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Plan Review – Frequently Asked Questions

All plans for construction or remodeling of state-owned buildings and buildings on state-owned land must be reviewed by DBS and the State Fire Marshal. Plans for any building occupied by a State of Idaho agency, even if the building in not owned by the state, such as a leased building, must be reviewed by DBS and the State Fire Marshal. We send the plans to the Fire Marshal for review so a single submittal is all that is required.
The plan review is one of the steps in assuring that the building is safe for the occupants, that it is accessible and that it meets an energy efficiency standard. The plan review time from submittal until the applicant and designer receives a report on the results is typically ten working days. If there are code deficiencies in the design or if the project is large there will be more plan review work beyond the ten days. This is somewhat dependent on the work of or response of the designer.
Please see the document titled Building Plan Review Fees. This and other plan review documents are located under DBS Programs, Plan Review.
The process for obtaining Idaho approval involves plan approvals and complete inspections of the existing building by the Division of Building Safety in order to determine what is needed to bring it into compliance with currently Idaho adopted building codes. In most instances, it is much more economical to have a new modular building constructed by an Idaho modular building manufacturer to ensure that it is inspected through the entire construction process.
Plans and specifications for any conveyance (Elevator, Escalator, Lift) construction, new, additions and remodels, must be reviewed by DBS. Please see the elevator forms section to submit an application.
Please see the attached brochure. If you still have questions, feel free to call us at (208) 332- 7123.
Plans, specifications and calculations for public school construction, new, additions and remodels, must be reviewed by DBS or by a qualified local government building department. The school district makes this choice, not DBS or the local government building department. To be qualified, a local government building department must comply with §39-4113, Idaho Code.

Wind Loads are to be per the IBC basic wind speed of 90 mph 3 second gust. This may be higher in special regions along the Montana border. See ATC Hazards By Location for information.

Seismic (earthquake) loads are to be as required by the IBC. For specific accelerations numbers see the USGS National Earthquake Hazards Programs.

Snow loads are to be as per IBC. We will post known ground snow loads established by local governments here in the near future. Until then, see ATC Hazards By Location.

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