Ada and Canyon counties
Boise crane rental, priced from a real rate sheet
Describe the lift and the address. A single crane operator who works the Treasure Valley looks it over and gets back to you with a number.
- $175an hour for a 23-ton boom truck
- 4 hoursthe usual minimum
- 11towns from Eagle to Mountain Home
What are you lifting?
One full crane rate sheet, read for Boise
Almost no Treasure Valley crane company publishes prices, so this chart uses one that does, a Virginia outfit with a sheet from 17 to 210 tons. On it, everything up to 60 tons bills the same $175 an hour. The minimum hours and the fuel charge move the total more than the size does.
- $17517 or 23-ton boom truckBilled at least 4 hours
- $17540 to 60-ton craneBilled at least 4 hours
- $18070-ton craneBilled at least 4 hours
- $25075-ton craneBilled at least 4 hours
- $275100-ton craneBilled at least 8 hours
- $330130-ton craneBilled at least 8 hours
Rates: COI Crane Service, Glen Allen, Virginia, pricing for 2025 and 2026, billed port to port with a certified operator. Weekends and overtime add $30 an hour. Fuel is extra: a $50 minimum, worked out at $1.00 a mile plus $6 per crane hour up to 70 tons, and $1.50 a mile plus $9 an hour above that. The 100-ton crane also needs one tractor trailer at $185 an hour, 8-hour minimum. COI does not work in Idaho, and Treasure Valley companies quote by phone, so use this as a yardstick.
Sample math
- $700A 23-ton boom truck for the 4-hour minimum, enough to swing a hot tub over a Meridian fence.
- $774The same lift with fuel for a 50-mile round trip: $50 for the miles plus $6 for each of the 4 crane hours.
- $3,680A 100-ton crane for its 8-hour minimum, $2,200, plus the tractor trailer it travels with, $1,480.
Sample math only. The operator prices your lift.
Price my liftThe rate page breaks out overtime, riggers, lift plans and fuel.
Valley towns and distances
- Boise the Capitol
- Garden City 2 mi
- Meridian 10 mi
- Eagle 9 mi
- Kuna 14 mi
- Star 16 mi
- Nampa 19 mi
- Caldwell 25 mi
- Middleton 22 mi
- Emmett 23 mi
- Mountain Home 42 mi
Straight-line miles from the Idaho State Capitol. The towns page has road and permit notes.
Lift guides for the valley
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Rooftop HVAC units in BoiseWhich crane fits the reach, the ACHD permit for a street setup and the airport rule.
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Taking down a Boise tree with a craneWho pays for street trees, what big trunk pieces weigh and what the crane adds.
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Craning a hot tub or shed into a backyardOver the house or the fence: reach, ground, wires and the minimum bill.
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Crane rental in NampaNampa right-of-way permits, the highway district outside town and the drive west.
A valley still adding people, and two chip plants
Home permits ticked up in 2026, and the biggest jobs in the state are here.
The Boise metro authorized 9,438 housing units in 2025, 1,218 of them in buildings with five or more units. From January through September 2026 the count was 7,647, about 2% ahead of the same months of 2025 (Census building permits). The metro now has about 864,000 people, roughly 12% more than in 2020.
Then there are the large projects. Micron is building two connected chip fabs on its Boise campus, about $50 billion in all (Idaho Statesman). St. Luke's topped out a nine-story tower in June 2026 as part of a $1.1 billion downtown expansion (Idaho Business Review). Work like that keeps the large cranes and their crews booked.
If a job needs 75 tons or more, ask early. Smaller boom trucks are usually easier to get. About this site.
ACHD owns the street, not the city
In Ada County, the streets and sidewalks in Boise, Meridian, Eagle, Garden City, Kuna and Star belong to the Ada County Highway District. A crane that sets up in the street, on a sidewalk or on the shoulder needs an ACHD temporary use permit, whichever city you are in (ACHD permitting).
The daily fee depends on the street: $85 a day on an arterial, $60 on a collector and $30 on a local street. Working without the permit costs $500 (ACHD fee schedule). Interstates and state highways, including I-84 and I-184, are the state's, under the Idaho Transportation Department.
In spring, ITD can cut axle weights on affected state highways and hold heavy trucks to 30 mph in posted areas. Interstates are not restricted (ITD truckers handbook). A crane going up to a foothills lot or out to Emmett may need to wait.
The airport, the wires and the yard
Boise Airport sits just south of downtown along I-84. Federal rules ask for FAA notice before tall construction equipment goes up near a public airport, a crane boom included (14 CFR 77.9), so jobs on the Bench and near Vista Avenue may need the operator to check first.
Older Boise streets have power lines along the back of the lot. OSHA keeps a crane at least 20 feet from lines up to 350 kV unless the utility shuts them off or a closer approach is planned under the rule (29 CFR 1926.1408). Say where the lines run when you send the job.
Many valley lawns are watered by flood or pressurized irrigation, and soaked ground will not hold outriggers. Shut the water off a couple of days ahead if you can.
A single operator sees your request. It goes to a crane company already working between Eagle, Meridian and Nampa, and nobody else.
- Boom trucks for backyards, houses and small roofs
- Bigger cranes for steel, panels and tall reaches
- Most replies come within one business day
- Asking for a price is free
What Treasure Valley callers ask
How much does it cost to rent a crane in Boise?
On a full posted rate sheet, boom trucks and cranes up to 60 tons run $175 an hour with a 4-hour minimum, so about $700 plus fuel for a short job. A 100-ton crane is $275 an hour for at least 8 hours. Treasure Valley companies quote by phone and may price differently.
Who issues the permit for a crane on a Boise street?
The Ada County Highway District, not the City of Boise. ACHD requires a temporary use permit for work in the street, sidewalk or shoulder. The fee is $30 to $85 a day depending on the street.
Can a crane lift a hot tub over my house?
Often, yes. The crane size depends on the tub weight and how far it has to reach past the roof. A 23-ton boom truck covers many backyard lifts if it can park close.
Does the city take out dead street trees in Boise?
For trees in the public right-of-way, yes. Boise Community Forestry removes dead, diseased or hazardous street trees at no cost to the homeowner next to them, after a free inspection.
Do spring road limits affect Boise crane jobs?
On some state highways, yes. ITD can lower axle limits and post 30 mph zones for heavy trucks during spring breakup. Interstates and most city streets are not affected.
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