County profile

Partially sourced

Shoshone County

Official Tier 2 Idaho source review updated from Shoshone County Planning and Zoning, building, manufactured/mobile home setting permit, site disturbance, floodplain, and parcel-zoning resources; office confirmation still needed for tiny homes and long-term RV occupancy.

County-level researchedParcel review requiredOff-grid research candidateRV research candidateLand availability signal

Profile boundary

County Profiles Do Not Approve Parcels

This profile summarizes county-level signals. Before relying on a parcel, verify current rules with planning, zoning, building, environmental health, water, road, fire, title, and local professionals.

Read disclaimer

Verification queue

What Still Needs Confirmation

This profile has official source coverage for county-level discovery, but it still needs stronger current county-office confirmation before being promoted to verified. Treat it as a shortlist candidate, then confirm the exact parcel and intended use with local offices.

Office path

Current county contact

Confirm who handles planning, subdivision, rural addressing, floodplain, permitting, and enforcement for the parcel.

Parcel path

Exact intended use

Ask about the specific structure, RV or camper occupancy plan, water source, septic path, access road, and development sequence.

At a glance

Fast Read

County-level discovery summary for alternative housing research. Use this as a shortlist signal, then verify the specific parcel and code path.

Verify first
Overall

Strong discovery fit

Shoshone County has a Freedom Score of 74. Its strongest profile signals are Off-grid living (5/5) and RV living (4/5).

Best use case

Silver Valley rural land research

Best initial fit: Silver Valley rural land research, forested mountain off-grid screening, buyers needing zoning and building code detail. Check county planning materials before making parcel assumptions.

Land signal

67/100 affordability score

$11,736 per acre snapshot with 67 active land listings and a 4/5 availability signal.

Caution

ADUs needs extra review

Verify parcel zoning directly with staff, building permit path, manufactured/mobile home setting permit, site disturbance, floodplain, septic, well, access, covenants, city boundaries, and whether RV or tiny-home occupancy is permitted

Trust strip

Source Snapshot

Fast source context for this county profile. Use the full source trail below for links, citations, and parcel-level verification reminders.

Data status
Land snapshotsourced
Jun 5, 2026

LandSearch

Broadbandsourced
2024

Census Reporter ACS 2024 5-year table B28002

Public landsourced
2026

Idaho Department of Lands Surface Management Agency GIS layer

Solar periodsourced
2001-2020

NASA POWER 2001-2020 solar irradiance climatology

County citationssourced
10

Planning, zoning, building, and profile links

Best Fit

Silver Valley rural land researchforested mountain off-grid screeningbuyers needing zoning and building code detail

Pros

  • Official Planning and Zoning page explains county jurisdiction outside city boundaries
  • County page summarizes Title 9 zoning, Title 7 building regulations, building permits, manufactured/mobile home setting permits, site disturbance permits, floodplain resources, and permit applications
  • Public page notes the zoning map is not available online and staff should be contacted for parcel zoning

Cons

  • Mountain terrain, floodplain, site disturbance, mining legacy areas, winter access, and city boundaries can strongly affect feasibility
  • zoning designation must be confirmed by address or parcel number with county staff
  • RV and tiny-home occupancy still need office confirmation

Alternative Housing Ratings

derived

Verified county-level discovery scores

Tiny Homes
3/5
RV Living
4/5
Off Grid
5/5
Container Homes
3/5
ADUs
2/5

Alternative Housing Notes

Tiny Homes

Shoshone County Planning and Zoning administers land use ordinances, zoning, building, floodplain, site disturbance, manufactured/mobile home setting permits, and permit applications outside city boundaries. Tiny home feasibility should be checked through parcel zoning, allowed use, building permit, manufactured/mobile home setting permit if relevant, floodplain, septic, access, and site-disturbance review before purchase.

RV Living

RV or camper occupancy should be confirmed directly with Shoshone County because public planning resources do not establish blanket full-time RV living rights on vacant land.

Off Grid

Off-grid projects should verify zoning, building permit requirements, site disturbance permits, floodplain, septic, water, mining or environmental constraints, winter access, road maintenance, wildfire response, and city boundaries before relying on acreage.

Container Homes

Container homes should be reviewed as dwelling or structure proposals through Planning and Zoning and building review before relying on a parcel.

ADUs

ADU feasibility should be checked against zoning district, utilities, septic, access, city boundaries, and private restrictions.

Land Affordability

sourced

Sourced market snapshot

Price/Acre Estimate
$11,736
Active Land Listings
67
Availability Score
4/5
Affordability Score
67/100

Source: LandSearch snapshot from June 5, 2026. LandSearch Idaho county price table average price per acre and active listing count; stored in medianAcrePrice field for compatibility but not a true median acre price.

How to read source layers

Population Context

sourced

Sourced Census estimate

Population
14,074
Population Density
5.4 / sq mi

Population uses 2024 U.S. Census county estimates. Density is computed from county land area in the imported GeoJSON boundary data.

Water and Septic

draft

Parcel-level verification needed

Water

Water supply is parcel-specific and should be reviewed with Idaho water resources and local well feasibility before purchase.

Septic

Septic feasibility should be confirmed through Panhandle Health District or the applicable health authority before purchase.

Climate, Utilities, and Access

derived

Mixed sourced and derived layers

Snowfall
61.1"
Precipitation
36.5"
Growing Season
197 days
Broadband
8/10
Solar
2/10
Public Land
1,323,498
Recreation Access
5/5
Federal Public Land
1,242,397
State Public Land
81,101
Local Public Land
0

Public land source: Idaho Department of Lands Surface Management Agency GIS layer snapshot from 2026. County-clipped GIS estimate using Idaho Surface Management Agency categories: BLM; STATE; STATEFG; STATEPR; USFS. Excludes Private, BIA, and Indian Reservation surface categories.

Broadband Subscription
88.2%
Cable/Fiber/DSL
63.1%
Satellite
14.9%
No Internet
10%

Broadband source: Census Reporter ACS 2024 5-year table B28002 snapshot from 2024. Broadband score is a county-level ACS household broadband subscription proxy, not parcel-level service availability. Score is based on the percentage of households with broadband of any type.

Annual Solar Resource
3.74 kWh/m²/day
Winter Solar
1.35 kWh/m²/day
Summer Solar
6.47 kWh/m²/day

Solar source: NASA POWER 2001-2020 solar irradiance climatology for 2001-2020. County-centroid solar proxy using NASA POWER ALLSKY_SFC_SW_DWN annual all-sky surface shortwave downward irradiance. This is a county-level solar resource estimate, not a parcel-level PV design study.

Source glossary and data layer notes

Red Flags

  • Verify parcel zoning directly with staff, building permit path, manufactured/mobile home setting permit, site disturbance, floodplain, septic, well, access, covenants, city boundaries, and whether RV or tiny-home occupancy is permitted

Source Trail

County office links, sourced data layers, and profile citations used to build this county-level research summary.

Source glossary

County Profile Citations

Research Status

draft

County-level profile reviewed; parcel-level confirmation still required

This profile is currently marked partially sourced. It is ready for county comparison and early research, but legal claims and parcel-specific decisions should still be verified against county code, planning offices, and local experts.

County FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Shoshone County a good county for alternative living?

Shoshone County has a Freedom Score of 74, which makes it useful for county-level discovery. Treat that score as a shortlist signal, then verify zoning, building, water, septic, access, and covenant rules for the specific parcel.

Can you live in a tiny home in Shoshone County?

Shoshone County has a tiny home score of 3/5. That score does not approve a tiny home by itself; it means the county is worth researching through planning, zoning, building code, sanitation, and parcel-specific rules.

Can you live in an RV on land in Shoshone County?

Shoshone County has an RV living score of 4/5. RV rules often depend on duration, construction status, sanitation, water, zoning district, and whether the land is inside a subdivision or municipality.

Is Shoshone County good for off-grid living?

Shoshone County has an off-grid score of 5/5. Off-grid feasibility still depends on legal access, septic or OWTS approval, water options, fire risk, winter access, and whether a lawful dwelling can be permitted.

How affordable is land in Shoshone County?

Shoshone County has a land affordability score of 67/100 based on the current county-level dataset. Use this for comparison only, because actual parcel prices can vary by road access, utilities, terrain, water, covenants, and listing quality.

Who is Shoshone County best suited for?

Based on the current profile, Shoshone County is best suited for Silver Valley rural land research, forested mountain off-grid screening, buyers needing zoning and building code detail. The best fit can change once you narrow from county-level research to a specific property.

What should I verify before buying land in Shoshone County?

Before buying, confirm zoning, building permits, legal access, road maintenance, water rights or well eligibility, septic feasibility, wildfire requirements, floodplain issues, mineral rights, and any HOA, POA, subdivision, or covenant restrictions.

Research Next