Bear Lake County – Comprehensive Plan and Ordinance Update

Rural Community Consultants prepared a comprehensive work plan for Bear Lake County, Idaho, to update the county’s 26-year-old Comprehensive Plan, Land Use Ordinance, and Subdivision Ordinance. Designed to manage development pressure and seasonal population spikes around Bear Lake while protecting agricultural lands, the scope features a complete rewrite of the Comprehensive Plan covering all required Idaho Code §67-6508 elements and a land-use fiscal impact analysis. The project encompasses a major update to the Land Use Ordinance to modernize regulations surrounding short-term rentals, open space, and clear, objective overlay standards. Furthermore, the work includes targeted updates to the Subdivision Ordinance, streamlined permit application forms, GIS base mapping, infrastructure network mapping for capital investment planning, and a community engagement strategy.