Kootenai County Fire & Rescue Ends Dalton Gardens Inspection Contract, 60-Day Sunset

Kootenai County Fire & Rescue commissioners voted to terminate the long-standing agreement to provide building inspection services for the City of Dalton Gardens, and the district has 60 days to sunset the program. The decision leaves Dalton Gardens officials searching for a replacement for a role KCFR filled for decades and raises immediate questions about inspection continuity for permits and ongoing projects.

KCFR Chief Pete Holley framed the move as part of a program review tied to workload and mission alignment. “We're just evaluating where all of the dollars are going and this was kind of a low-hanging fruit,” Holley said, adding that building inspections “really didn’t align with our mission.” Holley said KCFR will continue to provide fire inspections for Dalton Gardens and Post Falls and pledged support during the transition: “We're going to help make that transition as seamless as possible for them.”

Mayor Curt Jernigan said the city valued the relationship with the fire district. “The city has enjoyed a positive and long-standing working relationship with KCFR and will miss them being part of our team and as our building official,” Jernigan said. “As with KCFR, contracted inspection services have worked well for the city,” he added, noting Dalton Gardens is exploring options for future inspection services.

The inspection program generated measurable activity in 2025. KCFR recorded 218 site reviews last year and charged or received $108 per inspection, figures that illustrate the scale and revenue of the service. Dalton Gardens’ public finance records show a payment described as Building Inspection & Plan Review Fees for January services totaling $2,754.00 on February 26, 2025, recorded under invoice number 24844. The city’s check register for the same date lists other public safety and municipal expenses, including sheriff patrol services at $10,416.67 and accounting services at $8,978.75, underscoring budget trade-offs officials must weigh while replacing an inspection provider.

The termination follows other recent KCFR decisions to narrow non-core services. The district’s board voted on December 15 to discontinue an agreement to provide hazmat services for North Idaho’s Region One. Holley said hazmat and similar programs were being reevaluated based on call volume, data and public outreach, and he noted the district can call on external resources when needed: “there isn’t a big call volume and the city of Spokane has a very robust, capable team that we can access if we need to.”

For Dalton Gardens residents and builders, the immediate concern is ensuring uninterrupted inspections and plan reviews during the 60-day wind-down. KCFR says it will continue fire inspections and assist the city through the transition. Dalton Gardens officials must now decide whether to establish in-house inspection capacity, contract with private inspectors, pursue a regional partnership, or adopt another option. The outcome will affect permit timelines, inspection fees and how small-city public-safety roles are allocated going forward.