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Solar PV Permit in Butte-Silver Bow, Montana

Required for installation of rooftop or ground-mounted solar photovoltaic systems in Butte-Silver Bow. The structural/racking portion is permitted as a Building Permit under BSB's locally adopted IBC/IRC (no separate published fee-schedule document), while the electrical/interconnection portion is permitted directly by the State of Montana Building Codes Program, since Butte-Silver Bow is not a certified local electrical jurisdiction. The State's Electrical Inspection Fee rule (ARM 24.301.461) sets a specific flat fee for commercial or residential renewable-energy installations (photovoltaic, wind, hydro).

Verified 2026-08-17 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Building Permit required for the structural/racking portion, assessed under BSB's locally adopted IBC/IRC fee provisions (valuation-based, per the adopted I-Codes' default Section 109 fee schedule); no separate public fee-schedule table could be located
  • Electrical Permit required for PV wiring/interconnection, issued directly by the State of Montana Building Codes Program (Business Standards Division, DLI), since BSB is not a certified local electrical jurisdiction
  • A licensed electrical contractor must apply for the electrical permit selecting 'solar' on the application if the system is grid-tied; a non-electrician installer may instead obtain an 'alternate energy permit' and provide solar specifications, per the State's Alternative Energy Information guidance
  • Homeowners may obtain a homeowner electrical permit for single-family interior/exterior wiring, but grid-tied systems still require a licensed electrical contractor to perform the interconnection wiring
  • Ground-mounted systems are treated as accessory structures subject to BSB zoning setback, height, and lot-coverage requirements
  • Submit to the Butte-Silver Bow Building & Code Enforcement Division, Butte Municipal Building, 155 W. Granite Street, Butte, MT 59701

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Solar/Renewable Energy Installation (Electrical) — Commercial or ResidentialMont. Admin. r. 24.301.461 (Electrical Inspection Fees), State of Montana Building Codes Program — a dedicated flat fee for photovoltaic, wind, or hydro installations, distinct from the amperage-based service fee tiers
$65.00
Building Permit Fee (structural/racking portion)
Butte-Silver Bow Municipal Code Sec. 15.04.060 ("Table No. Show full citationButte-Silver Bow Municipal Code Sec. 15.04.060 ("Table No. 1-A amended-Building permit fee"), Title 15 Article I Chapter 15.04 (BUILDING CODE), hosted on library.municode.com. Code current through Ordinance No. 2025-03, passed 2025-10-01 (Supp. No. 42). Table No. 1-A is a standalone, codified fee schedule. Plan review is separate: Sec. 15.04.070 sets it at 50 percent of the building permit fee for commercial and industrial work and 25 percent for single-family. Cross-check that this is the right source: the $75.00/hour re-inspection fee cited for this jurisdiction matches Sec. 15.04.065 verbatim.
$1.00-$500.00: $12.50 | $501.00-$2,000.00: $12.50 for the first $500 plus $1.75 per additional $100 or fraction, to and including $2,000 | $2,001.01-$25,000.00: $38.75 for the first $2,000 plus $7.50 per additional $1,000 or fraction, to and including $25,000 | $25,001.00-$50,000.00: $211.25 for the first $25,000 plus $5.50 per additional $1,000 or fraction, to and including $50,000 | $50,001.00-$100,000.00: $348.75 for the first $50,000 plus $3.75 per additional $1,000 or fraction, to and including $100,000 | $100,001.00 and up: $536.25 for the first $100,000 plus $2.50 per additional $1,000 or fraction

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Solar PV 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

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

    Tips

    • Butte-Silver Bow's electrical permitting for solar goes straight to the State of Montana Building Codes Program, not the local BSB Building & Code Enforcement Division — only the structural/racking Building Permit is handled locally.
    • Montana's state electrical fee schedule has a genuinely dedicated $65 flat fee specifically for commercial or residential renewable-energy (photovoltaic, wind, hydro) installations, distinct from its amperage-based service-change fee tiers.
    • If the system is grid-tied, a licensed electrical contractor must perform the interconnection wiring even if a homeowner or non-electrician installer handles other portions of the project.

    Frequently asked questions

    Butte-Silver Bow requires a solar pv permit for: Building Permit required for the structural/racking portion, assessed under BSB's locally adopted IBC/IRC fee provisions (valuation-based, per the adopted I-Codes' default Section 109 fee schedule); no separate public fee-schedule table could be located; Electrical Permit required for PV wiring/interconnection, issued directly by the State of Montana Building Codes Program (Business Standards Division, DLI), since BSB is not a certified local electrical jurisdiction; A licensed electrical contractor must apply for the electrical permit selecting 'solar' on the application if the system is grid-tied; a non-electrician installer may instead obtain an 'alternate energy permit' and provide solar specifications, per the State's Alternative Energy Information guidance; Homeowners may obtain a homeowner electrical permit for single-family interior/exterior wiring, but grid-tied systems still require a licensed electrical contractor to perform the interconnection wiring; Ground-mounted systems are treated as accessory structures subject to BSB zoning setback, height, and lot-coverage requirements; Submit to the Butte-Silver Bow Building & Code Enforcement Division, Butte Municipal Building, 155 W. Granite Street, Butte, MT 59701. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Butte-Silver Bow Building & Code Enforcement (City-County Planning) at (406) 497-6210 before starting work.

    Yes. Mont. Admin. r. 24.301.461 sets a flat $65 fee for commercial or residential renewable-energy installations (photovoltaic, wind, hydro), issued by the State of Montana Building Codes Program rather than Butte-Silver Bow, since BSB is not a certified local electrical jurisdiction.

    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; State of Montana Electrical Permit (Commercial or Homeowner). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

    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; International Building Code, 2021 Edition, with Appendix B (Board of Appeals) and Appendix C (Group U - Agricultural Buildings), together with the 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, as amended by ARM 24.301.146 and ARM 24.301.131 - adopted at Municipal Code Sec. 15.04.010. Read 2026-08-17 from the same chapter as the fee table above.. Local amendments apply — see the Butte-Silver Bow overview page for the full list.

    Butte-Silver Bow's own Building & Code Enforcement Division issues the structural/racking Building Permit, assessed under the fee provisions of BSB's locally adopted IBC/IRC. No separate published fee-schedule table exists; confirm the exact valuation-based amount at application.

    Sources & verification

    Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-08-17.

    Fee schedules

    Applications & forms

    Codes & ordinances

    Department & other records

    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 Butte-Silver Bow building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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