Idaho - Shooting on our own land

genteelhart · October 22, 2009, 05:27 PM

We are retiring to Idaho in the next 4 to 8 years and plan to purchase property of sufficient size that my husband can set up a bit of a personal shooting range - can anyone give me a ballpark of the size property we'd need to be looking at to legally shoot (handguns) on our own land? (Obviously we'd abide by any reasonable safety measures such as berms, etc.)

We're eyeballing 5 and 10 acre parcels right now, but have no idea if that would be large enough legally. And we're looking at the northern part of the state, probably in Kootenai (or adjacent) counties.

Thanks in advance!

wally626 · October 22, 2009, 08:50 PM

Quote:

TITLE 18 (Idaho)
CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS
CHAPTER 33
FIREARMS, EXPLOSIVES AND
OTHER DEADLY WEAPONS
18-3302J. PREEMPTION OF FIREARMS REGULATION. ...

(3) A county may adopt ordinances to regulate, restrict or prohibit the
discharge of firearms within its boundaries...

Basically you need to find out the particular restrictions of the county or city you are planning to locate. In VA some towns restrict you to 1 acre or larger lots some ban shooting completely, some like my county restrict you to shotguns and pistols except in restricted areas where no shooting is allowed except for self defense. My house is not in a restricted zone but the neighbors are too close to shoot in the yard.

My assumption would be 5 or 10 acres would be fine in most areas. The second concern is how much you shoot, a lot of shooting may annoy the neighbors if the lot is too small.

wally626 · October 22, 2009, 09:14 PM

Looked up the Kootenai County ordinances. It looks like the restrictions for use drop a lot for 5 acre lots and they allow gun clubs on 10 acres or more with the following restrictions: Call to be sure, but I can't see occasional home shooting to be an issue on 5 acres or more.

Quote:

9-24-2: GUN CLUBS, RIFLE RANGES, ARCHERY RANGES:

A. Zones permitted:
1. Agricultural, agricultural suburban, rural:
a. Minimum area: Ten (10) acres.
b. Target areas shall be six hundred feet (600') from any existing dwelling and three hundred feet (300') from any property line.
c. All facilities shall be designed and located with full consideration to the safety factors involved with such a use.
d. Off street parking for all patrons will be provided.
e. A site plan shall be submitted with the application. (Ord. 393, 12-14-2006)

http://www.sterlingcodifiers.com/cod...hp?book_id=505

genteelhart · October 29, 2009, 04:06 PM

Thanks for the information!

October 22, 2009, 05:27 PM	#1
genteelhart Junior Member Join Date: October 22, 2009 Posts: 2	Idaho - Shooting on our own land We are retiring to Idaho in the next 4 to 8 years and plan to purchase property of sufficient size that my husband can set up a bit of a personal shooting range - can anyone give me a ballpark of the size property we'd need to be looking at to legally shoot (handguns) on our own land? (Obviously we'd abide by any reasonable safety measures such as berms, etc.) We're eyeballing 5 and 10 acre parcels right now, but have no idea if that would be large enough legally. And we're looking at the northern part of the state, probably in Kootenai (or adjacent) counties. Thanks in advance!

October 29, 2009, 04:06 PM	#4
genteelhart Junior Member Join Date: October 22, 2009 Posts: 2	Thanks for the information!