According to Idaho law, arson is broken up into three different degrees based upon the exact details of the crime and the severity of the crime in question. For first-degree arson, the accused must have willfully set fire to a dwelling or structure, whether occupied or not, where the accused would have reasonable grounds to believe that there were inhabitants within it. This is usually punishable by up to twenty-five years spent in the custody of the department of corrections and a fine of up to $100,000.

Second-degree arson is a crime where the accused willfully sets fire to a structure, no matter if the structure is their own property or not, and is punishable by up to fifteen years spent in the custody of the department of correction and a fine of up to $75,000. In a crime charged as third-degree arson, the accused must have set fire to property or forest land and is punishable by up to ten years in the custody of the department of corrections and fines up to $50,000.