Townsend building permits

Building department

Address

City of Townsend, 110 Broadway, Townsend, MT 59644 (general city administration); Building Official James Schauber, (406) 431-8319 (also principal of Schauber Surveying, Inc., 64 Jack Farm Rd, Townsend, MT 59644)

Phone

(406) 266-3911 (City Office, general); (406) 431-8319 (James Schauber, Building Official)

Email

kari@townsendmontana.net (City Clerk/Treasurer Kari Williams); jenny@townsendmontana.net (Deputy Clerk Jenny Barnett)

Office hours

City Office, 110 Broadway, Townsend, MT 59644 — Monday-Wednesday 7:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Thursday 7:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., Friday 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., per the City of Townsend Contact Us page. No separate published office hours were found for the Building Official specifically; contact James Schauber directly at (406) 431-8319.

Website

Official site

Codes adopted

Montana adopts a single statewide building code by rule and, by default, enforces it directly — local governments only gain enforcement authority once the state certifies them. Under the Montana Building Codes Act (Mont. Code Ann. Title 50, Chapter 60), the Department of Labor & Industry's Building Codes Bureau adopts one state building code applicable everywhere (§ 50-60-203, codified further at Administrative Rules of Montana Title 24, Chapter 301) — currently the 2021 editions of the IBC, IRC, IMC, IFGC, IECC, IEBC, ISPSC, and UPC, with the 2020 NEC for electrical (effective statewide since 6/11/2022 per the Bureau's own Current Codes page). A city, county, or town may adopt and enforce its own building-code program under § 50-60-301, but its adopted code "may include only codes adopted by the Building Codes Bureau" — a local edition can never diverge from or be less stringent than the state's. Critically, under § 50-60-302, a local government cannot enforce ANY building code — even one it has formally adopted — until the Bureau certifies its program (requiring an approved code, a published fee schedule, an enforcement plan, and properly licensed or nationally certified inspectors); certification is granted per TRADE, not as one blanket designation. The Bureau's own "Certified City, County and Town Programs" list uses the key B=Building, P=Plumbing, E=Electrical, M=Mechanical, SP=Pool, W=Wildland-Urban-Interface — a jurisdiction can be certified for Building only while Electrical/Plumbing/Mechanical remain directly state-enforced within the same city limits (e.g., Havre, Anaconda-Deer Lodge), or certified across all trades (e.g., Billings, Missoula, Great Falls, Bozeman, Helena, Kalispell). Non-certified jurisdictions — most of Montana's unincorporated county land, since very few counties appear on the certified list — fall under direct enforcement by the state Building Codes Bureau (§ 50-60-304). Montana also exempts private homes and buildings of four or fewer dwelling units not serving transient guests from the state building-permit requirement entirely, though electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits remain separately required regardless. Always confirm with the specific jurisdiction which trades it is certified for versus which remain directly state-enforced.

• 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 (building, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, swimming pool, WUI, etc.); non-certified trades within a certified jurisdiction, and all trades in non-certified areas, fall under direct state administration by the DLI Building Codes Bureau. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, Certified City, County and Town Programs and Current Codes pages (bsd.dli.mt.gov/building-codes-permits).
• Townsend is a Montana DLI-certified jurisdiction for Building (B) and Swimming Pool (SP) ONLY within Townsend city limits — James Schauber is the certified building official of record, (406) 431-8319. Townsend is NOT certified for Electrical (E), Plumbing (P), or Mechanical (M); those permits are issued directly by the state DLI Building Codes Bureau for all addresses within Townsend city limits. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, 'CITY CODES BUILDING OFFICIAL PHONE JURISDICTION' certified-jurisdictions PDF (https://bsd.dli.mt.gov/_docs/building-codes-permits/certified-city.pdf), updated 04/22/2026 — Townsend row reads 'B, SP / James Schauber / 431-8319 / City Limits'; independently cross-confirmed against the DLI 'Certified City, County and Town Programs' HTML page (bsd.dli.mt.gov/building-codes-permits/certified-government), same B, SP result. Legend on the PDF: B = Building, P = Plumbing, M/G = Medical Gas, E = Electrical, M = Mechanical, SP = Pool, W = WUI (Wildland-Urban Interface).
• The City of Townsend's own website (townsendmontana.net) does not publish a dedicated building-permit application form, fee schedule, or online permitting portal as of this research pass — its public-facing content states only that 'The City has adopted Building Codes, has a building inspector and Zoning' and that permits are required for 'building, large repairs, roofing, installing fences, etc.' No city-specific Construction Permit Application PDF (of the kind published by East Helena, for example) was located on townsendmontana.net or the Chamber/community site townsendmt.com after checking the homepage, Notices & Information page, Contact Us page, and the Forms/Applications/Taxes page. Source: City of Townsend homepage, https://townsendmontana.net/; Townsend Notices & Information, https://townsendmontana.net/notices-information/.
• 2021 International Building Code (IBC) — statewide edition effective June 11, 2022, adopted by the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau and enforced locally within Townsend by its DLI-certified building official for the Building trade. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, Current Codes page, bsd.dli.mt.gov/building-codes-permits/current-codes.
• 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) — statewide edition effective June 11, 2022, applicable to one- and two-family dwelling construction within Townsend city limits under the city's certified Building program. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, Current Codes page.
• 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — statewide edition effective June 11, 2022, applicable to new construction reviewed under Townsend's local Building program. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, Current Codes page.
• 2021 International Existing Building Code (IEBC), 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC), and 2017 ICC A117.1 Accessibility Standard — statewide editions effective June 11, 2022, applicable within Townsend as the locally-enforced editions for the Building and Swimming Pool trades the city is certified for. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, Current Codes page.
• 2021 International Mechanical Code (IMC), 2021 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC), and 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC) all apply within Townsend city limits as the statewide-adopted editions (effective June 11, 2022) but are administered directly by the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau (Helena), not the City of Townsend, because Townsend holds no local certification for those trades. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, Current Codes page; DLI Building Codes Bureau Electrical/Plumbing/Mechanical Permits pages.

Permit types & fees

• Building Permit — Residential Building (New Construction / Addition / Remodel)

  Required for new one- and two-family residential construction, additions, remodels, and other structural building work within Townsend city limits, issued by the City of Townsend under its DLI-certified local Building (B) program (2021 IBC/IRC). No dedicated city-published application form or valuation-based fee schedule was located; contact Building Official James Schauber directly, (406) 431-8319.

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• Swimming Pool Permit

  Required for construction/installation of a swimming pool within Townsend city limits. Townsend is one of the Montana jurisdictions DLI-certified for Swimming Pool (SP) permitting in addition to Building (B), so this permit is issued locally by Building Official James Schauber under the 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC), rather than being routed to the state. No dedicated pool-specific application form or fee line distinct from the general building-permit process was found published by the city.

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• Electrical Permit (State-Issued)

  Required for electrical installation, alteration, or repair work anywhere in Townsend (city limits) and unincorporated Broadwater County. Because Townsend is NOT electrically-certified, this permit is issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau (Helena), not the city, under the 2020 NEC.

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• Plumbing Permit (including Water Heater) — State-Issued

  Required for plumbing work anywhere in Townsend (city limits) and unincorporated Broadwater County, including new water heater installation/replacement. Because Townsend is NOT plumbing-certified, this permit is issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau (Helena) under the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code, not the city.

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• Mechanical / HVAC Permit — State-Issued

  Required for mechanical/HVAC work anywhere in Townsend (city limits) and unincorporated Broadwater County, including furnaces, gas piping, ventilation, and cooling equipment. Because Townsend is NOT mechanically-certified, this permit is issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau (Helena) under the 2021 International Mechanical Code, not the city.

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• Residential/Commercial Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit

  Because Townsend is not DLI-certified for electrical (its certification is Building and Swimming Pool only), solar PV interconnection/electrical work anywhere within Townsend city limits is issued directly by the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau in Helena, not the City. This file's own Electrical Permit entry already confirms the exact real fee mechanism: the State's Application for Residential Electrical Permit (BCP-1) carries a dedicated 'Alternative Energy Source add-on (solar, wind, or hydro)' fee of $45-$65, added on top of the base electrical work-type fee, and the application requires the applicant to specify the solar system type (Micro Inverter/AC Module System or PV String System). Racking/mounting structural work is permitted locally by City Building Official James Schauber under the City's Building (B) certification, using the same unpublished-fee mechanism documented in this file's Residential Building Permit entry.

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• Electric Vehicle (EV) Charger Permit (State-Issued)

  Because Townsend is NOT electrically-certified, an EV charger/EVSE circuit installation anywhere in Townsend city limits (or unincorporated Broadwater County) requires a Residential (or Commercial) Electrical Permit issued directly by the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau in Helena, under the 2020 NEC — the same mechanism documented in this file's Electrical Permit entry. The Bureau's own Application for Residential Electrical Permit (BCP-1) fee table has no dedicated EV-charger line item; the closest applicable category is 'H. 1 additional circuit or piece of equipment' ($45) or 'G. 2-3 additional circuits or pieces of equipment' ($70) if no panel/service change is involved, or the service-amperage-based categories already documented in this file's Electrical Permit entry if the installation requires a panel/service upgrade.

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• Sign Permit (Commercial/Business Signage)

  The City of Townsend's own department description confirms zoning exists locally ('The City has adopted Building Codes, has a building inspector and Zoning'), but no dedicated sign-permit application, sign-code chapter, sign-standard table, or sign fee schedule was found published after checking townsendmontana.net (its full page sitemap was enumerated directly — no page addresses signs), a site search of townsendmt.com for 'sign permit' (zero relevant results; only an unrelated job listing matched), the City's Planning Board agenda page (which links no zoning ordinance or sign-code document), and the Townsend municipal-code platform (a non-browsable ordinance-drafting interface, per the gap already documented elsewhere in this file). Absent a distinct sign-permit product, whether a given commercial sign needs a permit is understood to depend on its physical scope: a freestanding sign requiring a structural footing/foundation would fall under the City's own Building Permit (James Schauber, DLI-certified for Building), while an illuminated sign requiring an electrical connection would require a State Electrical Permit from the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, since Townsend holds no electrical certification — the same trade split already documented in this file's Electrical Permit entry. This is a genuine documentation gap, not an inferred fee or requirement.

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• Fire Sprinkler & Fire Alarm System Permit

  Montana's DLI certified-jurisdictions legend (updated 04/22/2026: B = Building, P = Plumbing, M/G = Medical Gas, E = Electrical, M = Mechanical, SP = Pool, W = WUI) contains no distinct 'Fire' trade code at all — confirming no Montana city, including Townsend, is separately DLI-certified for fire-system plan review. Townsend maintains its own City Volunteer Fire Department (Fire Chief Shawn Simon, 130 South Cedar, Townsend, MT 59644; main line (406) 266-5535, which transfers to the Broadwater County Sheriff's Office after five rings; Chief's direct line (406) 266-1886, citytvfdmt43@outlook.com), per the City's own website — but that page describes only its emergency-response role (meets the first Thursday of each month at the City Fire Hall); no fire-code-enforcement, plan-review, or permitting function is described. The Broadwater County Rural Fire District, headquartered at the same 130 S Cedar St station, serves the area outside city limits and likewise has no published fire-plan-review or permitting role. Because Townsend IS Montana DLI-certified for Building (B) within city limits, and the statewide fire-protection-system rule (ARM 24.301.146, incorporated into the 2021 IBC Chapter 9 as adopted statewide effective June 11, 2022) places the 'authority having jurisdiction' for IBC-required fire protection systems on the local building official by default absent a documented delegation to a governmental fire agency organized under Title 7, Chapter 33, MCA and approved by the Montana DOJ Fire Prevention and Investigation Section — and no such delegation to either Townsend fire agency was found published — fire sprinkler and fire alarm work tied to a building within Townsend city limits is understood to route through Building Official James Schauber as part of the general Building Permit process, rather than a dedicated fire-system permit. Note: the citation 'ARM 23.7.121' is NOT used here, as it has been independently confirmed incorrect for Montana fire-plan-review in prior research on this dataset.

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• Change of Use / Occupancy Permit

  The City of Townsend's own department description confirms the city 'has adopted Building Codes, has a building inspector and Zoning,' but no standalone change-of-use, change-of-occupancy, or Certificate of Occupancy application, fee, or zoning ordinance document was found published after checking the City's official website (its full page sitemap was enumerated directly), the Chamber/community site (townsendmt.com), the City's Planning Board agenda page, and the Townsend municipal-code platform (a non-browsable ordinance-drafting interface, per the gap already documented elsewhere in this file). Because Townsend is Montana DLI-certified for Building (B) within city limits, a change of occupancy or use involving construction work or an IBC/IEBC occupancy-classification change is understood to route through the same general Building Permit process (Building Official James Schauber) documented elsewhere in this file, reviewed under the 2021 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) Chapter 10 (Change of Occupancy) as statewide-adopted. Any zoning-side review of the proposed use itself would separately involve the City's Planning Board, whose meeting agendas and minutes are published online, but whose zoning ordinance text and use tables were not located published anywhere online. This is a genuine documentation gap, not an inferred fee or timeline.

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