How long does residential plan review take in Great Falls?

Typically 5 to 10 working days after a complete application is submitted, per the City of Great Falls Building Division FAQs. Plans are reviewed in the order received, so submitting a complete, high-quality plan set is the best way to avoid delay.

How is my building permit fee calculated in Great Falls?

Fees are based on the project's declared valuation (labor, materials, and subcontractor costs, including the value of homeowner labor), or the ICC Building Valuation Data table if the declared value appears too low, whichever is higher. The fee is then read off Resolution No. 10374's valuation table, plus a residential plan review fee of 50% of the permit fee.

Residential Building Permit (New Construction) in Great Falls, Montana

Verified

Required for new single-family and duplex/tri-plex residential construction in Great Falls. Reviewed against the 2021 IRC and 2021 IECC as locally adopted. Plans are reviewed by the Planning & Community Development Department, Building Division, in the order received.

Verified 2026-07-02 · Source

From$62.61Building Permit Fee — valuation $1 to $50,000 — see all 8 fees below

When you need this permit

Building permit and plan review required prior to starting construction (OCCGF Title 15)
Complete application with main point of contact; total project cost (labor, material, subcontractor costs, including homeowner's own labor at actual cost) must be disclosed
A completed Utility Locate Form (completed no more than 30 days prior to permit issuance)
Address must be assigned by Mapping & Addressing (406-455-8437) prior to application submittal
Geotechnical soils report required for new construction — two complete, signed reports stamped by a Montana-licensed design professional, coordinated with foundation design
Two complete sets of plans: site plan, building elevations (all 4 sides), foundation plan, floor plan (each floor), wall detail, stair detail, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC plans
Energy code compliance via Option A (IRC prescriptive insulation values) or Option B (REScheck submitted with the application)
Blower door test required prior to Certificate of Occupancy issuance (new construction), performed by an approved third party
Structural plans/calculations required for wood glu-lam beams, steel beams, and retaining walls over 4 feet (measured from bottom of footing to top of wall)
Minimum plan paper size 11" x 17"; plans marked "Not for Construction" will not be accepted

Required documents

Required
Residential Building Permit Application
City of Great Falls Planning & Community Development Dept. application form (Effective Date 3/2026)
Required
Residential Building Permit Checklist
Building Permit Application Requirements — Residential New Construction, Addition, Remodels (Effective Date 5/2019)
Required
Utility Locate Form
Must be completed no more than 30 days before permit issuance
Required
Geotechnical Soils Report
Two signed/stamped reports from a Montana-licensed design professional; required for new construction
Required
REScheck or Prescriptive Energy Compliance Documentation
Demonstrates 2021 IECC compliance via prescriptive insulation table or REScheck software output

Fee schedule

Fee type	Amount	Notes
Building Permit Fee — valuation $1 to $50,000	Ranges from $62.61 (value $1-$1,000) up to $710.45 (value $49,001-$50,000), per the $1,000-increment table in Exhibit A	Resolution No. 10374 (adopted Nov. 17, 2020, amending Title 15 OCCGF), Exhibit A, Building Permit Fees — Effective August 7, 2018; verified directly from the resolution PDF, page 2, rendered and read visually
Building Permit Fee — valuation $50,001 to $100,000	Ranges from $718.07 (value $50,001-$51,000) up to $1,091.02 (value $99,001-$100,000), per the $1,000-increment table in Exhibit A	Resolution No. 10374, Exhibit A
Building Permit Fee — valuation $100,001 to $500,000	$1,091.02 for the first $100,000 plus $6.39 for each additional $1,000 or portion thereof	Resolution No. 10374, Exhibit A
Building Permit Fee — valuation $500,001 to $1,000,000	$3,646.14 for the first $500,000 plus $5.04 for each additional $1,000 or portion thereof	Resolution No. 10374, Exhibit A
Building Permit Fee — valuation $1,000,000 and up	$6,161.34 for the first $1,000,000 plus $3.81 for each additional $1,000 or portion thereof	Resolution No. 10374, Exhibit A
Residential Plan Review Fee	50% of the Building Permit Fee	Resolution No. 10374, Exhibit A
Investigation Fee (work commenced before permit issuance)	Equal to the building permit fee (charged in addition to the permit fee)	Resolution No. 10374, Exhibit A
Re-inspection Fee	$67.63 per hour, minimum 1-hour charge	City of Great Falls Homeowner's Electrical/Plumbing/Mechanical Permit Application forms (Updated 3/2026) — this is the current re-inspection rate and supersedes the $62.62/hr figure in the 2018/2020 fee resolution, which has not been reissued as of this verification

Review timeline

5–10 business days

Great Falls’s published plan-review target

Inspection process

1
Foundation / Footings
Before concrete pour, per geotechnical report and structural plans
2
Framing
After framing complete, before insulation or wall cover
3
MEP Rough-In
Electrical, plumbing, and mechanical rough-in before walls closed; separate trade permits required
4
Blower Door Test
Required for new construction prior to Certificate of Occupancy; must be performed by an approved third party
5
Final
All work complete, boulevard landscaping and driveways/sidewalks complete, Certificate of Occupancy issued

Tips

Residential plan review typically takes 5-10 working days after a complete application is submitted; commercial review takes about 30 business days. Plans are reviewed first-come, first-served (City of Great Falls Building Division FAQs).
A geotechnical soils report is required up front for new construction — budget time for this before submitting your building permit application; plans will not be accepted until it is submitted.
If work starts before a permit is issued, an Investigation Fee equal to the full permit fee is assessed on top of the permit fee itself.
Every permit becomes invalid if work is not started within 180 days of issuance, or is abandoned/suspended for 180 days.
Blower door testing is required before a Certificate of Occupancy will be issued for new construction.

Frequently asked questions

How long does residential plan review take in Great Falls?: Typically 5 to 10 working days after a complete application is submitted, per the City of Great Falls Building Division FAQs. Plans are reviewed in the order received, so submitting a complete, high-quality plan set is the best way to avoid delay.
How is my building permit fee calculated in Great Falls?: Fees are based on the project's declared valuation (labor, materials, and subcontractor costs, including the value of homeowner labor), or the ICC Building Valuation Data table if the declared value appears too low, whichever is higher. The fee is then read off Resolution No. 10374's valuation table, plus a residential plan review fee of 50% of the permit fee.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-02.

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 Great Falls building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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