Land for Sale in Boundary County, ID

Boundary County is in the far north of Idaho and is the only Idaho county on the Canadian border, with 12,056 residents in the 2020 census (10,972 in 2010) over 1,278 square miles. Bonners Ferry is the county seat. Land here is rural, and a common question is how many parcels you can cut from a tract without triggering subdivision rules. Idaho's statutory definition is below.

Boundary County at a glance

County seat: Bonners Ferry. Incorporated cities: Bonners Ferry and Moyie Springs.
Unincorporated communities include Copeland, Eastport, Good Grief, Naples, Porthill and Curley Creek.
2020 population 12,056; 1,278 square miles, of which 9.3 is water.
US 2, US 95 and Idaho State Highway 1 serve the county; it borders British Columbia, Canada to the north.
Parts of the Kaniksu and Kootenai national forests and the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge lie in the county.

The Boundary County land market

Boundary County is a rural north Idaho market: small lots and homes in and around Bonners Ferry and Moyie Springs, acreage and timber tracts in the valleys and hills, and land along the Kootenai River. Because national forest and a wildlife refuge lie in the county, some parcels can border public land. That is a draw for buyers, and it makes legal access the first thing to confirm on any rural parcel.

Idaho's definition of a subdivision: five lots and the agricultural exception

Idaho Code 50-1301 defines a subdivision as a tract of land divided into five or more lots, parcels or sites for the purpose of sale or building development, whether immediate or future. The definition does not include a bona fide division or partition of agricultural land for agricultural purposes, which the statute defines as a division into lots that are all five acres or larger and maintained as agricultural land. The same section says cities and counties may adopt their own definition of subdivision in place of this one, so Boundary County's own rules decide how many lots you can create without a plat. Do not assume that a split into four parcels is free of review: ask the county planning department what it requires for a division of any size, and whether the parcel's zoning sets a minimum lot size.

River, refuge and national forest parcels

Parcels near the Kootenai River or its creeks should be checked against the FEMA flood map before you buy. On a rural parcel in any Idaho county, confirm power, internet and emergency access instead of assuming them. If a parcel borders the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge or a national forest, ask the managing agency about any recorded rights-of-way or use restrictions.

Before you buy land in Boundary County

Zoning and minimum lot size for the parcel, and whether it is a legal lot of record.
How Boundary County treats divisions into fewer than five parcels, and whether the agricultural exception applies.
Recorded legal access, who maintains the road, and winter access.
Water and septic: well logs or a water system, and septic suitability through the health district.
FEMA flood zone, wildfire exposure and the cost of insurance.
Mineral and timber rights, easements and property tax status.

How to verify legal access to land Land due diligence checklist

Frequently asked questions

How many lots can I create in Idaho before it is a subdivision?

Idaho Code 50-1301 defines a subdivision as a division into five or more lots, parcels or sites, but it lets cities and counties adopt their own definition, so check Boundary County.

What is the agricultural exception to subdivision in Idaho?

A bona fide division or partition of agricultural land for agricultural purposes, meaning lots that are all five acres or larger and maintained as agricultural land, is not counted as a subdivision under the state definition.