Ada County, ID Local Taxes & Fees: Business Tax Classification (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum investment
- $3,000,000.00 at Ada County project sites
- Local code section
- Ada County Code 1-13-3
- Adopted by
- Ordinance 876, effective 12-19-2017
- Enabling state law
- Idaho Code 63-602NN(2)(g)
- Administered by
- Ada County Assessor's office
- Separate provision
- 1-13-2 dry grazing land exemption, unrelated
Summary
Ada County Code 1-13-3 sets the minimum investment a business must make to qualify for the county's property tax exemption on new plant investment at three million dollars. Set under Idaho Code 63-602NN(2)(g), the threshold applies countywide to project sites and does not by itself guarantee an exemption.
MINIMUM INVESTMENT AMOUNT NECESSARY TO QUALIFY FOR THE BUSINESS TAX EXEMPTION: A. Per Idaho Code section 63-602NN(2)(g), the minimum investment amount for plant investment at project sites within Ada County, Idaho is set at a minimum threshold of three million dollars ($3,000,000.00); and B. Those seeking a Property Tax exemption under Idaho Code section 63-602NN must still meet the other requirements of that section in order to be granted the Property Tax exemption.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-15: Code current through: Ord. 1018, passed 3-24-2026).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 13 of Title 1 of the Ada County Code, "Property Taxes," contains the county's only local business-tax provision, and it is an exemption threshold rather than a licensing or classification scheme. 00 in plant investment at project sites within Ada County to be eligible. That threshold implements Idaho Code section 63-602NN(2)(g), the state law authorizing counties to grant property tax exemptions for certain new business, industrial, or commercial plant and building investment as an economic-development incentive. Meeting the $3 million figure is necessary but not sufficient: subsection B of 1-13-3 expressly states that anyone seeking the exemption "must still meet the other requirements of that section," meaning the county's local dollar floor is layered on top of, not a substitute for, whatever eligibility conditions Idaho Code 63-602NN(2) separately imposes on the type of facility, its use, and its location.
The same chapter also holds an unrelated exemption, 1-13-2, exempting dry grazing land inside the Meridian Rural Fire District from that district's tax levy under Idaho Code sections 31-1420A and 31-1422; that is a separate program administered for a different taxing district and should not be confused with the business investment exemption in 1-13-3. There is no county business license tax or gross-receipts tax layered on top of this exemption program in the code as retrieved; Ada County's only codified business-tax mechanism is this investment-based property tax exemption.
Violations & Fines
Section 1-13-3 carries no fine or penalty clause because it is an exemption eligibility rule, not a prohibition. A business that invests less than $3,000,000 at its Ada County project site is simply denied the exemption and its plant and building improvements are assessed and taxed at full value by the Ada County Assessor like any other property. Likewise, an applicant that clears the $3 million floor but fails to meet the additional conditions in Idaho Code 63-602NN(2) is denied the exemption regardless of investment size; there is no partial or discretionary exemption below full compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much must a business invest to qualify for Ada County's tax exemption?
Does hitting the $3 million threshold guarantee the exemption?
Is this a business license tax or a property tax exemption?
Where is this rule located in the Ada County Code?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ada County
Compare Ada County to another location·View the Idaho local taxes & fees overview
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