New construction homes in Nampa and Caldwell: what to check before you sign

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Utilities and irrigation in Nampa and Caldwell

Pressurized irrigation delivers untreated canal water to your sprinklers, separate from your drinking water. Both cities require it in new subdivisions, with a few differences in who runs it.

Caldwell

Caldwell's zoning code says new developments and subdivisions must use a nonpotable (untreated) water source for irrigation and build pressure irrigation facilities to city and Caldwell Municipal Irrigation District (CMID) standards, with limited exceptions for some small or unserved developments (Caldwell City Code 10-02-09-13). The code also says the system is owned, operated and maintained by the government irrigation entity, outside those exceptions.

Nampa

Nampa has an ordinance requiring pressurized irrigation in new subdivisions. Where Nampa & Meridian Irrigation District owns the system, it operates and maintains the lines up to each home's delivery valve, and the homeowner maintains the sprinkler system past it (NMID). For pressurized irrigation delivery questions inside Nampa, NMID directs residents to the City of Nampa Water Works Division (NMID).

Nampa Utility Billing handles starting and stopping service, posts the city's current water and trash charges, and bills irrigation assessments for city-served areas (City of Nampa Utility Billing).

Ask the builder: which providers serve this address for water, sewer, trash and irrigation; who maintains the irrigation system; and who to call to start service. NMID itself advises new-home buyers to ask about the availability of irrigation water.

City fees and permits

An impact fee is a one-time charge on new construction that helps pay for the public services a new home will use.

• Caldwell publishes a development impact-fee schedule (City of Caldwell impact fees).
• Nampa collects development impact fees for police, parks, streets, fire, sewer, water and pressurized irrigation. The city says they're assessed and collected before it issues a building permit for a new residence (City of Nampa Development Impact Fees).

Ask the builder which fees are already included in your price, and get the answer in the contract. Fee schedules change, so check each city's current schedule rather than an old figure.

The builder contract and Idaho's new-home rules

The builder's lien disclosure

Before you sign a contract to buy a newly built home, Idaho Code 45-525 requires the general contractor to give you a written disclosure statement, and you sign to acknowledge you received it (Idaho Code 45-525). It tells you that you have the right to:

• Require the builder to get lien waivers from subcontractors who supplied work or materials, at your reasonable expense
• See proof that the builder carries general liability insurance and the workers' compensation coverage Idaho law requires
• Buy an extended title insurance policy that covers certain unfiled or unrecorded liens
• Require a surety bond, at your expense

The same statute says the builder must give you a signed list of the subcontractors and suppliers it hired directly, within a reasonable time before closing. A lien is a legal claim against a property for unpaid work or materials; the waivers and title coverage are how buyers guard against one.

You can also look up a builder's contractor registration with the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses.

If something's wrong after you move in

Idaho's Notice and Opportunity to Repair Act sets the first step. Before you can sue a builder over a construction defect, you serve the builder written notice describing the problem. The builder then has 21 days to respond in writing: by proposing to inspect, offering to settle, or disputing the claim (Idaho Code 6-2503). Read the builder's own warranty too, and note its deadlines.

The seller disclosure form

A newly built home that no one has lived in is exempt from Idaho's seller property disclosure form (Idaho Code 55-2505(12)). One part still applies: the builder must answer the form's annexation and city-services questions, such as whether the property is subject to annexation by a city (Idaho Code 55-2508).

Walk-through and warranty

Ask the builder when the final walk-through happens, how punch-list items get fixed, and what the warranty covers and for how long. Get the answers in writing. You can also hire your own inspector for a new build. Home inspection and appraisal in Idaho covers what inspections look at.

This is general information, not legal advice. An Idaho attorney can review a builder contract before you sign.

HOA and CC&Rs

A new subdivision may come with a homeowners association (HOA). Before you sign, ask for and read:

• The CC&Rs (the recorded rules for the subdivision), bylaws and any design guidelines
• The HOA budget, dues and any planned assessments
• Who runs the HOA now, and when the builder hands it over to homeowners
• Who maintains common areas and, where it applies, the pressurized irrigation system

HOAs in Idaho new communities walks through each one and the questions to ask.

Property tax on a new home

Idaho assesses property at its market value as of January 1 each year (Idaho Code 63-205). If your home wasn't finished on January 1, your first-year taxes can arrive in two parts, with a separate bill for the house once it's occupied. Property taxes on a new-construction home in Idaho walks through that timeline.

Moving in as your primary residence? Apply for the homeowner's exemption. Idaho's homeowner's exemption explains how and when.

Browse new homes in Nampa and Caldwell

• Caldwell homes and Nampa homes: every live listing in each city. Use the filters to narrow to newer homes.
• ZIP pages: 83605 · 83607 · 83686 · 83687. A ZIP code is a mail route, not a neighborhood. Caldwell homes by ZIP code and Nampa homes by ZIP code explain each one.

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