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Planning and Zoning FAQs

Planning and Zoning FAQs

The meetings are scheduled on the second Monday of every month at 6:00 PM. If
that Monday is a holiday, the meeting will be held on the second Tuesday of the month.
The meetings are held at the Gem County Courthouse in the basement Commissioners room.  The Courthouse is located at 415 East Main Street in Emmett. The agenda is posted on the website and at the Courthouse one week prior to the meeting.
At least 3 weeks prior to the hearing, a notice is mailed to the affected impact
agencies and property owners of record within 300 feet of the boundaries of the
applicant’s property.  At least 15 calendar days prior to the hearing, a notice including
the time, place and summary of the proposal, are published in the Messenger Index. A
sign is posted on the property at least 1 week prior to the hearing date, or 15 days prior
to the hearing if it is a standard subdivision.
The County has prepared the following brochure explaining the public hearing process.
The approved minutes are posted on our website. You may also request a copy of the full recording on CD for a $5.00 fee.
Yes. The Gem County Zoning Ordinance (Gem County Code Title 11)
Subdivision Ordinance (Gem County Code Title 12) are on our web site.
From there you may view the ordinances and print them out if you wish.
Hardcopies are available for sale at our office.  Cost is $30.00 for a printed
version and $10 for a CD version.
You may call our office at (208)365-5144 with the location (address or street name)
of the property and nearest cross street so that we may determine the correct zone. In
addition, the Gem County Zoning Maps ( County wide or Valley only) are available (select link).
Please see our fee schedule.
Yes, if all of the required standards of the Subdivision Ordinance can be met.
Every land division less than 40 acres in size in Gem County is subject to the Subdivision
Ordinance and a plat application is required for any land division.  For more information,
please refer to Chapter 3 of the Subdivision Ordinance located on our website.
Division of land into quarter-quarter sections or into parcels equal to or more than forty (40) acres without development (building permit) capacity is exempt from the Subdivision Ordinance. Division of up to four (4) parcels equal to or more than forty (40) acres is also exempt.
For flood zone determinations, please call 208-365-5144, or visit our office located at 109 S. McKinley Avenue in Emmett.  We will check our FEMA maps and determine where your property lies.
Yes, as long as you meet the requirements of Title 13 of the Gem County Code.  An Elevation Certificate is required when a property lies within a flood zone, among other standards.  Engineering studies are required for fill in the floodplain.
Please see the Code Enforcement FAQ section.
You will need to apply, and be approved, for a Special Use Permit if you plan on caring for more than five (5) children other than your own.  The Special Use Permit Application may be downloaded from our website and typically takes 60 – 75 days to process.
The Gem County Zoning Ordinance allows up to four (4) dogs, six months or older, to reside on any single property. If your property lies within any of the Agriculture or Commercial zones, you may apply for a Special Use Permit to allow more than four (4) dogs.  Commercial kennels are prohibited within residential zones.
You may submit a request with this form.