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Fire Sprinkler & Fire Alarm System Permit in Townsend, Montana

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.

Reviewed 2026-07-22 · Source

When you need this permit

  • No separate fire-sprinkler/alarm permit application, fee schedule, or fire-prevention-code chapter was found published by the City of Townsend, the Townsend City Volunteer Fire Department, or the Broadwater County Rural Fire District after checking each entity's available public pages
  • Contact Building Official James Schauber, (406) 431-8319, since fire protection systems required by the 2021 IBC within Townsend city limits are understood to be reviewed as part of the standard Building Permit process, per Townsend's DLI certification for Building (B) and the statewide default-authority rule (ARM 24.301.146) absent any documented delegation to a fire agency
  • Reviewed against 2021 IBC Chapter 9 (Fire Protection and Life Safety Systems) and its referenced NFPA standards, as adopted statewide effective June 11, 2022
  • System design, installation, and service must be performed by an individual holding the applicable Montana DLI Fire Protection License Program endorsement — a statewide individual-licensing requirement independent of which local authority reviews the permit
  • Montana's certified-jurisdictions legend (B, P, M/G, E, M, SP, W) contains no distinct 'Fire' trade code — confirming no Montana city, including Townsend, is separately DLI-certified for fire plan review

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Fire Sprinkler/Alarm System Permit FeeNo fire-sprinkler/alarm-specific fee line was found published by the City of Townsend, the Townsend City Volunteer Fire Department, or the Broadwater County Rural Fire District. The general (also unpublished) Building Permit fee process is presumed to apply since no dedicated fire-system fee or form exists. Contact Building Official James Schauber, (406) 431-8319.
Not published — contact the department

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Fire Sprinkler & Fire Alarm System Permit permit actually take in Townsend?

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Inspection process

  1. 1

    Fire Protection System Inspection

    Acceptance testing of the installed sprinkler and/or fire alarm system for compliance with 2021 IBC Chapter 9 and referenced NFPA standards; understood to be conducted by the Building Official absent any documented delegation of authority to a fire agency, consistent with the general Building Permit inspection framework.

Tips

  • There is no separate fire-sprinkler/alarm permit in Townsend — this work is understood to route through the general Building Permit process with Building Official James Schauber, because Montana's default fire-protection-system authority rule (ARM 24.301.146) places this responsibility on the local building official absent a documented delegation to a fire agency, and no such delegation for either the Townsend City Volunteer Fire Department or the Broadwater County Rural Fire District was found published.
  • Townsend maintains its own City Volunteer Fire Department (Fire Chief Shawn Simon, (406) 266-1886) distinct from the Broadwater County Rural Fire District, which covers the area outside city limits from the same 130 S Cedar St station — neither is documented as having a fire-code-enforcement or plan-review role.
  • Fire alarm and fire-suppression system designers/installers/servicers must independently hold the applicable Montana DLI Fire Protection License Program endorsement, regardless of which local authority reviews the permit.

Frequently asked questions

Townsend requires a fire sprinkler & fire alarm system permit for: No separate fire-sprinkler/alarm permit application, fee schedule, or fire-prevention-code chapter was found published by the City of Townsend, the Townsend City Volunteer Fire Department, or the Broadwater County Rural Fire District after checking each entity's available public pages; Contact Building Official James Schauber, (406) 431-8319, since fire protection systems required by the 2021 IBC within Townsend city limits are understood to be reviewed as part of the standard Building Permit process, per Townsend's DLI certification for Building (B) and the statewide default-authority rule (ARM 24.301.146) absent any documented delegation to a fire agency; Reviewed against 2021 IBC Chapter 9 (Fire Protection and Life Safety Systems) and its referenced NFPA standards, as adopted statewide effective June 11, 2022; System design, installation, and service must be performed by an individual holding the applicable Montana DLI Fire Protection License Program endorsement — a statewide individual-licensing requirement independent of which local authority reviews the permit; Montana's certified-jurisdictions legend (B, P, M/G, E, M, SP, W) contains no distinct 'Fire' trade code — confirming no Montana city, including Townsend, is separately DLI-certified for fire plan review. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Townsend — city-certified for Building (B) and Swimming Pool (SP) only; Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical permits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau. Building Official of record: James Schauber. at (406) 266-3911 (City Office, general); (406) 431-8319 (James Schauber, Building Official) before starting work.

Townsend does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Townsend — city-certified for Building (B) and Swimming Pool (SP) only; Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical permits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau. Building Official of record: James Schauber. at (406) 266-3911 (City Office, general); (406) 431-8319 (James Schauber, Building Official) for current turnaround.

You'll need: Building Permit Application (fire protection system scope). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Townsend requires 1 inspection(s) for a fire sprinkler & fire alarm system permit, in order: Fire Protection System Inspection. Schedule each through City of Townsend — city-certified for Building (B) and Swimming Pool (SP) only; Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical permits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau. Building Official of record: James Schauber. ((406) 266-3911 (City Office, general); (406) 431-8319 (James Schauber, Building Official)).

Apply through City of Townsend — city-certified for Building (B) and Swimming Pool (SP) only; Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical permits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau. Building Official of record: James Schauber. at 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.. Official information: https://townsendmontana.net/.

Townsend, 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 (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.. Local amendments apply — see the Townsend overview page for the full list.

Townsend has no dedicated fire-code office and no separate fire-sprinkler/alarm permit. Because the city is Montana DLI-certified for Building (B) only (with no 'Fire' trade certification existing anywhere on the DLI's statewide list), and the statewide fire-protection-system rule (ARM 24.301.146) makes the local building official the default 'authority having jurisdiction' absent a documented delegation, fire sprinkler and alarm work is understood to be submitted to Building Official James Schauber as part of the general Building Permit process.

No distinct permitting or plan-review role is documented for either agency on their available public pages; the Townsend department (Fire Chief Shawn Simon) is described only as the city's volunteer emergency-response agency, and the Rural Fire District serves the area outside city limits from the same station.

Sources & verification

Key facts verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-22.

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 Townsend building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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