Planning strives to enhance the livability of the City of Hayden by working with citizens, business owners, and the development community on land use management, the environment, economy, and public and private property development.

The City of Hayden is in the process of updating the long range plans as part of Imagine Hayden.

Various maps are available for download in .pdf format and can be found HERE.

For all planning, zoning, and engineering related applications, a pre-development meeting is required prior to application submittal. This meeting is a no-cost meeting which may include the following participants: Community Development Director, City Engineer, Planner, Building plans examiner/inspector, and/or representatives from Northern Lakes Fire Protection District and the affected School District. Commercial building permit applications, site plan applications, land use, and subdivision applications are accepted only following a pre-development meeting. Pre-development meetings are held for one hour increments and are available for scheduling on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. Advanced scheduling is recommended as available time slots may fill quickly. Scheduling can be done by phone at (208) 209-2022 or by e-mail to planning@cityofhaydenid.us.

The meeting is informational in nature and is provided to assist you during permitting and development processes. Feedback is based on an assessment of the information provided by you, as the applicant, at the meeting as well as codes, regulations, and fees in effect at the time of the meeting. Timing of application as well as alterations to the site plan and/or project scope, and detailed project review, among other things, may affect the applicability of those items discussed. Because the pre-development review meeting is designed to provide conceptual level review, no approvals are intended or implied until the permit application, review, and approval process has been completed; as such, the items noted herein may not be addressed completely or accurately at the meeting.

Notes customized to your development proposal will be drafted during the meeting and emailed to the contact person identified during the meeting.

The City of Hayden will no longer be receiving applications in paper format, but has streamlined the process with a user friendly online portal. This portal will allow our customers to apply for Planning and Engineering applications. Apply HERE.

Customers to include applicants, general contractors, owners, engineers, architects, and others are able to apply, upload plans and documents, pay fees online, track and schedule their own inspections, and determine where their project is in the review process all from their customer dashboard page.

To utilize the Customer Portal you will need to apply for an account. We ask that you create one account per company. By creating only one account anyone within your Company will have the availability to submit and check the status of plan reviews and inspections. If you want other e-mails associated with your account (other folks in your company), you can add them in after you register. You may register by following this link https://bsaonline.com/Account/Register?uid=2689. Be prepared to have a user name and password. Since this searches the entire database for the name (our software provider is in a number of states), your first choice may not be accepted. All entities which use BS&A software, can be searched using the same user name and password. For example, if you are doing work for the City of Sandpoint, they will be migrating to BS&A over the coming months. The same user name and password will work for both jurisdictions.

Additionally, as on-line submittals are new for Planning and Engineering, please utilize the following as a guide to your on-line submittal.

Administrative Appeal/Reconsideration: The decision of the planning and zoning commission granting, granting with conditions, modifying or denying a permit application may be appealed to the city council. The decision of the City Council granting, granting with conditions, modifying, or denying a permit application may be requested to be reconsidered. Any affected person as defined by state law, or the city administrator, may initiate an appeal/reconsideration of a decision rendered pursuant to the jurisdiction.

Annexation: Requests for annexation of new lands into the city are considered when such annexation would result in a benefit to the city of Hayden that equals or exceeds the costs of such annexation, or when it is deemed beneficial to the pattern of development or economic prosperity of the community in the future.

Architectural Design Review (within the Central Business District Overlay Zone): Architectural design standards shall apply to new construction and renovations except the following: interior remodels; normal or routine maintenance and repair; any type of construction that does not require a building permit; temporary structures as allowed per zoning code.

Boundary Line Adjustment: A boundary line adjustment allows for the adjustment of common boundary lines of platted or legally created un-platted lots and not to lots that are being consolidated. No additional new lots may be created as part of this process.

Building Code of Appeal: The decisions, orders, or determinations made by the building official of the city of Hayden in accordance with operative provisions of the IBC, IRC, IMC, uniform code for abatement of dangerous buildings, IEC, and any other building codes adopted by the city of Hayden may be appealed to the Building Code Board of Appeals.

Change of Occupancy: It is unlawful for any person to occupy any dwelling or building without an approved certificate of occupancy. Certificate of occupancies are issues based on the use of the proposed structure. Should that use change, then a review from the planning and building departments is required to ensure that the proposed use is in compliance with the occupancy type approved and any building and/or site items are addressed.

Comprehensive Plan Amendment: A Comprehensive Plan Amendment revises the City’s adopted land use goals and policies and/or the future land use map for the City. Comprehensive Plan Amendments require a public hearing before both the Planning and Zoning Commission, which makes a recommendation to City Council, and before City Council, which makes the final decision on the requested amendment. Idaho Code prohibits modification of the City’s future land use map more than once every six months.

Developer’s Agreement:

Condominium Plat: Every division of an existing or permitted building under construction, or building and land in combination, into two or more distinct lots or tracts of ownership, in such a manner as to create a common ownership interest in any portion of the structure, or structure and lands in combination, or otherwise creating boundaries of ownership along a common wall or structural separation between stories of a structure shall require a preliminary plat approval prior to final plat recordation.

Preliminary: At any time after the issuance of the building permit for a proposed condominium structure and the installation of the footings for the permitted structure that include sufficient detail to determine where each of the exterior walls for the individual units will be located, a preliminary condominium plat for the permitted structure may be submitted to the City of Review.
Final: Upon preliminary condominium plat approval, the applicant shall submit a final condominium plat, meeting all requirements of Hayden City Code §12-9-4 Final Plat Requirements, §12-8-1 Survey Requirements, Idaho Code Title 55 Chapter 15, and all conditions of preliminary plat approval.

Construction Plan Review: Construction plan review is associated with all subdivisions and minor subdivisions, off-site improvements related to site development, and infrastructure construction not specifically related to a development project. Although not all applications will require all submittals, a complete list of possible items is included within the submittal checklist for Subdivision, Minor Subdivision, Off-site Improvements, and Utility Only construction.

Exceptions and Minor Modifications: In certain specific title of code, the standards are allowed to have exceptions or minor modification requests. These requests demonstrate that the request is based upon a unique character or feature of the property or use, which does not generally apply to other properties or similar uses subject to the requirement from which an exception is south; and the requested exception will not be injurious to the public safety and welfare, and will be equally protective of the public interest. Modifications that are considered minor in nature by the Community Development Director or his/her designee shall not require application or payment of fees. Exception application requirements can be found based on the percentage of the exception request.

Administrative - Less than or equal to 35%
Public Meeting - Greater than 35% and less than or equal to 50%
Public Hearing - Greater than 50%

Flood Plain Development: Any development which occurs within all special flood hazard areas within the city of Hayden. The special flood hazard areas identified by the federal emergency management agency in its flood insurance study for Kootenai County, Idaho, and incorporated areas dated May 3, 2010, with accompanying flood insurance rate maps or digital flood insurance rate maps, and other supporting data, are adopted by reference and declared a part of this definition.

Master Sign Plan: A master sign plan shall be required prior to the issuance of new sign permits in the development complex. The master sign plan shall identify standards and criteria for all signs in the complex that require permits.

Minor Subdivision: The division of a tract of land or a lot that is five acres or less in size; or a division of a tract of land or lot into six or fewer lots, tracts, or sites. All lots must have access onto a public street or an approved private street. Dedication of additional right-of-way may be required. Minor subdivision applications are processed administratively, with no public hearing required. A public meeting with City Council shall be required for private street approval prior to preliminary plat approval.

Will Serve Request: A request from the Public Works Department for a Sewer Will Serve letter which is a requirement of any preliminary plat submittal.
Preliminary Plat: At any time after a pre-development meeting, the preliminary plat application may be submitted.
Final Plat: Upon review and approval of the construction plans, and prior to submission of the final plat to the County for review and approval, the application for final plat may be submitted.

Pre-Development Meeting: A no-cost pre-development meeting may be scheduled with Community Development at (208)209-2022 or a request may be e-mailed to planning@cityofhaydenid.us. Once a date and time are determined, submittal information may be requested regarding the type of development and a site and/or building plan.

Planned Unit Development: Planned unit developments (PUD) provide greater flexibility in land use and encourage greater design creativity than is generally allowed under conventional standards and development approaches. PUDs may incorporate a variety of residential and land use types, and contain both individual building sites and common property which are planned and developed as a functional unit or neighborhood. Due to their complexity a preliminary PUD is required to establish the overall requirements of the project and a final PUD is required to establish various project timelines and can be processed concurrently with the first subdivision application.

Preliminary PUD
Final PUD

Special Use Permit: The special use permit procedure is intended to provide for the review of specific uses that are potentially compatible with allowed uses within the zone, provided that they meet certain standards. The Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing and may approve, conditionally approve, or deny the request.

Subdivision: Every division of land into two or more lots, tracts, parcels, sites or divisions, whether immediate or future, for the purpose of sale, lease, transfer or development within the incorporated area of Hayden that does not meet the criteria for a minor subdivision under Hayden City Code §12-5.

Preliminary: At any time after a pre-development meeting, the preliminary plat application may be submitted.
Final Plat: Upon review and approval of the construction plans, and prior to submission of the final plat to the County for review and approval, the application for final plat may be submitted.

Temporary Hardship Permit: These permits allow a manufactured home for a dependent relative to be placed on an existing residential lot having a minimum size of 8,250 square feet to be occupied as temporary living quarters by either a dependent relative or by the person(s)/family providing care to a dependent.

Utility Compliance Permit: Hayden City Code Title 8 Chapters 5 and 6 require all above ground utility infrastructure to apply for a Utility Compliance Permit. It is the purpose of these provisions to delineate restrictions, development standards and siting criteria, and establish removal procedures in order to protect the City from the uncontrolled siting of various utility infrastructure(s). It is further the purpose of these provisions to minimize visual impacts on the community, particularly in and near Residential zones; minimize the impact of aerial and/or above ground facilities and their supporting structures; and preserve the opportunity for continued and growing service to accommodate the growing need and demand from utility providers. The Utility Compliance Permit will be reviewed concurrently with site, building, and encroachment permits.

Major and Minor Utility Infrastructure (Title 8 Chapter 5): At any time after a pre-development meeting, the utility compliance permit may be submitted for major or minor utility infrastructure or for wireless communications facilities.
Wireless Communication Facilities to include an Eligibility Facility Request & Collocation Request: An eligibility facility request shall be required for all Wireless Communication Facilities to meet FCC requirements related to timeliness of application reviews and permit issuance. A collocation request implements, in part, 47 USC section 332(c)(7) of the Federal Communications Act of 1934, as amended, as interpreted by the FCC in its Report and Order No. 18-133.

Vacation of Right-of-Way (or Road Easement): Idaho Code §50-311 allows Cities to create, open, widen or extend any street, avenue, alley or lane, annul, vacate or discontinue the same whenever deemed expedient for the public good. Idaho Code §50-1306A identifies vacation of plats with respect to vacation of easements (5) and public streets or public rights-of-way (6) and the requirement for a public hearing notice.

Variance: A variance provides for a modification of a specific zoning requirement adopted by the City when, due to unique site characteristics, the strict application of the zoning regulation would create an undue hardship and deny reasonable use of the subject property. Variances can only be granted if approval would not otherwise impair achievement of the standards, would not impose additional burden upon adjoining landowners, or otherwise have detrimental effect on properties in the area, or the community at large.

Zone Change: Changes to the official zoning map must be made with a zone map amendment application; whereas, changes to the Hayden City Code Title 11 must be made with a zone text amendment application. A zone change request is subject to a public hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission who makes an advisory recommendation, and a public hearing before the Hayden City Council where a final decision is made. Zone changes must be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan, compatible with present and future land use in the vicinity, and infrastructure must be available to support the uses that would be allowed in the requested zone.

Zone Map Amendment
Zone Text Amendment

Quick Links:

General Steps and Timelines for PUDs

General Steps and Timelines for Major & Minor Subdivisions

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