HOPE - Troubles appear to be mounting for the Idaho Castle, a luxury mountainside retreat overlooking Lake Pend Oreille.

Bonner County Planning officials contend the facility is operating without a conditional use permit and the Panhandle Health District questions whether its septic system can sustain a commercial use.

The property's owner, Scott Holt of Syracuse, Utah, maintains he is in compliance with the county's land use code and the castle is no different than the scores of other vacation rentals in Bonner County.

"I purchased it last fall and have been trying to rent it out as best I can with the economy the way it is," Holt said in an email to The Bonner County Daily Bee.

Holt said the castle is used only for overnight accommodations. Guests must provide their own food, although staff does housekeeping duties.

Holt acknowledges that his neighbors on Mount Eagen oppose the castle.

"Some of the neighbors are not happy and have never apparently been happy that the castle was ever built," Holt said.

Neighboring landowners began lodging formal complaints with the planning department last year. Downhill residents said the castle has hosted boisterous wedding receptions that last deep into the night.

Neighbors also question the commercial use of the castle's impact on roads and water quantity.

The planning department contends the castle requires a conditional permit and is trying to bring the facility into compliance without resorting to civil litigation or criminal prosecution, according to department records.

The health district, meanwhile, questions whether the facility has violated the conditions of its septic permit. The district said the permit allowed for a 3,000-square-foot private residence with three bedrooms and three bathrooms.

The castle's website, however, indicates the castle is 6,300 square feet and contains four bedrooms and six bathrooms.

Holt said he is using the previous owners' website and hasn't had a chance to update the content.

The health district said commercial use of the system might not be able to accommodate peak wastewater loading during large gatherings.

"...(T)he septic system is likely significantly inadequate to handle the peak wastewater loading associated with such events," Erik Ketner, a health district Environmental Program Manager, said in July 12 letter.

The district is calling for an on-site inspection to determine the adequacy of the septic system and if permit conditions were violated.