any beach, boat ramp, trail, dock or dock area at a county facility, the same subsection that bars bicycles and motor vehicles from those surfaces. A first citation is an infraction; repeating the violation within a year is a misdemeanor.
Does this rule apply inside Coeur d'Alene or Post Falls?
No. This ordinance only reaches facilities the county itself owns or manages outside incorporated city limits. Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, Hayden and Rathdrum each enforce their own park rules on city-owned beaches and docks, so check the specific city's code for skateboarding restrictions there.
Is there a fine for a first-time violation?
The county classifies a first violation as an infraction rather than a fixed-dollar fine, but the director, sheriff or a court may add a separate $25 civil penalty. If that civil penalty goes unpaid, the nonpayment becomes its own infraction and can be converted into a court civil judgment.
Can I ride a bike instead of a skateboard on the trail?
No. The same subsection, 6.2.109(D), lists bicycles alongside skateboards, roller skates, rollerblades, motor vehicles and horses as prohibited on county beaches, boat ramps, trails, docks and dock areas, with the narrow exception of a vehicle briefly on a ramp to launch or load a boat.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Kootenai County

All Kootenai County rules

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