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Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit — Hardin, Montana · Requirements sheet
Verified 2026-07-20 · Source: https://bsd.dli.mt.gov/building-codes-permits/alternative-energy-information/
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Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit in Hardin, Montana
Required for installation of rooftop or ground-mount solar photovoltaic systems within Hardin city limits. For a RESIDENTIAL installation: a City Building Permit (structural/racking, issued by the City's Building Inspectors) plus a State of Montana Electrical Permit (wiring/interconnection) -- Hardin is city-certified for residential Building permits only. For a COMMERCIAL installation: BOTH the building permit and the electrical permit are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau, since Hardin's local certification does not extend to commercial building work or to any electrical/plumbing/mechanical permits of any project type.
Verified 2026-07-20 · Source
When you need this permit
- Residential solar: City Building Permit Application (structural/racking scope) submitted to City Building Inspectors Joe Connelly or Nathan McConnell
- Residential solar electrical scope: State of Montana Application for Residential Contractor Electrical Permit -- Hardin is not certified for electrical permitting of any project type
- Commercial solar: BOTH the building permit and electrical permit are issued directly by the Montana Building Codes Bureau, not the City, per Hardin's certification (residential building only)
- Licensed electrical contractors select 'Solar' as the Alternative Energy Source on the state electrical application and specify Micro Inverter/AC Module System or PV String System, and whether the system produces 90 or more volts
- Non-electrician installers submit the state's Alternate Energy Permit instead of the standard contractor electrical permit, per Montana Building Codes Bureau Alternative Energy Information guidance
Required documents
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Fee schedule
City Residential Building Permit FeeNo fixed valuation-based fee table was found published on hardinmt.com, hardinmontana.info, or in the City's downloadable Building Permit Application form, consistent with this corpus's existing residential-building-permit entry for Hardin, which documents this same unresolved gap. Contact the Building Department at (406) 665-9260 Ext. 106 for a current quote.
Not published — contact the department
State Electrical Permit -- Alternative Energy (residential, by licensed contractor)Montana Building Codes Bureau, Application for Residential Contractor Electrical Permit (Rev 6/24), line item K 'Alternative Energy' -- applies to Hardin since the City is not certified for electrical permitting of any project type
$45
Commercial Building Permit/Plan Review Fee (state-issued, applies to commercial solar)Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, 'Is a State Building Permit Needed?' guidance page -- consistent with this corpus's existing commercial-building-permit-state entry for Hardin, since Hardin's certification does not cover commercial building work
Generally 1%-2% of building valuation, calculated by the Building Codes Bureau after screening
State Electrical Permit -- Commercial (valuation-based, includes solar)Montana Building Codes Bureau, Application for Commercial Electrical Permit (Rev 6/24) -- includes a dedicated Alternative Energy Source (Solar/Wind/Hydro) question set
$45 for the 1st $500 plus 6% of balance (projects $0-$1,000); $75 for the 1st $1,000 plus 2% of balance ($1,001-$10,000); $255 for the 1st $10,000 plus 0.5% of balance ($10,000-$50,000); $455 for the 1st $50,000 plus 0.3% of balance ($50,001+)
Review timeline
Plan review
Not published — contact the department
Inspection process
- 1
State Electrical Inspection
Performed by the Montana Building Codes Bureau's regional electrical inspector; wiring, disconnect placement, and interconnection point verified before energizing
- 2
City Final Inspection (Building, residential only)
Racking/roof-penetration attachment and structural compliance verified by a City Building Inspector for residential projects
Tips
- Hardin splits solar permitting depending on whether the project is residential or commercial: residential building permits are issued by the City, but ALL electrical permits (residential and commercial) and ALL commercial building permits are issued directly by the State of Montana Building Codes Bureau, not the City.
- On the state electrical permit application, check 'Yes' to the Alternative Energy Source question and specify Solar plus your system type -- this determines how the application is processed.
- The City's own residential building-permit fee schedule is not published in any document found online as of this review -- get a written quote directly from the Building Department before budgeting.
- You can apply for the state electrical or commercial building permit online at ebiz.mt.gov/bcb rather than mailing a paper form, or contact the regional state building inspector to review plans onsite for a faster commercial-building turnaround than the 2-3 week Helena mail-in review.
- Re-chase pass (2026-07-20): downloaded and read the current (Rev 6/24) Application for Residential Contractor Electrical Permit and Application for Commercial Electrical Permit PDFs directly from bsd.dli.mt.gov — both are live today and match this entry's figures exactly (line K 'Alternative Energy' = $45 flat on the residential form; the $45/$75/$255/$455 tiered commercial schedule verbatim, including the $60 renewal/request-inspection fees). Cross-checked against ARM 24.301.461(1)(o), the codified administrative rule, which lists a separate $65 flat fee for 'Renewable energy system: net metering system or off-grid electrical generating system (photovoltaic (PV) system, wind generator, hydro turbine, etc.)' -- this figure differs from the application forms and was not found reflected on either current PDF, so the live application-form figures (what an applicant actually submits and pays against) are treated as the controlling, currently-charged fee; the ARM figure is noted here for a future re-chase in case DLI updates its forms to match the rule text.
Frequently asked questions
Hardin requires a solar photovoltaic (pv) permit for: Residential solar: City Building Permit Application (structural/racking scope) submitted to City Building Inspectors Joe Connelly or Nathan McConnell; Residential solar electrical scope: State of Montana Application for Residential Contractor Electrical Permit -- Hardin is not certified for electrical permitting of any project type; Commercial solar: BOTH the building permit and electrical permit are issued directly by the Montana Building Codes Bureau, not the City, per Hardin's certification (residential building only); Licensed electrical contractors select 'Solar' as the Alternative Energy Source on the state electrical application and specify Micro Inverter/AC Module System or PV String System, and whether the system produces 90 or more volts; Non-electrician installers submit the state's Alternate Energy Permit instead of the standard contractor electrical permit, per Montana Building Codes Bureau Alternative Energy Information guidance. 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.
Hardin does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact 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 for current turnaround.
You'll need: City of Hardin Application For Building Permit; Montana Application for Residential (or Commercial) Contractor Electrical Permit. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.
Hardin requires 2 inspection(s) for a solar photovoltaic (pv) permit, in order: State Electrical Inspection, City Final Inspection (Building, residential only). 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. Verified directly against the DLI Building Codes Bureau's 'Montana Certified Local Government Program' roster PDF, updated 04/22/2026 (fetched and text-extracted directly from the source PDF): '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/Red Lodge — Hardin's own certification does not cover COMMERCIAL building work at all, meaning 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/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.
It depends on the project type. For a residential installation, the City issues the Building Permit (structural/racking) while the State of Montana Building Codes Bureau issues the Electrical Permit. For a commercial installation, the State issues BOTH the building permit and the electrical permit, since Hardin's local certification covers residential building only.
$45 flat, under the 'Alternative Energy' line item (K) on the Montana Building Codes Bureau's Application for Residential Contractor Electrical Permit (Rev 6/24), when installed by a licensed electrical contractor.
Sources & verification
Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-20.
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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