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Idaho County
Boise County, Idaho
Idaho City - the largest city north of San Francisco in 1863 - from Idaho City's gold rush heritage (in 1863, Idaho City was the largest city north of San Francisco and west of St. Louis - the Boise Basin gold rush that began in 1862 brought tens of thousands of miners to the mountains above present-day Boise, and Idaho City's brief but extraordinary prosperity left behind a remarkable collection of gold rush era buildings - the Boot Hill cemetery, the historic Territorial Penitentiary, and the preserved main street make Idaho City one of the finest gold rush heritage towns in the Pacific Northwest) and Bogus Basin ski resort's proximity above Boise.
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Office: Boise County Sheriff’s Office – 3851 Highway 21, Idaho City, ID 83631 | (208) 392-4411; Sheriff appointed 2019, elected 2021.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Boise County’s very first sheriff, Sumner Pinkham, was appointed in 1863 alongside the county’s original slate of officers – a lineage the Sheriff’s Office has documented in a published history of every Boise County sheriff since.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: SR-21 serves Idaho City, the county seat, located in the mountainous Boise Basin.
Notes: Boise County was established January 29, 1863 by the Washington territorial legislature – one of the state’s seven original counties – with its seat at Idaho City. It gets its name from the French word “boisé,” meaning “wooded.” Boise County has since given up land to help form four more Idaho counties over its history, leaving it at its current 1,907 square miles.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Boise County offices – Idaho City, ID.
Notes: Boise County holds genuinely extraordinary significance in Idaho’s founding: the 1862 discovery of gold in the Boise Basin by a prospecting party led by George Grimes triggered the largest gold rush in American history at the time, directly leading to the creation of Idaho Territory in 1863. Idaho City – originally named Bannock, then quickly renamed to avoid confusion with Bannack, the capital of the new Montana Territory – grew explosively; by the end of 1863 an estimated 25,000 people lived throughout the surrounding hills, with roughly 6,000-10,000 in Idaho City itself, briefly making it the largest city in the Pacific Northwest, surpassing even Portland. Within its first year, Idaho City boasted 250 businesses, including three express offices, four sawmills, nine restaurants, three drugstores, four breweries, and 20-25 saloons, alongside 15 doctors, 25 attorneys, two schools, a library, a newspaper, and five community theaters. Because it was built primarily of wood, the town burned down four times in its first decade. Lawlessness was a serious problem during the boom – horse theft, stagecoach robbery, and killings were common, prompting the formation of vigilante committees that tried and often hanged accused criminals outside the formal justice system. St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, opened in 1864, was Idaho’s first Catholic parish, and the Grand Lodge of Idaho Freemasons was founded in Idaho City in 1867.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Boise County Veterans Services – confirm current contact via boisecounty.us.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Idaho City Library (Idaho City) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Historic Idaho City (the well-preserved former gold-rush boomtown), the Boise Basin mining district heritage sites, and the Grimes Pass monument to prospector George Grimes are the county’s premier heritage attractions.
Notes: The genuine, extraordinary story of Idaho City’s meteoric gold-rush growth – briefly the largest city in the Pacific Northwest – is among the most historically significant local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Boise County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via boisecounty.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via boisecounty.us; Boise County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Boise County Solid Waste / Planning & Zoning – confirm current contact via boisecounty.us.
NOTES: Boise County is the eighth county completed in Idaho’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, extraordinary story of Idaho City’s gold-rush boom – briefly the largest city in the Pacific Northwest – is among the most historically significant local facts covered anywhere in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Boise County
Boise County’s Idaho City was once the largest city north of San Francisco – the 1862 Boise Basin gold rush made Idaho City a boomtown of extraordinary size and wealth, and the preserved gold rush buildings make it one of the finest mining heritage communities in the Pacific Northwest.
Idaho City (the county seat, population ~485) is a remarkably preserved gold rush town – the Boot Hill cemetery where more men died by violence than natural causes and the historic main street draw visitors from Boise just 40 miles away.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Boise County Assessor at 420 Main Street, Idaho City, ID 83631, phone 208-392-4417. ID homeowner’s exemption up to $125,000.
Courts & Legal
Boise County District Court at 420 Main Street, Idaho City, ID 83631, phone 208-392-4431, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK / ADMINISTRATOR
420 Main St., Idaho City, ID 83631
(208) 392-4431
CLERK OF COURT (Records, Marriage Licenses)
420 Main St., Idaho City, ID 83631
(208) 392-4451
ELECTIONS / CLERK
420 Main St., Idaho City, ID 83631
(208) 392-4431
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Boise County Magistrate Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Boise County was one of the original counties recognized in February 1864, part of Idaho’s founding territorial counties.
Local societies
No dedicated Boise County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Boise County Magistrate Court 420 Main Street, P.O. Box 1300, Idaho City, ID 83631 Main: (208) 392-4431; Idaho City general: (208) 392-4452; Horseshoe Bend general: (208) 793-2262
Boise County (not to be confused with the city of Boise, which is in Ada County) is a historic mining region – Idaho City was once the largest city in the Pacific Northwest during the 1860s gold rush.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Idaho has adopted the Uniform Probate Code (Idaho Code Title 15). Idaho is also a community property state. Idaho recognizes four main paths:
Small Estate Affidavit – a non-court process for estates with a total value of $100,000 or less (excluding liens and encumbrances) and no real property. Available 30 days after death. No court filing required (Idaho Code § 15-3-1201).
Summary Administration – available when the value of all the decedent’s property is less than the homestead allowance, exempt property, and last-illness medical expenses combined, or when a surviving spouse is sole beneficiary (Idaho Code §§ 15-3-1203, 15-3-1205).
Informal Probate – the most common track for uncontested estates, handled through the court registrar.
Formal Probate – court-supervised proceedings required when disputes arise or the will is contested.
Step 2: filing
For informal probate with a will, file an Application for Informal Probate of Will and Appointment of Personal Representative with the Magistrate Division.
For formal probate, file a Petition for Probate of Will and Appointment of Personal Representative (or the equivalent for intestate estates).
Idaho does not have a statutory fee schedule for attorneys or personal representatives – fees must be reasonable given the services rendered and complexity.
If formal or informal probate is needed
Determine whether small estate affidavit, summary administration, or full probate applies.
File the appropriate application or petition with the Boise County Magistrate Court.
Under informal proceedings, the registrar reviews the application without a hearing. Under formal proceedings, a judge holds a hearing.
The personal representative accepts the appointment and may need to post a bond.
Once appointed, the court issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration. Obtain several certified copies.
Publish notice to creditors as required.
Mail notice to all heirs, beneficiaries, and interested parties.
Marshal assets, obtain an EIN, open an estate account, pay valid debts and expenses, and prepare any required inventory.
Distribute remaining assets per the will or Idaho’s intestacy statutes, then close the estate.
What it costs
Idaho does not impose its own state estate or inheritance tax.
Idaho does not have a statutory fee schedule for attorneys or personal representatives.
Court filing fees and publication costs are separate – confirm current amounts with the Boise County Magistrate Court.
Probate in Idaho typically takes 6-12 months for uncontested estates.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
420 Main St., Idaho City, ID 83631
(208) 392-4411
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS / CLERK
420 Main St., Idaho City, ID 83631
(208) 392-4431
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Idaho Dept of Health & Welfare — Southwest
(208) 334-5500
Idaho Medicaid
(800) 926-2588
St. Luke's Boise (nearest major hospital)
stlukesonline.org/boise
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Central District Health (serving Boise County) – confirm current contact via cdh.idaho.gov.
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