The Hidden Springs Town Association publishes residential design guidelines, a tree policy and Firewise guidelines, and those documents shape a deck as much as the county building code does.
What's different about decks in Hidden Springs?
- Wildfire defines the design. The Town Association's Firewise guidelines cite the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code's recommendation of 30 feet of defensible space around each home and advise keeping resinous plants such as junipers 15 to 20 feet from roof lines and decks. A deck that faces open sagebrush benefits from noncombustible framing near grade, an enclosed or screened underside and decking with a current fire-performance listing.
- Permits go to Ada County Development Services rather than a city building department, because Hidden Springs is unincorporated. Confirm the parcel's jurisdiction on the county record before applying.
- HOA design review is detailed. The Association's residential design guidelines even specify fence styles and a required semi-transparent stain for some phases, so deck colors, railings and covers should be expected to need approval.
- Alley-loaded village lots leave small rear yards. Second-story decks and compact ground-level platforms are common, with guard and stair placement worked out around close neighbors.
Hidden Springs sits higher and farther into the Foothills than the Boise Air Terminal, whose normals show 108 freezing nights and 17.6 inches of snow a year; expect cold air to pool in the Dry Creek Valley on clear winter nights and dry, wind-driven fire weather in late summer.
Does a deck in Hidden Springs need a permit?
Deck permits in Hidden Springs go through Ada County Development Services. Rules differ by jurisdiction — we confirm the threshold and submittal list for your lot during the estimate.
The Hidden Springs Town Association enforces its CC&Rs, residential design guidelines and Firewise policy, and it maintains a variance process for designs that do not fit the guidelines. Plan for Association approval before submitting to Ada County.
Neighborhoods we work in
Hidden Springs Village · Dry Creek Valley · Cartwright Road edge · Foothills-edge lots
Hidden Springs deck questions
- Do you build decks in Hidden Springs?
- Yes. We build decks on Hidden Springs village homes and Foothills-edge lots, with materials and undersides planned around the community's Firewise guidelines and the Town Association's design review. Permits are filed with Ada County Development Services because Hidden Springs is unincorporated.
- Who issues deck permits in Hidden Springs?
- Ada County Development Services, which reviews building permits for unincorporated Ada County. Hidden Springs is a census-designated place, not a city, so there is no separate municipal building department. Confirm your parcel's jurisdiction on the county record, and get Town Association approval before applying.
- What makes a deck more fire-resistant in Hidden Springs?
- Keep combustibles and resinous plants away from the deck, enclose or screen the space underneath so embers and debris cannot collect, use noncombustible materials near grade, and choose decking with a current fire-performance listing. The Association's Firewise guidelines recommend 30 feet of defensible space around each home.
Sources
- Ada County Development Services
- Hidden Springs Town Association — Governing documents and policies
- Hidden Springs — Firewise Guidelines (Policy 700)
- Hidden Springs — Residential Design Guidelines (fencing supplements)
- Hidden Springs, Idaho — census-designated place (Wikipedia)
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, Boise Air Terminal (USW00024131)
Last reviewed .