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Fire Sprinkler & Fire Alarm System Permit in Butte-Silver Bow, Montana

Installation, alteration, or extension of a fire-extinguishing (sprinkler) system or a fire alarm/detection system in Butte-Silver Bow is permitted as part of the standard Building Permit process administered by the Building & Code Enforcement office under the locally adopted 2021 IBC and 2021 IFC, rather than as a separate stand-alone fire-system permit. Plan review and inspection of fire protection systems is coordinated with Fire Safety Consultants, Inc. (FSCI), a nationally-recognized third-party code-consulting firm for which the Butte-Silver Bow Fire Department publishes a dedicated fee-schedule page; BSB's own Bureau of Fire Prevention, headed by the Fire Marshal within the Fire Department, enforces the adopted International Fire Code locally.

Reviewed 2026-07-22 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Fire-extinguishing (sprinkler) systems are explicitly named among the equipment whose value is included in the Building Permit valuation under BSB MC 15.04.050 — sprinkler system installation is permitted through the Building Permit, not a separate fire-system permit
  • BSB MC 15.10.070 (Fire Code — Permits and Certificates) locally amends IFC Section 105 so that Butte-Silver Bow's own IFC-based 'required operational permits' are limited to open burning (105.5.34), fireworks (replaced by Mont. Code Ann. 50-37-107), and bonfires/open burning (105.5) — the ordinance states 'all other paragraphs pertaining to permits and certificates shall be considered void and are not adopted as part of these regulations,' meaning fire sprinkler/alarm systems are not issued as a distinct IFC operational permit locally
  • Fire Safety Consultants, Inc. (FSCI), a third-party fire-protection and building plan review firm that lists Montana among the states it serves, is the firm the Butte-Silver Bow Fire Department publishes a fee-schedule page for as its fire-protection plan reviewer
  • Butte-Silver Bow's own Bureau of Fire Prevention, within the Fire Department and headed by the Fire Marshal (BSB MC 15.10.030), enforces the adopted 2021 International Fire Code locally
  • Commercial fire protection system installations tied to a commercial project require design-professional-stamped drawings, per the December 2022 Notice to Contractors
  • Contact the Butte-Silver Bow Fire Department, (406) 497-6481, or Fire Marshal/Assistant Chief Kelly J. Lee, (406) 497-6483 / klee@bsb.mt.gov, to coordinate fire-protection-system plan review

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Fire Protection System Plan Review / Inspection Fee (Fire Safety Consultants, Inc.)Butte-Silver Bow's Fire Safety Consultants Inc. Fee Schedule webpage (co.silverbow.mt.us/3384/Fire-Safety-Consultants-Inc-Fee-Schedule) links to a document titled 'FSCI Client and Customer Fee Schedule 2025,' but as of 2026-07-22 that document URL (DocumentCenter/View/34117) returns HTTP 404 both via direct fetch and by following the page's own link — the dollar amounts could not be recovered from any live source. Confirm current fees directly with Fire Safety Consultants, Inc. or the Butte-Silver Bow Fire Marshal's office.
Not verifiable from a live source
Building Permit Fee (valuation-based, includes fire-extinguishing system value)Sprinkler/fire-extinguishing system value is folded into the general Building Permit valuation per BSB MC 15.04.050; no separate public fee table for fire protection systems specifically could be located. Confirm current fee via GovWell (app.govwell.com/buttesilverbow) or (406) 497-6210.
Not published as a standalone fee schedule

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Fire Sprinkler & Fire Alarm System Permit permit actually take in Butte-Silver Bow?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Fire Protection System Plan Review and Inspection

    Coordinated through Fire Safety Consultants, Inc. (FSCI) as the Fire Department's published third-party fire-protection plan reviewer, alongside the Building & Code Enforcement office's standard rough-in and final building inspections; the Inspection Guidelines' general Building Inspections list does not itemize a separate sprinkler/alarm inspection line, consistent with these systems being handled through the fire-protection-specific review channel rather than the standard building inspection sequence

See the full Butte-Silver Bow inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

Tips

  • Do not look for a stand-alone 'fire sprinkler permit' or 'fire alarm permit' product in Butte-Silver Bow — BSB MC 15.10.070 specifically voids the IFC's general operational-permit list (leaving only open burning, fireworks, and bonfires as locally-issued IFC operational permits), so fire protection systems are permitted and valued as part of the regular Building Permit instead.
  • Fire Safety Consultants, Inc. (FSCI) is a genuine, nationally-recognized third-party plan-review firm the Fire Department maintains a dedicated webpage for, but the linked 2025 fee-schedule PDF is currently a dead link (404) on Butte-Silver Bow's own site — verify current fees by phone rather than relying on that page.

Frequently asked questions

Butte-Silver Bow requires a fire sprinkler & fire alarm system permit for: Fire-extinguishing (sprinkler) systems are explicitly named among the equipment whose value is included in the Building Permit valuation under BSB MC 15.04.050 — sprinkler system installation is permitted through the Building Permit, not a separate fire-system permit; BSB MC 15.10.070 (Fire Code — Permits and Certificates) locally amends IFC Section 105 so that Butte-Silver Bow's own IFC-based 'required operational permits' are limited to open burning (105.5.34), fireworks (replaced by Mont. Code Ann. 50-37-107), and bonfires/open burning (105.5) — the ordinance states 'all other paragraphs pertaining to permits and certificates shall be considered void and are not adopted as part of these regulations,' meaning fire sprinkler/alarm systems are not issued as a distinct IFC operational permit locally; Fire Safety Consultants, Inc. (FSCI), a third-party fire-protection and building plan review firm that lists Montana among the states it serves, is the firm the Butte-Silver Bow Fire Department publishes a fee-schedule page for as its fire-protection plan reviewer; Butte-Silver Bow's own Bureau of Fire Prevention, within the Fire Department and headed by the Fire Marshal (BSB MC 15.10.030), enforces the adopted 2021 International Fire Code locally; Commercial fire protection system installations tied to a commercial project require design-professional-stamped drawings, per the December 2022 Notice to Contractors; Contact the Butte-Silver Bow Fire Department, (406) 497-6481, or Fire Marshal/Assistant Chief Kelly J. Lee, (406) 497-6483 / klee@bsb.mt.gov, to coordinate fire-protection-system plan review. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Butte-Silver Bow Building & Code Enforcement (City-County Planning) at (406) 497-6210 before starting work.

Not currently verifiable. The Fire Department's Fire Safety Consultants Inc. Fee Schedule webpage links to a 2025 fee-schedule PDF that returns a 404 error as of 2026-07-22. Contact FSCI or the Fire Marshal's office directly for current pricing.

Butte-Silver Bow does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Butte-Silver Bow Building & Code Enforcement (City-County Planning) at (406) 497-6210 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Building Permit Application; Fire Protection System Design Plans. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Butte-Silver Bow requires 1 inspection(s) for a fire sprinkler & fire alarm system permit, in order: Fire Protection System Plan Review and Inspection. Schedule each through Butte-Silver Bow Building & Code Enforcement (City-County Planning) ((406) 497-6210).

Apply through Butte-Silver Bow Building & Code Enforcement (City-County Planning) at Courthouse, Room 108, 155 W. Granite St., Butte, MT 59701. Phone: (406) 497-6210, email: permits@bsb.mt.gov. Official information: https://www.co.silverbow.mt.us/131/Building-Code-Enforcement.

Butte-Silver Bow, Montana has adopted: 2021 International Building Code (IBC) — adopted and enforced by Butte-Silver Bow per the current Building & Code Enforcement webpage, which states: 'Butte-Silver Bow has adopted the following 2021 ICC Building codes'; 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) — One- and Two-Family Dwellings; 2021 International Existing Building Code (IEBC); 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) — published by IAPMO, not the International Plumbing Code; 2021 International Mechanical Code (IMC); 2021 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC); 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — per State of Montana energy efficiency guide referenced in the New Residential Construction Permit Checklist; 2021 International Fire Code (IFC) — per the current Building & Code Enforcement webpage's adopted-codes list; 2021 International Swimming Pool & Spa Code (ISPSC); 2021 International Wildland-Urban Interface Code — per the April 2023 Building & Planning Department Residential Permitting Slideshow; Montana Building Codes Program certification: Butte-Silver Bow ('Silver Bow') is listed by the Montana Dept. of Labor & Industry, Building and Commercial Measurements Bureau, as a Certified Local Government building-code jurisdiction — certified for Building (B), Plumbing (P), Mechanical (M), and Swimming Pool (SP), covering the full county. Butte-Silver Bow is NOT certified for Electrical (E): electrical permits for all work in Butte-Silver Bow are obtained directly through the State of Montana Building Codes Program, not through the local Building & Code Enforcement office.; Statutory authority: Mont. Code Ann. Title 50, Chapter 60, Part 3 ('County, City, and Town Building Codes') — MCA 50-60-301 authorizes a county, city, or town to adopt a building code by ordinance, which may not be more stringent than the state-adopted code except for optional incentive-based energy standards; MCA 50-60-302 governs certification of a local building-code enforcement program by the state Building Codes Program. Local amendments apply — see the Butte-Silver Bow overview page for the full list.

Not as a distinct product. BSB MC 15.10.070 limits Butte-Silver Bow's locally-adopted International Fire Code operational permits to open burning, fireworks, and bonfires, voiding the rest of the IFC's operational-permit list. Fire-extinguishing (sprinkler) and fire alarm systems are instead permitted and valued as part of the standard Building Permit, with plan review coordinated through Fire Safety Consultants, Inc. (FSCI), the firm the Fire Department publishes a fee-schedule page for as its fire-protection plan reviewer.

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