Residential Building Permit (New Construction / Addition / Alteration) in Red Lodge, Montana

Red Lodge requires a residential building permit (new construction / addition / alteration) for: Building Permit Application completed: job address, legal description, owner/contractor/architect-designer/engineer contact information, building dimensions and setbacks, class of work (New/Addition/Alteration/Repair), valuation of work (materials and labor), use of building, description of work; Two sets of building plans, including a plot plan, submitted to the City Building Inspector; plans must clearly identify proposed setbacks and building height; Plans must comply with the 2021 IRC (one- and two-family dwellings) or 2021 IBC (multifamily/commercial), plus City of Red Lodge Design Criteria: 70 psf minimum roof snow load, wind load per risk category (100-120 MPH, Exposure B; 115 MPH residential), 42-inch frost depth foundation, two rows of ice & water shield on all roofs; Subject to Building Official's discretion, plans may be required to be stamped/certified by a licensed design professional; A City Business Registration is required before the permit is issued; Separate permits are required for electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilation, or air conditioning work (issued by the State DLI Building Codes Bureau, not the City, since Red Lodge is Building-only certified); Fire sprinklers required/not required must be indicated on the application; off-street parking spaces (required/furnished) must be indicated. 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.

The City's own Building Permit Application states the Building Department requires 5 working days to review applications and plans. No separate maximum/upper-bound timeline is published by the City. Source: City of Red Lodge Building Permit Application (PDF).

You'll need: Building Permit Application; Construction Drawings / Plot Plan. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Red Lodge requires 5 inspection(s) for a residential building permit (new construction / addition / alteration), in order: Foundation, Concrete Slab or Under-Floor, Frame, Lath or Gypsum Board, Final. 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.

The City of Red Lodge issues its own Building permits under a Montana DLI 'Building (B) only' certification, using City Building Inspector Brian Hanna. Electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits are issued directly by the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, not the City. Source: Montana DLI certified-jurisdictions roster (updated 04/22/2026) and City of Red Lodge Building Division page.