July 4, 2026
Happy 250th — and the gap between Idaho's new ADU law and the Post Falls code
Happy Independence Day. The country turns 250 today, and it felt like the right day to write about what you're actually allowed to build on your own land.
Three days ago, on July 1, Idaho's new ADU law took effect — Senate Bill 1354, now Idaho Code § 67-6541. I spent today reading the actual statute next to the Post Falls city code that governs my own property. I wanted to see whether they say the same thing.
They don't — not yet. I found three concrete places where the city's currently published rules are stricter than the new state law allows:
- Owner-occupancy. The state law says a city must stop requiring that you live in one of the two homes. The Post Falls code still says one of the residences must be owner-occupied.
- Parking. The state law says a city generally can't force you to add off-street parking for an ADU (with a few narrow exceptions). The Post Falls code still requires one additional paved off-street space.
- Size. The state law says a city can't cap an ADU below 1,000 square feet or 75% of your main house. The Post Falls code caps it at the smaller of 50% of the main house or 1,000 square feet.
One honest caveat: the law gives cities until February 1, 2027 to update their codes. So whether a homeowner can act on the new state limits today — before Post Falls formally amends its code — is a real open question. I'm not a lawyer, and I'm not going to tell you the city's rules are simply void. What I can say is the rules are changing, and the city's published page doesn't reflect the new law yet.
That gap is the whole reason I'm doing this. Every North Idaho homeowner who tries to figure out their own property over the next several months is going to hit the same confusion I did today: the state says one thing, the city page says another, and nobody tells you which one wins. I'm going to keep documenting it as it actually gets resolved — starting with my own lot.
Happy Fourth. Back to the permit office next week.
Sources: Idaho Code § 67-6541 (legislature.idaho.gov); Post Falls Municipal Code 18.24.030 and the city's ADU handout (postfalls.gov), both read 2026-07-03.