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Swimming Pool Permit in Townsend, Montana

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.

Verified 2026-07-04 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Contact Building Official James Schauber, (406) 431-8319, since Townsend is DLI-certified for Swimming Pool (SP) permitting within city limits
  • Reviewed against the 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) as statewide-adopted (effective June 11, 2022) and locally enforced by Townsend's certified building official
  • No dedicated Townsend-specific pool application form, fee schedule, or barrier/fencing amendment was found published after checking the city's official website and the Chamber/community site

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Swimming Pool Permit FeeNo pool-specific fee line was found published by the City of Townsend. Contact Building Official James Schauber, (406) 431-8319, for the current fee.
Not published — contact the department

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Swimming Pool Permit permit actually take in Townsend?

Anonymous — one question, no email. Answers are combined and only shown once at least 5 people have reported.

Inspection process

    Tips

    • Townsend is one of the Montana jurisdictions certified for Swimming Pool (SP) permitting locally — confirm this permit is handled by Building Official James Schauber directly, not the state DLI, since Townsend appears on the DLI certified-jurisdictions list with 'SP' alongside 'B'.
    • No dedicated pool-specific application, fee, or barrier-code amendment was found published separately by the city; this is a genuine gap in the city's public documentation, not an inferred figure — confirm current requirements directly with James Schauber.

    Frequently asked questions

    Townsend requires a swimming pool permit for: Contact Building Official James Schauber, (406) 431-8319, since Townsend is DLI-certified for Swimming Pool (SP) permitting within city limits; Reviewed against the 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) as statewide-adopted (effective June 11, 2022) and locally enforced by Townsend's certified building official; No dedicated Townsend-specific pool application form, fee schedule, or barrier/fencing amendment was found published after checking the city's official website and the Chamber/community site. 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/Pool Permit Application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

    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.

    City of Townsend Building Official James Schauber issues swimming pool permits locally, since Townsend is Montana DLI-certified for Swimming Pool (SP) permitting within city limits (per the DLI's certified-jurisdictions list: 'Townsend — B, SP'). This is unlike most small Montana cities, which route pool permits to the state.

    Sources & verification

    Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-04.

    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.