The law
Idaho has no college NIL statute. In short: None (athlete agents, Idaho Code §§ 54-4801 to 54-4820). Rows drawn from a statute come from the enacted text on the legislature's own site; rows drawn from a school or board policy name that policy. Every source is linked under Sources, read on October 21, 2026.
What it says
| Question | What applies | Section or source |
|---|---|---|
| Who is covered | Not addressed (no NIL statute). The agent law covers any "student athlete" who engages in or may become eligible for an interscholastic or intercollegiate sport, so it reaches high school and college athletes | Idaho Code § 54-4802(15) |
| Disclosure to the school | Not addressed for NIL deals. When an athlete signs an agency contract, the agent gives the athletic director written notice and the athlete informs the athletic director, each within 72 hours or before the next athletic event, whichever is first. Deal reporting otherwise comes from campus policy and, for Idaho's Division I schools, NCAA Bylaw 22.2.2 (deals of $600 or more through NIL Go within five business days) | Idaho Code § 54-4811(2), (3) |
| Banned categories | Not addressed. No Idaho statute listing NIL categories was found, and the two State Board of Education athletics policies read (III.T, Student Athletes; V.X, Intercollegiate Athletics) do not mention NIL; any limits come from campus and NCAA rules | None |
| Conflicts with team contracts | Not addressed. No Idaho statute governs conflicts between an athlete's deal and a university sponsorship contract | None |
| School and coach involvement | Not addressed. The agent law's definition of "athlete agent" leaves out of its advisory-role part an employee of an educational institution acting only as an employee for the institution's benefit. No statute limiting coach involvement in NIL deals was found | Idaho Code § 54-4802(2)(a)(ii) |
| Direct pay from the school | Not addressed by statute. State Board of Education Policy V.X (December 2025) sets each institution's athletics spending cap at the greater of $5 million or 6 percent of the average of its prior three years of state general funds and tuition funds, and sets no limit on spending of athletic program funds (such as tickets, media and booster donations) or institutional funds. It does not mention NIL or revenue sharing | Board Policy V.X.1, V.X.2 |
| Agents and attorneys | No registration, license or fee since 2020-07-01 (H.B. 423 repealed §§ 54-4803 to 54-4809). An agency contract, which includes one for an endorsement contract, must be a signed record stating the fee, anyone else paid, reimbursable expenses, services and duration, carry a boldface warning, and come with a separate signed acknowledgment; a non-conforming contract is voidable by the athlete. Agents keep records five years, open to the athlete's school. A licensed professional such as an attorney is outside "athlete agent" unless the person also recruits or solicits the athlete, procures pro employment, or charges athletes differently | Idaho Code §§ 54-4802(1), (2), (5); 54-4810; 54-4813 |
| High school and minors | Not addressed for NIL. The agent law applies to interscholastic athletes, and for a minor the parent or guardian signs the agency contract and may cancel it | Idaho Code §§ 54-4802(15), 54-4810(7), 54-4812(1) |
| Financial literacy | Not addressed | None |
| Scholarship protection | Not addressed. Two 2026 bills would have capped athletic scholarships for athletes who are not U.S. citizens (S.B. 1289) or not U.S. residents (S.B. 1357); both stopped in committee | None |
| Confidentiality of contracts | Not addressed. Every public record in Idaho is presumed open "except as otherwise expressly provided by statute", and none of the exemptions in the Public Records Act (§§ 74-101 to 74-127) names NIL or athlete contracts | Idaho Code § 74-102(1) |
| NCAA and conference penalties | Not addressed. No Idaho statute limits NCAA or conference action over NIL; S.J.M. 114 asks Congress for preemptive federal rules instead | None |
| Remedies and enforcement | For agent violations only, a school or athlete harmed by an agent may sue for damages, costs and attorney's fees, and the agent forfeits pay and refunds consideration. Prohibited conduct, such as giving materially false information, furnishing anything of value before signing, failing to keep records, predating or postdating a contract, or skipping the eligibility warning, is a misdemeanor. The civil penalty section (54-4817) was repealed in 2020 | Idaho Code §§ 54-4814 to 54-4816 |
| Employee status | Not addressed. S.J.M. 114 asks Congress to define "student-athlete employment status and eligibility" | None |
What the Legislature did in 2026
Idaho's only legislative act on college NIL is a request to Congress. Senate Joint Memorial 114 (Senate State Affairs Committee) was adopted by voice vote in the Senate on 2026-03-11 and in the House on 2026-03-30, and was delivered to the Secretary of State on 2026-04-01. It cites President Trump's July 24, 2025 "Saving College Sports" executive order and Boise State's record and economic impact, and urges Congress to enact legislation that:
- establishes "a single, uniform national framework for NIL and revenue sharing that preempts conflicting state laws";
- defines student-athlete employment status and eligibility;
- protects women's and Olympic sports; and
- gives FBS institutions a pathway to build their athletic brands, and provides a level playing field "driven not by conference affiliation, but by objective metrics" such as competitive success, brand awareness and financial support.
A memorial is not a statute and binds no one. The same session saw two bills on athletic scholarships for international athletes: S.B. 1289 (cap of 10 percent of non-football roster scholarships and 5 percent in football for non-citizens) and S.B. 1357 (cap of 10 percent of all roster positions for non-U.S. residents). Each was printed and referred to the Senate Education Committee, where it stopped. Neither addresses NIL pay.
No bill to create an NIL statute for college athletes was found in the Legislature's legislation and subject index pages for the 2021 through 2026 sessions (searched 2026-10-21); none of those pages uses the word "likeness".
An agent law without registration
Idaho adopted the Revised Uniform Athlete Agents Act in 2016 (H.B. 398), with registration through the Bureau of Occupational Licenses. In 2020, following "the report on the 2019 Licensing Freedom Act Executive Order" (statement of purpose), H.B. 423 repealed the registration sections and the civil penalty while "leaving in place protections for student athletes". It passed 68-0 in the House and 32-0 in the Senate, was signed on 2020-03-11 (Session Law ch. 105), and took effect 2020-07-01. Idaho is therefore a Revised Uniform Act state with no registry. The duties that remain fall on the contract and the agent's conduct: the written form and warning, notice to the athletic director, the 14-day cancellation right, five years of records open to the athlete's school, and misdemeanor penalties.
The Governor's working group
On 2026-06-15 Governor Brad Little announced the Governor's Working Group on College Athletics, to examine "how Idaho's four-year institutions can remain competitive" and "identify state and local policy solutions and investment opportunities tailored to each institution's needs," with findings and recommendations expected in September. The announcement does not say it was created by executive order, and a search of the governor's site on 2026-10-21 found no published findings or recommendations.
How it changed
| Act | What it did | Effective |
|---|---|---|
| H.B. 398 (2016), Session Law ch. 201 | enacted the Revised Uniform Athlete Agents Act, Idaho Code title 54, chapter 48, with registration through the Bureau of Occupational Licenses; "agency contract" includes endorsement contracts | 2016-07-01 |
| H.B. 423 (2020), Session Law ch. 105 | repealed the registration sections (54-4803 to 54-4809) and the civil penalty (54-4817), removed the Bureau's role, and let schools inspect agent records; the contract form, notice to the athletic director, 14-day cancellation, prohibited conduct, misdemeanor and civil remedy stayed | 2020-07-01 |
| S.J.M. 114 (2026), a joint memorial, not a law | urged Congress to enact "a single, uniform national framework for NIL and revenue sharing that preempts conflicting state laws"; adopted by both chambers and delivered to the Secretary of State | 2026-04-01 (delivered) |
Federal law
As of 2026-10-21, S. 4668 (Protect College Sports Act) passed the Senate 77-22 on 2026-09-28 and has been held at the House desk since 2026-10-05, with no later action in the Congress.gov bill status data on govinfo; it is not law. S.J.M. 114, delivered on 2026-04-01, predates the bill's 2026-06-02 introduction and does not name it. Idaho has no NIL statute for § 121(a) to preempt. For Boise State, Idaho and Idaho State (all Division I members in the NCAA directory), the bill would add a federal duty to report deals over $600 within 5 days (§ 101(b)), confirm that schools and collectives may pay (§ 101(c)), and stay neutral on employee status (§ 122), a question the memorial asked Congress to define. For agents, § 102 would require an agent to "register with a State" before representing a student athlete for an endorsement contract, counting an agent "registered and certified under the All State Uniform Agent Acts in the State in which the agent operates" or registered with a professional league or players association. Idaho's chapter 54-48 is the Revised Uniform Athlete Agents Act, the kind of law § 121(b)(1)(A) preserves unless it conflicts with § 121(a), but since 2020 it has no registry. § 102 would also cap agent fees at 5 percent of the value of an endorsement contract.
What sits on top of it
- Division I reporting. Third-party deals of $600 or more go to NIL Go within five business days, whatever the state's own rule (NIL Go, reporting a deal, level by level).
- Your school. A school can set a stricter policy than the statute, and most set the disclosure process.
- Agents. Idaho's athlete-agent rules are on the state-by-state registration table.
- High school. High school NIL in Idaho is set by the state's athletic association, not this statute.
- Taxes. NIL taxes in plain words.
How Leave fits
In Leave, every deal thread carries a rules summary for the athlete's state and level, and keeps the contract, its dates and the disclosure deadline that applies. It is a summary, not a ruling; the school and the statute decide. Leave is software, not an agent, and takes 0% of any deal. You decide, you send.
Questions about college NIL law in Idaho
Does Idaho have an NIL law in 2026?
No college NIL statute. No NIL bill was found in the Legislature's subject indexes for the 2021 to 2026 sessions (checked 2026-10-21). The Legislature's 2026 action on the subject was Senate Joint Memorial 114, delivered to the Secretary of State on 2026-04-01, which urges Congress to adopt a national NIL and revenue sharing framework that preempts state laws. A memorial does not change Idaho law.
Can Idaho colleges pay athletes directly?
No Idaho statute on it either way was found. Payments are governed by NCAA rules and the House settlement. State Board of Education Policy V.X limits how much state general fund and tuition money each school may spend on athletics (a cap of the greater of $5 million or 6 percent of a three-year average of those funds) but sets no limit on spending of athletic program funds such as tickets, media and booster donations.
Do I have to tell my school about an NIL deal in Idaho?
No Idaho law requires it for the deal itself. Campus policy and NCAA rules can: at Boise State, the University of Idaho and Idaho State, NCAA Bylaw 22.2.2 calls for reporting deals of $600 or more through NIL Go within five business days. If an athlete signs with an agent, Idaho Code § 54-4811(3) says the athlete informs the athletic director within 72 hours or before the next athletic event, whichever is first.
Does Idaho require an NIL agent to be licensed?
No. Idaho dropped athlete agent registration effective 2020-07-01 (H.B. 423, Session Law ch. 105), following the 2019 Licensing Freedom Act review. The rest of the Revised Uniform Athlete Agents Act still applies to an agent for an endorsement contract: a written contract with a boldface warning (§ 54-4810), notice to the athletic director (§ 54-4811), a 14-day right to cancel that cannot be waived (§ 54-4812), and misdemeanor penalties for prohibited conduct (§§ 54-4814, 54-4815).
Are NIL contracts public records at Idaho's public universities?
No Idaho statute answers it directly. Idaho Code § 74-102(1) presumes all public records open unless a statute expressly provides otherwise, and no exemption in the Public Records Act names NIL contracts. Whether federal privacy law would cover a particular record was not settled by any Idaho source found.
Be your own agent. Leave.
