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Idaho County
Bonner County, Idaho
Sandpoint - the town on Lake Pend Oreille and the Navy's secret sonar testing ground - from Lake Pend Oreille (the 43-mile-long, 1,150-foot-deep glacial lake that is the fifth deepest lake in the United States - the Navy established the Acoustic Research Detachment at Bayview because Lake Pend Oreille's extraordinary depth and acoustic properties made it the ideal location for testing submarine sonar and acoustic signatures in a freshwater environment far from any coast) to Sandpoint's Schweitzer Mountain Resort and its reputation as one of the most beautiful small cities in the American West.
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Office: Bonner County Sheriff’s Office – 4001 N. Boyer Avenue, Sandpoint, ID 83864 | (208) 255-2677 / (208) 255-3630 | Fax (208) 265-4378 | Email: [email protected]; Sheriff elected 2008. 40 officers serving roughly 36,835 residents; specialized units include search and rescue and Tactical Operations/SWAT.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-95/2 serve Sandpoint, the county seat and largest city, on the shores of Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho’s largest lake (43 miles long), surrounded by the Selkirk, Cabinet, and Bitterroot mountain ranges.
Notes: Bonner County was formed February 21, 1907, partitioned from Kootenai County, named for Edwin L. Bonner, a travel entrepreneur and ferry operator. Kootenai County had originally covered all of present-day Bonner and Boundary Counties since its 1864 creation.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Bonner County Courthouse – Sandpoint, ID.
Notes: Bonner County holds genuinely extraordinary WWII military history: in 1942, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Navy chose the southern shore of Lake Pend Oreille near Bayview – considered safe from coastal attack – as the site for Farragut Naval Training Station. Built at astonishing speed by more than 22,000 construction workers, the base’s population reached an estimated 55,000 by September 1942, briefly making it the largest city in the entire state of Idaho. Over its roughly 30 months of operation, Farragut trained more than 293,000 Navy recruits, making it the second-largest naval training center in the world at the time, behind only Naval Station Great Lakes; it also housed roughly 850 German prisoners of war transferred from Arizona in 1945. The base was decommissioned in 1946, and much of its land became Farragut State Park in 1966; the historic Brig building survives and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, now home to a military museum. Today, Lake Pend Oreille’s exceptional depth (1,150 feet) makes it an active U.S. Navy site for testing scaled-down submarine prototypes.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Bonner County Veterans Services – confirm current contact via bonnercountyid.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
East Bonner County Library District (Sandpoint) – roots dating to a 1905 “free reading room.”
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Farragut State Park (former WWII naval training station, with the National Register-listed Brig building and military museum), Lake Pend Oreille, and Schweitzer Mountain Resort are the county’s premier heritage and recreational attractions.
Notes: The genuine, extraordinary history of Farragut Naval Training Station – briefly the largest city in Idaho and the world’s second-largest naval training center – is among the most distinctive local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Bonner County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via bonnercountyid.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via bonnercountyid.gov; Bonner County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Bonner County Solid Waste / Planning – confirm current contact via bonnercountyid.gov.
NOTES: Bonner County is the ninth county completed in Idaho’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, extraordinary WWII history of Farragut Naval Training Station is among the most distinctive 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 Bonner County
Bonner County is where the Navy tests submarines in a mountain lake – Lake Pend Oreille’s 1,150-foot depth and exceptional acoustic properties made it the US Navy’s freshwater submarine sonar testing ground, and Sandpoint’s setting between the lake and the Selkirk Mountains makes it one of the most scenically spectacular small cities in the West.
Sandpoint (the county seat, population ~9,000) is consistently ranked among America’s most beautiful small cities – Schweitzer Mountain Resort, the Festival at Sandpoint, and the lake waterfront draw visitors year-round.
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Bonner County Assessor at 1500 Highway 2, Suite 205, Sandpoint, ID 83864, phone 208-265-1440. ID homeowner’s exemption up to $125,000.
Courts & Legal
Bonner County District Court at 215 S. 1st Avenue, Sandpoint, ID 83864, phone 208-265-1432, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK / ADMINISTRATOR
1500 Hwy. 2, Suite 304, Sandpoint, ID 83864
(208) 265-1432
CLERK OF COURT (Records, Marriage Licenses)
215 S. 1st Ave., Sandpoint, ID 83864
(208) 265-1445
ELECTIONS / CLERK
1500 Hwy. 2, Suite 304, Sandpoint, ID 83864
(208) 265-1432
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Bonner County Magistrate Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Bonner 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
Bonner County Magistrate Court 215 South 1st Avenue, Sandpoint, ID 83864 (208) 265-1432
Bonner County was partitioned from Kootenai County in 1907, named for ferry operator Edwin L. Bonner. It’s home to Sandpoint on Lake Pend Oreille, a popular resort and tourism area in the Idaho Panhandle.
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 Bonner 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 Bonner 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
4001 N. Boyer Rd., Sandpoint, ID 83864
(208) 263-8417
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS / CLERK
1500 Hwy. 2, Suite 304, Sandpoint, ID 83864
(208) 265-1432
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Idaho Dept of Health & Welfare — Panhandle
(208) 769-1421
Idaho Medicaid
(800) 926-2588
Bonner General Health
bonnergeneral.org (Sandpoint)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Panhandle Health District (serving Bonner County) – confirm current contact via panhandlehealthdistrict.org.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Sandpoint
Population: 47,000
Area: 1,738 sq mi
Established: 1907
Tier: 3
Public Records
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