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Fire Protection Systems Permit (Sprinkler / Alarm) — Commercial Building Construction Permit in Red Lodge, Montana

Required from Red Lodge Fire Rescue for a commercial building's automatic fire-extinguishing (sprinkler) system and/or fire alarm and detection system, among other enumerated fire-protection categories, as part of the department's 'Commercial Building Construction Permit.' Red Lodge Fire Rescue issues and reviews this permit under an agreement with the City of Red Lodge and under Municipal Code Title 7, Chapter 1 (2021 International Fire Code as locally adopted and amended, Ord. 970, 4/8/2025). It is required IN ADDITION to, not instead of, the City of Red Lodge Building Division's own Building Permit and the Planning Department's review.

Verified 2026-07-22 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Commercial Building Construction Permit Application filed with Red Lodge Fire Rescue, checking each fire-protection category that applies: Automatic Fire Extinguishing Systems and/or Fire Alarm and Detection Systems (the two categories relevant here), plus Compressed Gasses, Fire Pumps and Related Equipment, Flammable and Combustible Liquids, Hazardous Materials, LP-Gas Systems, Private Fire Hydrants, Spraying or Dipping Operations, and Standpipe Systems where applicable
  • A written description of the building's fire protection features (proposed alarm systems, suppression systems, kitchen hood systems, hazardous materials storage areas) and the building's occupancy classification
  • For buildings with automatic sprinklers only: the location of the proposed or closest existing fire hydrant and fire department connection; Red Lodge Fire Rescue conducts a flow test after the permit is received, for fire suppression system design purposes
  • A complete scale site plan showing total building square footage, intended use, and all access to the building from public streets and private driveways
  • Two complete sets of plans (one printed, one electronic)
  • If the project site has no City of Red Lodge-issued physical address, a City of Red Lodge Addressing Application must be submitted alongside the fire permit application
  • Each checked permit category is billed as a separate $75.00 Construction Permit — a project needing both a sprinkler permit and a fire alarm permit pays for two permits
  • This Fire Department permit must be completed in addition to any application process required by the City of Red Lodge Planning and Building Departments

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Construction Permit Fee (per fire-protection category, e.g. Automatic Fire Extinguishing Systems or Fire Alarm and Detection Systems)Red Lodge Fire Rescue, Fire Prevention and Safety Fee Schedule — 'All Construction Permits $75.00'; billed once per checked permit category on the Commercial Building Construction Permit Application, so a building needing both a sprinkler and an alarm permit is billed $150.00 total
$75.00
Addressing (if no City-issued address yet exists)Red Lodge Fire Rescue, Fire Prevention and Safety Fee Schedule and Address Request Form
$100.00 / lot
Standard Hourly Fee (resubmittals / third-party plan review)Red Lodge Fire Rescue, Fire Prevention and Safety Fee Schedule; charged if deficiencies require a new plan review, or if Red Lodge Fire Rescue cannot review a complex system in-house and a third-party reviewer is required
$100.00 / hour
Final / Compliance InspectionRed Lodge Fire Rescue Fire Prevention and Safety Fee Schedule sets three inspection tiers: Minimum $35.00, General $50.00, Assembly/Hazard $75.00; the Commercial Construction Permit Instructions describe this same $35.00-$75.00 range as the fee due at the final occupancy inspection, when all alarm and suppression systems are tested for compliance
$35.00 to $75.00

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

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Inspection process

  1. 1

    Site Visit(s) During Construction

    Red Lodge Fire Rescue schedules site visits to confirm fire protection systems are being properly installed and that the Fire Department Connection is correctly placed (sprinklered buildings)

  2. 2

    Final / Occupancy Inspection

    Scheduled once construction is complete; all fire alarm and suppression systems are tested for compliance; a $35.00-$75.00 inspection fee is due at the time of inspection; the City of Red Lodge Planning Department is notified once all fire protection features pass

See the full Red Lodge inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

Tips

  • A project needing both a sprinkler system and a fire alarm system pulls two separate $75.00 Construction Permits from Red Lodge Fire Rescue (one per system category), payable together on a single check made out to Red Lodge Fire Rescue.
  • This Fire Department permit is separate from, and required in addition to, the City of Red Lodge Building Permit — budget for both application processes and both sets of fees, and expect the City Planning Department to be notified once the Fire Department permit and final inspection are complete.
  • Because Red Lodge is DLI-certified for Building (B) only, fire-protection/life-safety permitting runs on an entirely separate track from the electrical/plumbing/mechanical trades documented elsewhere in this file: it is handled locally by Red Lodge Fire Rescue under a City-Fire District service agreement, not by the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau and not by the City Building Division.
  • The Commercial Building Construction Permit Application form itself still cites '2012 International Fire Code 105.7' even though Municipal Code Title 7, Chapter 1 was updated to adopt the 2021 IFC by Ord. 970 (4/8/2025) — the enumerated permit categories (sprinkler, alarm, etc.) are unchanged between those IFC editions, but confirm current code edition directly with Red Lodge Fire Rescue, (406) 446-2320, if it affects your specific project.
  • IFC §903.6 (retrofit fire-sprinkler requirement for existing buildings) was explicitly NOT adopted by Red Lodge per Municipal Code §7-1-1(E)(4) — existing buildings are not required to retrofit sprinklers under the local fire code absent this provision.

Frequently asked questions

Red Lodge requires a fire protection systems permit (sprinkler / alarm) — commercial building construction permit for: Commercial Building Construction Permit Application filed with Red Lodge Fire Rescue, checking each fire-protection category that applies: Automatic Fire Extinguishing Systems and/or Fire Alarm and Detection Systems (the two categories relevant here), plus Compressed Gasses, Fire Pumps and Related Equipment, Flammable and Combustible Liquids, Hazardous Materials, LP-Gas Systems, Private Fire Hydrants, Spraying or Dipping Operations, and Standpipe Systems where applicable; A written description of the building's fire protection features (proposed alarm systems, suppression systems, kitchen hood systems, hazardous materials storage areas) and the building's occupancy classification; For buildings with automatic sprinklers only: the location of the proposed or closest existing fire hydrant and fire department connection; Red Lodge Fire Rescue conducts a flow test after the permit is received, for fire suppression system design purposes; A complete scale site plan showing total building square footage, intended use, and all access to the building from public streets and private driveways; Two complete sets of plans (one printed, one electronic); If the project site has no City of Red Lodge-issued physical address, a City of Red Lodge Addressing Application must be submitted alongside the fire permit application; Each checked permit category is billed as a separate $75.00 Construction Permit — a project needing both a sprinkler permit and a fire alarm permit pays for two permits; This Fire Department permit must be completed in addition to any application process required by the City of Red Lodge Planning and Building Departments. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Red Lodge Building Division — Building Inspector Brian Hanna; city-certified for Building (B) permits only. Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical permits within Red Lodge city limits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau, not the City. at (406) 446-1606 before starting work.

$75.00 per system category (so $150.00 total if a project needs both a sprinkler permit and a fire alarm permit), plus a $35.00-$75.00 final inspection fee, and a $100.00/lot addressing fee if the property has not yet been issued a City address — per Red Lodge Fire Rescue's published Fire Prevention and Safety Fee Schedule.

Red Lodge does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Red Lodge Building Division — Building Inspector Brian Hanna; city-certified for Building (B) permits only. Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical permits within Red Lodge city limits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau, not the City. at (406) 446-1606 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Commercial Building Construction Permit Application; Written Description of Fire Protection Features; Construction Plans (printed + electronic). Depending on your project, Red Lodge may also ask for: Fire Hydrant / Fire Department Connection Map; City of Red Lodge Addressing Application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Red Lodge requires 2 inspection(s) for a fire protection systems permit (sprinkler / alarm) — commercial building construction permit, in order: Site Visit(s) During Construction, Final / Occupancy Inspection. Schedule each through City of Red Lodge Building Division — Building Inspector Brian Hanna; city-certified for Building (B) permits only. Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical permits within Red Lodge city limits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau, not the City. ((406) 446-1606).

Apply through City of Red Lodge Building Division — Building Inspector Brian Hanna; city-certified for Building (B) permits only. Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical permits within Red Lodge city limits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau, not the City. at 1 South Platt Avenue, PO Box 9, Red Lodge, MT 59068. Phone: (406) 446-1606. Office hours: City Hall: contact (406) 446-1606 x8 to reach Building Inspector Brian Hanna directly; applicants should call the building official to schedule an appointment for application submittal, per the City's Building Division page.. Official information: https://www.cityofredlodge.net/com-dev/page/building-division.

Red Lodge, 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; non-certified trades in a partially-certified jurisdiction fall under direct state administration by the DLI Building Codes Bureau. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, Certified City, County and Town Programs list (bsd.dli.mt.gov/building-codes-permits).; Red Lodge is a Montana DLI-certified jurisdiction for Building (B) ONLY within city limits; certified building official on file with DLI: Brian Hanna, (406) 446-1606. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, 'Montana Certified Local Government Program' roster, updated 04/22/2026, https://bsd.dli.mt.gov/_docs/building-codes-permits/certified-city.pdf (verified directly: roster row reads 'Red Lodge | B | Brian Hanna | 446-1606 | City Limits'); City of Red Lodge Municipal Code Title 9, Chapter 1 (Building Codes), Section 9-1-1 (Adoption): the City adopts by resolution (A) the most recent edition of the International Building Code adopted by the Montana DLI, (B) the most recent edition of the International Existing Building Code adopted by the Montana DLI, (C) the most recent edition of the International Residential Code adopted by the Montana DLI, and (D) other Montana DLI-adopted codes deemed appropriate by City Council including the Uniform Plumbing Code, International Mechanical Code, International Fuel Gas Code, National Electrical Code, and International Energy Conservation Code, plus (E) Montana administrative rules modifying/clarifying those codes. Source: City of Red Lodge Municipal Code § 9-1-1 (Ord. 869, 3-13-2007; Ord. 886, 9-14-2010; Ord. 914, 5-26-2015), via eCode360, https://ecode360.com/42581916; Per the City of Red Lodge Building Division page: in 2022 the City Council adopted the 2021 family of International Codes (I-Codes). Source: City of Red Lodge Building Division page, https://www.cityofredlodge.net/com-dev/page/building-division; Per the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau's Current Codes page (statewide effective date June 11, 2022, applicable to all certified and state-enforced jurisdictions alike): 2021 IBC, 2021 IRC, 2021 IEBC, 2021 IMC, 2021 IFGC, 2021 IECC, 2021 ISPSC, 2021 UPC, 2020 NEC, 2017 ICC A117.1 Accessibility. Red Lodge's own Building Division page and Design Criteria document reference the 2021 IBC and 2021 IRC by name specifically, consistent with a small B-only-certified jurisdiction enforcing the state-adopted editions. Source: bsd.dli.mt.gov/building-codes-permits/current-codes; City of Red Lodge design_criteria.pdf; Municipal Code § 9-1-2 (Applicability): the exemption optionally provided to Montana communities under M.C.A. Section 50-60-102(1)(a) does NOT apply in Red Lodge — the IRC applies to residential buildings with fewer than 5 dwelling units, attached structures, any farm/ranch building of any size, and any private garage/storage structure of any size for the owner's own use, within city limits. Source: City of Red Lodge Municipal Code § 9-1-2 (Ord. 854A, 2-23-2003; Ord. 914, 5-26-2015), via eCode360; Municipal Code § 9-1-3 (Agreement to Comply): per M.C.A. Section 7-5-4202, a permittee agrees as a condition of permit application to be bound by all state-adopted building codes referenced in § 9-1-1. Source: City of Red Lodge Municipal Code § 9-1-3 (Ord. 869, 3-13-2007). Local amendments apply — see the Red Lodge overview page for the full list.

Red Lodge Fire Rescue, not the City Building Division or the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, issues these under its Commercial Building Construction Permit (fire protection systems), pursuant to an agreement with the City of Red Lodge and Municipal Code Title 7, Chapter 1 (2021 IFC as locally adopted, Ord. 970, 4/8/2025).

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