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Commercial Building Permit (State-Issued) in Hardin, Montana

Because Hardin's DLI certification for Building covers RESIDENTIAL work only, any commercial building project within Hardin city limits — new construction, addition, alteration — requires a Building Permit/Plan Review Application issued directly by the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau in Helena, not by the City of Hardin, under the 2021 IBC.

Verified 2026-07-03 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Submit a Building Permit/Plan Review Application together with complete construction plans to the Building Codes Bureau
  • Plan review fee is generally 1%-2% of building valuation, calculated by the Bureau after initial screening
  • A state building permit must be obtained before construction begins; starting construction beforehand may result in an investigation fee and required corrective construction
  • Building permits must be issued before related Plumbing, Mechanical, or Electrical permits can be issued or that work can begin
  • Design professionals are encouraged for complex projects; complete plans expedite review
  • Apply in accordance with Title 50, Chapter 60, MCA and ARM Title 24, Chapter 301

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Building Permit/Plan Review Fee
Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, 'Is a State Building Permit Needed?' guidance page — this is the Bureau's own stated fee-calculation method for state-issued building permits, which governs… Show full citationMontana DLI Building Codes Bureau, 'Is a State Building Permit Needed?' guidance page — this is the Bureau's own stated fee-calculation method for state-issued building permits, which governs Hardin's commercial building projects since Hardin's own certification does not cover commercial building work
Generally 1%-2% of building valuation, calculated by the Building Codes Bureau after screening

Review timeline

Plan reviewHardin’s published plan-review target
14–21 business days

How long did your Commercial Building Permit (State-Issued) permit actually take in Hardin?

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Inspection process

  1. 1

    State Inspections

    Permit holder must call the Bureau's building inspector at least 24 hours before a requested inspection; the inspector then has 72 hours from notification to perform it

Tips

  • Commercial building work anywhere in Hardin is issued by the STATE Building Codes Bureau, not the city — mail applications to PO Box 200517, Helena, MT 59602, or apply online at BuildingPermits.Mt.Gov.
  • Plan review takes 2-3 weeks on average if plans are complete; incomplete plans or a high Bureau workload can extend this.
  • A state building permit must be fully issued before Plumbing, Mechanical, or Electrical permits for the same commercial project can be issued.

Frequently asked questions

Hardin requires a commercial building permit (state-issued) for: Submit a Building Permit/Plan Review Application together with complete construction plans to the Building Codes Bureau; Plan review fee is generally 1%-2% of building valuation, calculated by the Bureau after initial screening; A state building permit must be obtained before construction begins; starting construction beforehand may result in an investigation fee and required corrective construction; Building permits must be issued before related Plumbing, Mechanical, or Electrical permits can be issued or that work can begin; Design professionals are encouraged for complex projects; complete plans expedite review; Apply in accordance with Title 50, Chapter 60, MCA and ARM Title 24, Chapter 301. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Hardin Building & Code Department — Building Inspectors Joe Connelly and Nathan McConnell; city-certified for Building (B), RESIDENTIAL ONLY. Commercial building permits, and Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical/HVAC permits of ANY project type, within Hardin city limits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau, not the City. at (406) 665-9260 Ext. 106 before starting work.

In Hardin, the published Building Permit/Plan Review Fee is: Generally 1%-2% of building valuation, calculated by the Building Codes Bureau after screening. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Hardin's published plan-review target for a commercial building permit (state-issued) is 14–21 business days.

You'll need: Building Permit/Plan Review Application; Construction Plans. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Hardin requires 1 inspection(s) for a commercial building permit (state-issued), in order: State Inspections. Schedule each through City of Hardin Building & Code Department — Building Inspectors Joe Connelly and Nathan McConnell; city-certified for Building (B), RESIDENTIAL ONLY. Commercial building permits, and Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical/HVAC permits of ANY project type, within Hardin city limits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau, not the City. ((406) 665-9260 Ext. 106).

Apply through City of Hardin Building & Code Department — Building Inspectors Joe Connelly and Nathan McConnell; city-certified for Building (B), RESIDENTIAL ONLY. Commercial building permits, and Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical/HVAC permits of ANY project type, within Hardin city limits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau, not the City. at 406 N. Cheyenne Ave, Hardin, MT 59034. Phone: (406) 665-9260 Ext. 106, email: jconnelly@hardinmt.com. Office hours: City Administrative Office, 406 N. Cheyenne Ave, Hardin, MT 59034. For Building Inspector questions call (406) 665-9260 Ext. 106 — Joe Connelly (jconnelly@hardinmt.com) or Nathan McConnell (nmcconnell@hardinmt.com). Applications may also be submitted online via the City of Hardin Citizen Portal (hardinmt2.portal.iworq.net).. Official information: http://www.hardinmt.com/Permits-Forms.html.

Hardin, Montana has adopted: Montana has a mandatory statewide building code administered by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry (DLI) Building Codes Bureau, amended by the Administrative Rules of Montana (ARM) Title 24, Chapter 301. Cities, counties, and towns may become 'certified' to locally administer permitting and inspection for all or part of the code; non-certified trades — and, where a city's Building certification is itself partial (e.g. residential-only), non-certified project types — fall under direct state administration by the DLI Building Codes Bureau. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, Certified City, County and Town Programs (bsd.dli.mt.gov/building-codes-permits).; Hardin is a Montana DLI-certified jurisdiction for Building (B), RESIDENTIAL ONLY, within city limits; certified official on file with DLI: Joseph Connolly (listed on City of Hardin's own site as 'Joe Connelly'), (406) 665-9264. The DLI Building Codes Bureau's 'Montana Certified Local Government Program' roster PDF, updated 04/22/2026, reads: 'Hardin | B (residential only) | Joseph Connolly | 665-9264 | City Limits'. This is a NARROWER certification than the B-only-but-all-project-types pattern seen in Choteau, Conrad, Cut Bank, Glasgow, Lewistown and Red Lodge — Hardin's certification does not cover COMMERCIAL building work at all, so commercial building permits in Hardin route to the state DLI Building Codes Bureau exactly as they would in a non-certified jurisdiction, in addition to Electrical, Plumbing and Mechanical for all project types. Source: https://bsd.dli.mt.gov/_docs/building-codes-permits/certified-city.pdf; Hardin, MT Code of Ordinances, Title 4 Building Regulations, Chapter 1 Building Codes (current through Ord. 2025-04, passed 12-4-2025) contains three sections: 4-1-1 Adoption Of Codes And Regulations, 4-1-2 Building Code Adopted, and 4-1-3 Other Codes Enforced By State Officials — a notably thin chapter (no locally-authored fee schedule or plan-review-timeline section), consistent with a small, partially-certified jurisdiction that enforces state-adopted code editions rather than authoring independent code text or a distinct administrative process. Section 4-1-3's title ('Other Codes Enforced By State Officials') is itself corroborating evidence of the residential-only/state-routed-commercial split described by the DLI roster. Source: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/hardinmt/latest/hardin_mt/0-0-0-994; Per the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau's Current Codes page (statewide effective date June 11, 2022, applicable uniformly to all certified and state-enforced jurisdictions): 2021 IBC, 2021 IRC, 2021 IEBC, 2021 IMC, 2021 IFGC, 2021 IECC, 2021 ISPSC, 2021 UPC, 2020 NEC, 2017 ICC A117.1 Accessibility. Hardin's own Building Permit Application form cites Title 50, Chapter 60, Section 104, MCA and ARM 24.301.131 (the same statutory/administrative basis as the state's own BCP-1 form), consistent with a residential-certified jurisdiction enforcing the state-adopted editions without independently amended local code text. Source: bsd.dli.mt.gov/building-codes-permits/current-codes; City of Hardin Building Permit Application PDF (hardinmontana.info/Building_Permit_application011019.pdf). Local amendments apply — see the Hardin overview page for the full list.

The Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau issues commercial building permits for Hardin — the city's own Building certification covers residential work only. Plan review averages two to three weeks if plans are complete, and the fee is generally 1%-2% of building valuation.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-03.

Applications & forms

Department & other records

Fees, timelines, and adopted codes are researched from each jurisdiction's published records — see how we verify. Requirements change and vary by project, so always confirm the current details with the Hardin building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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