Sign Permit (Outdoor Advertising) in Red Lodge, Montana

Red Lodge requires a sign permit (outdoor advertising) for: Sign Permit Application filed with the Community Development Department for any sign not exempted under RLZR §4.6.40 (exemptions include: official/warning/historical notices; indoor signs and window displays; minor residential building ID signs ≤4 sq ft, or wall signs ≤1 sq ft identifying residential occupants/owners; temporary/seasonal holiday lighting erected no more than 45 days before and removed within 15 days after the holiday, ≤70 lumens; one real estate 'for sale/for rent' sign per lot ≤6 sq ft; religious symbols, non-commercial and temporary political signs; wayfinding/traffic-control/entrance signs ≤6 sq ft; historical murals; time-and-temperature signs without blinking/rotating/moving lights; and a projecting sign not exceeding 2.5 sq ft of display surface); Application must include a site plan and elevation plan showing all existing and proposed signs, property lines, setbacks, and sign height, plus a drawing of the shape, size, colors, and lighting of each proposed sign; Maximum sign area: 6 sq ft per lot/parcel/tract in Residential Districts (or 1 sq ft per linear foot of street frontage, up to 40 sq ft, for a sign announcing a development's name); 120 total sq ft per lot in Non-Residential Districts, with any single sign capped at 40 sq ft; Maximum height of any freestanding sign, including embellishments, is 8 feet above natural grade (or 8 feet above the adjacent public road grade for a property below road grade); Signs must be located on the same property as the business, service, or product advertised (no off-site/off-premises signs); Neon and internally illuminated signs are only allowed via Design Review: neon only within the Downtown Historic Overlay District (max 22 sq ft, historically-appropriate materials/shapes, RLZR §4.6.80-82); internally illuminated signs are prohibited in the Downtown Historic Overlay District and Residential Districts, and require Design Review elsewhere in Commercial Districts; Prohibited outright: flashing/blinking/rotating/moving signs (including inflatables, pennants, holograms), digital/electronic graphic display signs, strings/rows of upcast lights (except exempted holiday displays), and off-site signs; Signs attached to a roof, wall, or projecting from a structure may also require a City Building Permit in addition to the Sign Permit. 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.

$10.00 for a Temporary Sign, $40.00 for a Permanent Sign, and $300 for a Neon or Internally Illuminated Sign (which also requires Design Review approval), per the City of Red Lodge's Sign Permit Application instructions.

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: Sign Permit Application (RLZR §4.6.0); Site Plan and Elevation Plan; Sign Drawing. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

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 Planning & Zoning Division within the Community Development Department issues Sign Permits under Red Lodge Zoning Regulations §4.6.0, Outdoor Advertising; most signs are reviewed by the Zoning Administrator, while neon and internally illuminated signs go through Design Review instead.