HauserCommercial Real Estate Guide
The first stop in Idaho on Highway 53 from Spokane Valley. A small lake town surrounded by county industrial land, the BNSF refueling depot, and a new interchange at Pleasant View Rd.
Why Hauser
The City of Hauser itself is small, about 915 people on roughly one square mile around Hauser Lake. Most of the commercial real estate story is the corridor around it: Highway 53 from the Washington line toward Rathdrum, the BNSF main line, and the county Light Industrial and Industrial land along the rail and Prairie Ave.
BNSF's Hauser refueling depot opened here in 2004, and ITD's new interchange at Highway 53 and Pleasant View Rd turns the corridor into a divided four lane highway and closes several at grade rail crossings. Pleasant View becomes the rail free link between I-90 and Highway 53.
Know who governs the parcel. Inside city limits Hauser uses a performance based code with a hearing for commercial projects. Outside the city, Kootenai County zoning applies. Hauser has no city water or sewer, so water comes from the small Hauser Lake Water Association or wells, and wastewater goes to septic approved by Panhandle Health District.
Hauser by the numbers
CoStar does not report Hauser as its own submarket, so these are the Kootenai County figures, Q3 2026.
Kootenai County
What this means
Across Kootenai County, industrial vacancy fell to 2.6% from 6.3% a year ago, and retail sits at 1.2%. Very little of either is under construction. Office is 4.1% vacant with nothing being built. Sales were thin: 37 industrial, 40 retail and 22 office properties traded in the last twelve months.
Full county market reportSource: CoStar, Q3 2026 (from the CoStar pull of early November 2026). Market asking rents are CoStar estimates per SF per year.
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Commercial and industrial zones
What you can build or open in each zone, in plain English. Tap a zone to see the details.
Highway Corridor (city)
Hauser's commercial district along SH-53
Where the comprehensive plan directs commercial and higher intensity uses inside the city. There is no use table: each proposal goes through a Class II permit with a hearing and is scored against performance standards and the comprehensive plan.
Rathdrum Prairie (city)
The city's industrial land
The flat prairie portion of the city, where industrial uses can go through the same performance based review. Industrial uses need a 50 ft buffer on every property line, including road frontage.
Light Industrial (county)
County land along the rail line and Prairie Ave
Kootenai County Light Industrial zoning covers much of the land around Hauser along the BNSF line and south of SH-53. Clean manufacturing, warehousing and flex uses.
Permitted outright
Conditional use permit
Industrial (county)
County heavy industrial land toward Pleasant View
Kootenai County Industrial zoning east of Hauser toward Pleasant View. Manufacturing and processing of all types, with commercial and residential uses not allowed.
Permitted outright
Conditional use permit
City districts from the Hauser Development Code, Title 8. Hauser has five districts and scores each proposal against performance standards instead of using a use table. County zones from Kootenai County Code Title 8 apply outside city limits. Always confirm which rules govern the specific parcel.
From parcel to certificate of occupancy
- 1
Check the parcel
Confirm whether the site is inside Hauser city limits or in unincorporated Kootenai County. Most of the industrial land around Hauser is county land.
- 2
Talk to the planner
Inside the city, start with Hauser's planning staff. Outside the city, a county pre-application meeting comes first for a conditional use permit.
- 3
Class II permit (city)
Commercial and industrial uses in the city go through a Class II permit with a public hearing. The application needs review letters from the fire district, highway district, ITD, Panhandle Health, DEQ and the utilities.
- 4
Water and septic
Connection to a state approved water system is required within 330 ft. Septic goes through Panhandle Health District, and over the aquifer it is capped at one dwelling equivalent per 5 acres.
- 5
Highway access
Access to SH-53 needs ITD approval. After the new interchange, several old direct access points are closed, so check how the site reaches the highway.
- 6
Building permit
Hauser issues building permits inside city limits under the 2018 International Building Code. Kootenai County Building handles the surrounding county land. Hauser Lake Fire's impact fee is $1.83/SF for commercial space.
- 7
Certificate of Occupancy
Issued by the city or the county after final inspections, depending on where the parcel sits.
Commercial building permits in Hauser
Hauser takes building permit applications on paper or by email and does not post a list of issued permits. City Hall can tell you what has been permitted.
City forms
The building permit application, which covers commercial and industrial work.
Open city forms ↗Who serves the site
Water
No city water system. Inside the city, the private Hauser Lake Water Association serves part of town, and the rest is wells and small systems.
Sewer
No city sewer. Individual septic systems approved by Panhandle Health District.
Power
Avista and Kootenai Electric Cooperative both serve the area. Confirm the provider by address.
Natural gas
Avista.
Fiber and internet
Intermax, Ziply Fiber, Spectrum and others. Service varies by location.
Fire
Hauser Lake Fire Protection District.
208-773-1174Law enforcement
Kootenai County Sheriff.
Ways to lower the cost of the deal
Idaho state incentives
- 3% investment tax credit on new equipment
- Business personal property tax exempt up to $250,000 per county
- No property tax on business inventory
- Tax Reimbursement Incentive: up to 30% back on income, payroll and sales taxes for 15 years
- Sales tax exemption on manufacturing equipment and raw materials
- 5.3% corporate income tax rate
Where the cars are
Average vehicles per day, Idaho Transportation Department 2025 counts.
Where Hauser is headed
Population, 2010 to 2050
2010 to 2025: US Census. 2030 to 2050: KMPO projections, February 2026.
SH-53 / Pleasant View interchange
ITD's new interchange and SH-53 widening to four divided lanes, removing three rail crossings and closing direct highway access at Hauser Lake Rd, Prairie and McGuire.
2026 Comprehensive Plan
Hauser's rewritten comprehensive plan for 2026 to 2045 went to public hearing in July 2026.
County impact area review
Kootenai County expects to review the Hauser Area of City Impact in late 2026, which affects how the corridor land around the city is planned.
7Fold listings in Hauser
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Hauser questions we get
Does Hauser have city water and sewer?
Where can commercial and industrial go around Hauser?
Do I get permits from the city or the county?
What does the new SH-53 interchange change?
Is Hauser growing?
Buying, leasing or building in Hauser?
Local insight, national context, smart guidance. Let’s talk about your project.
Sources
- Hauser Development Code, Title 8
- City of Hauser
- Hauser 2026 Comprehensive Plan (PDF)
- Kootenai County Hauser outreach and ACI zoning
- US Census population estimates, Vintage 2025
- Census ACS 2020 to 2024, median household income
- ITD traffic counts (AADT 2025)
- KMPO growth projections 2025 to 2050
- ITD SH-53 / Pleasant View interchange
Information is believed reliable but not guaranteed. Verify zoning, utilities and incentives for your specific parcel. Page updated October 2026.