Meridian · ADU Cost 2026
Updated: May 2026
A Meridian ADU runs $115k–$345k turnkey in 2026 — the same per-sqft band as Boise at every finish level. What changes city-to-city is permit fees, ACHD impact, HOA design review, and the local rent ceiling.
A Meridian ADU costs $115k–$345k turnkey in 2026, the same per-sqft band as Boise at any finish level — Essential $340/sqft, Standard $405/sqft, Premium $480/sqft. What changes city-to-city is permit fees, local lot conditions, and rent ceiling. Meridian's median 1-bedroom rent runs $1,540 per month per Apartment List (May 2026), slightly higher than Boise's $1,479–$1,503 baseline — which gives a Meridian Kingfisher a modest yield advantage. The smallest pre-approved plan (the 280 sqft Goldfinch) starts around $115k Essential; the largest (the 695 sqft Kestrel) tops out near $345k Premium. Most landlords land in the $170k–$245k range with a 1-bedroom Kingfisher at Standard finish.
Build cost per square foot is essentially flat across the Treasure Valley because the contractor pool is regional, not city-specific. Framers, electricians, HVAC subs, concrete crews, and finish carpenters move between Boise, Meridian, Eagle, and Nampa jobs week to week. Lumber pricing, window orders, appliance packages, and labor rates all settle at the same regional market. The per-sqft rates below match the cost calculator and the figures used on /adu-cost-boise. Construction by Iron Crest Remodel (Idaho contractor license RCE-6681702), whose published ADU service area covers Boise, Meridian, Eagle, Nampa, Caldwell, Star, Kuna, and the broader Treasure Valley.
City-level differentiation shows up in three places: permit and impact fees (paid to Meridian, ACHD, and utility districts), lot-condition surcharges (HOA exterior requirements, alley access, utility distance), and rent ceiling (which doesn't change build cost but does change the math on whether you build Essential, Standard, or Premium).
All six City of Boise pre-approved plans stay under Meridian's 900 sq ft cap (Meridian's Unified Development Code uses the same "lesser of 900 sq ft or 50% of primary dwelling" rule that Boise uses). The plans do not enjoy formal reciprocity — they still go through Meridian Community Development plan-check — but because they're already engineered and detailed, plan-check moves faster than a custom submittal.
Pricing methodology: Ranges use the same Essential ($340/sqft), Standard ($405/sqft), and Premium ($480/sqft) per-square-foot rates as the Boise baseline, with a 0.9–1.12 lot-condition factor. Numbers below are turnkey, fixed-price, including site work, foundation, framing, MEP, insulation, drywall, finishes, paint, and permits.
| Plan | Type | Size | Beds | Essential | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Goldfinch | Type A | 280 sqft | Studio | $86k–$107k | $102k–$127k | $121k–$151k |
| The Waxwing | Type B | 396 sqft | Studio | $121k–$151k | $144k–$180k | $171k–$213k |
| The Kingfisher | Type C | 491 sqft | 1BR | $150k–$187k | $179k–$223k | $212k–$264k |
| The Kestrel | Type D | 695 sqft | 2BR | $213k–$265k | $253k–$315k | $300k–$374k |
| The Sandpiper | Type G-1 | 396 sqft | Studio | $121k–$151k | $144k–$180k | $171k–$213k |
| The Osprey | Type G-2 | 376 sqft | Studio | $115k–$143k | $137k–$171k | $162k–$202k |
Want a customized number for your Meridian lot? Use the cost calculator — same math your free estimate will quote.
Meridian publishes its building permit and impact fee schedule through an interactive online portal — apps.meridiancity.org/CITYFEEWEB/ — rather than a static PDF. The current schedule index lives at Meridian Community Development. Per-tier dollar amounts depend on building valuation and the live fee schedule — pull current numbers directly from the portal or call Meridian Community Development at 208-887-2211 before locking your budget.
What's confirmed from primary sources as of May 2026:
Total city plus impact fees on a Meridian ADU typically land in the $8,000–$15,000 band based on aggregate builder experience. We include all confirmed pass-through fees in the fixed-price contract once your parcel is verified.
Build cost per square foot is the same. Four operational differences show up in the timeline and the fee column.
Meridian Community Development runs a smaller queue than the City of Boise's planning office, and the UDC is more prescriptive — fewer discretionary reviews. Builders working both jurisdictions regularly see Meridian plan-check land in 2–3 weeks where a comparable Boise pre-approved file takes 3–5. Pull Meridian's live timeline expectations sheet before you anchor on a date.
Meridian sits inside the Ada County Highway District, so the transportation impact fee structure is identical to Boise. ACHD's residential rate is $5,803 per single-family dwelling effective March 1, 2026 (ACHD ordinance No. 254). Whether ACHD applies a discounted ADU rate is worth a direct call to ACHD before final budget — the public landing page wasn't reachable in our last verification pass.
Paramount, Spurwing, Bridgetower, Heritage, and other post-2000 master-planned communities run an architectural review committee in parallel with the city. Plan on 1–2 added weeks for HOA package preparation (elevations, material specs, color samples) plus a review cycle. Exterior cost can step up 5–10% if the HOA requires stone wainscot or premium siding to match the primary home.
Old Town Meridian east of Meridian Road runs smaller, alley-loaded parcels — friendly footprints but tighter utility runs. South Meridian (Lakemoor, Heritage) and North Meridian (Paramount, Spurwing) carry deeper backyards and easier siting. Buildable envelope is usually generous; the gating factor is HOA review, not zoning.
Per Apartment List Meridian (May 2026), the median 1-bedroom rent in Meridian is $1,540/month and the median 2-bedroom is $1,500/month. The compression between 1BR and 2BR is unusual and likely reflects the local supply mix — Meridian's rental inventory leans newer construction with a heavier mix of 2BR apartments, which softens the typical 2BR premium.
Compared to Boise's $1,479–$1,503 1-bedroom median, Meridian clears roughly $40–$60/month more on a Kingfisher-sized unit. On a $200k Standard-finish Kingfisher build, that's a 2–4% gross yield advantage — not huge, but real, and it stacks with the faster permit timeline. The math gets cleaner when the tenant pool is West Ada commuters working at Scentsy, Blue Cross, St. Luke's Meridian, or the Ten Mile interchange employers.
Plug Meridian rent inputs into the ROI calculator to see gross yield, cash flow after debt service, and 10-year cash-on-cash for your specific plan and finish combination.
ADU rules and fee figures referenced below come from Meridian Community Development, Idaho Senate Bill 1354, and ACHD impact fee data.
No — at the same finish level the per-square-foot build cost is essentially identical because most Treasure Valley contractors work both cities. A Standard-finish Kingfisher runs roughly $179k–$222k in either market. Where Meridian and Boise diverge is permit and impact fees (Meridian's full fee schedule needs to be pulled fresh from meridiancity.org or apps.meridiancity.org/CITYFEEWEB/), HOA review costs in newer Meridian subdivisions, and the rent ceiling. Meridian's median 1-bedroom rent of $1,540/month is slightly higher than Boise's $1,479–$1,503, which gives Meridian a modest yield edge.
The plans physically fit — Meridian's UDC caps ADUs at 900 sq ft or 50% of the primary dwelling, the same limit Boise uses, so all six City of Boise pre-approved plans (Goldfinch, Waxwing, Kingfisher, Kestrel, Sandpiper, Osprey) stay under the cap. But Meridian does not have a formal reciprocity agreement with Boise — your plan set still goes through Meridian Community Development's plan-check process. Idaho Senate Bill 1354, effective July 1, 2026, preempts city-level ADU restrictions for cities over 10,000 population, which loosens rules but doesn't create automatic plan reciprocity. In practice the same drawings move through faster than a custom design because they're already engineered.
Meridian publishes a building permit and impact fee schedule through an interactive online portal at apps.meridiancity.org/CITYFEEWEB/ rather than a static PDF. Per-tier dollar amounts depend on building valuation and the current fee schedule — pull the live numbers directly from Meridian Community Development or call 208-887-2211 before locking your budget. What we can confirm: ACHD's transportation impact fee is $5,803/SFD effective 2026-03-01, and Meridian's FY 2026 budget references an existing $19.8M impact fee balance covering parks, fire, and police. Total city plus impact fees on a Meridian ADU typically land in the $8,000–$15,000 band based on builder aggregate experience.
Residential building permit review in Meridian typically lands in the 2–3 week range for a clean, pre-approved-style submittal — faster than the City of Boise's planning queue. Meridian publishes a live timeline-expectations spreadsheet that's updated regularly, so pull the current quarter before committing to a date. HOA review in master-planned subdivisions (Paramount, Spurwing, Bridgetower) adds 2–4 weeks running in parallel, not in series, if you submit both packages together. Total design-through-permit on a pre-approved-style ADU in Meridian is usually 4–8 weeks.
It depends on the zone, and the answer changes on July 1, 2026. Meridian's current Unified Development Code requires owner-occupancy of either the primary residence or the ADU in certain zones. Idaho Senate Bill 1354 preempts that requirement for cities over 10,000 population effective 2026-07-01, with cities required to update local code by February 1, 2027. As of May 2026 Meridian's UDC may still reference the old rule until it's revised. Confirm the current status with Meridian Community Development for your specific parcel before signing.
Meridian rents slightly higher than Boise on 1-bedroom units and slightly lower on 2-bedroom units. Per Apartment List Meridian data (May 2026), the median 1-bedroom rent is $1,540/month and the median 2-bedroom is $1,500/month — an unusual compression that likely reflects supply mix. Boise's comparable medians sit around $1,479–$1,503 for 1-bedroom. On a Kingfisher (491 sqft, 1BR), Meridian's higher rent ceiling improves gross yield by roughly 2–4% versus Boise at the same build cost. Run the numbers on the ROI calculator with Meridian rent inputs before committing.
Cost baseline
The Boise reference page this Meridian page is sibling to — full plan-by-plan pricing and Boise fee detail.
Per-city
Canyon County alternative — no ACHD fee, different size cap, materially different rent ceiling.
Per-city
Eagle's EASD architectural review adds cost and time — meaningful for any ADU build inside the city.
Per-city
Canyon County, no ACHD impact fee, smaller current size cap — a different cost profile entirely.
City page
Zoning detail, recommended plans, neighborhood-by-neighborhood fit notes for Meridian builds.
Plans
All six fit under Meridian's 900 sq ft cap — same drawings, resubmitted through Meridian Community Development.
Tool
Pick square footage and finish — see the same range your free estimate will quote.
Tool
Layer Meridian rent inputs ($1,540 1BR) on top of build cost for gross yield, cash flow, and 10-year cash-on-cash.
Free lot check
Zoning, setbacks, HOA review path, and best-fit plan for your specific Meridian parcel — 24-hour response.
Pillar guide
Full Treasure Valley ADU playbook — zoning, plans, cost, permits, rent, and what most homeowners get wrong.
Free Meridian Lot Check · 24-Hour Response
Start with a free Meridian lot check — plan fit, HOA review path, and the right cost path for your goals. Or call (208) 297-2036.
