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Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit in Miles City, Montana

Residential solar PV installations in Miles City are permitted through the City of Miles City Building Department: a Building Permit for the structural roof- or ground-mount work, plus a Residential Electrical Permit for the interconnection/panel work, since Miles City is DLI-certified for residential Electrical. No solar-specific ordinance, application, or fee schedule is separately codified.

Verified 2026-07-03 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Structural mounting (roof-mount or ground-mount) work is permitted as a Building Permit (Class of Work 'Addition' or 'Other'), submitted via Cloud Permit or the paper Building Permit Application
  • Electrical interconnection work (new circuits, inverter, panel/service changes) is permitted as Residential Electrical work under the same Building Department application, since Miles City holds residential (not commercial) DLI Electrical certification
  • No local zoning provision specific to solar PV setbacks or height was found in Miles City Code Chapter 24 (Zoning) as of this review — general accessory-structure/height and setback standards of the applicable zoning district would apply to ground-mount installations

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Building Department permit fee (same § 5-4 valuation-based schedule as Building permits)No solar-specific fee schedule distinct from the general building-permit fee schedule was found published for Miles City
Set by City of Miles City fee schedule adopted by council resolution under City Code § 5-4; specific dollar-valuation table not independently locatable as a standalone published document as of this review

Review timeline

Plan reviewMiles City’s published plan-review target
1–10 business days

How long did your Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit permit actually take in Miles City?

Anonymous — one question, no email. Answers are combined and only shown once at least 5 people have reported.

Inspection process

    Tips

    • Review timeline governed by statute: the structural roof-/ground-mount work on a single-family dwelling is a Building Permit filed on the single-family-dwelling Building Permit Application, so MCA 50-60-106(2)(c) applies — Miles City (certified under 50-60-302 for Building) must issue 'the relevant building permit or notice of plan disapproval within 10 working days of the contractor's submission' when the department's single-family-dwelling checklist is attached. Simple residential solar submittals often issue well inside that window (range floor 1 working day; the 2013 DEQ survey below recorded a same-day process under a prior inspector). The city publishes no separate SLA (independently reconfirmed 2026-07-03).
    • Solar PV installations that only add roof/ground-mount hardware plus residential wiring can be handled entirely by the City of Miles City Building Department (Building + Residential Electrical) — no state permit is needed unless the installation is on a commercial building, since Miles City's Electrical certification is residential-only.
    • A 2013 Montana DEQ statewide solar-permitting survey recorded Miles City (under a prior Building Inspector, Dennis Hirsch) using a Building-permit-only, same-day process; that record predates the city's current residential Electrical certification (adopted via Ord. No. 1392, 3-11-25) and is noted here only as historical background, not as a currently verified process.

    Frequently asked questions

    A City of Miles City Building Permit for the mounting structure, plus a Residential Electrical Permit for the interconnection — both filed through the same Building Department Cloud Permit application, since Miles City is DLI-certified for residential Electrical.

    In Miles City, the published Building Department permit fee (same § 5-4 valuation-based schedule as Building permits) is: Set by City of Miles City fee schedule adopted by council resolution under City Code § 5-4; specific dollar-valuation table not independently locatable as a standalone published document as of this review. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

    Miles City's published plan-review target for a solar photovoltaic (pv) permit is 1–10 business days.

    You'll need: Building Permit Application (Building + Residential Electrical). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

    Apply through City of Miles City Building Department at 17 S. 8th St., Miles City, MT 59301. Phone: (406) 874-8611, email: gmartinsen@milescity-mt.org. Office hours: Monday-Friday 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM (Building Inspector); City Hall general hours Mon-Fri 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Official information: https://www.milescitymt.gov/building-department.

    Miles City, 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; a certified local program's adopted code 'may include only codes adopted by the Building Codes Bureau' (ARM 24.301.202). Non-certified trades within a jurisdiction fall under direct state administration by the DLI Building Codes Bureau. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, Certified City, County and Town Programs and Current Codes pages (bsd.dli.mt.gov/building-codes-permits).; Miles City is a Montana DLI-certified jurisdiction for Building (B), Swimming Pool (SP), and Electrical — residential only — within Miles City city limits; certified program contact on file with DLI: Gabe Martinsen, (406) 874-8611. Miles City is NOT certified for Plumbing or Mechanical, or for commercial Electrical — those permits/inspections are issued directly by the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau (Helena) even within Miles City city limits. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, Certified City, County and Town Programs list (List of certified jurisdictions table), bsd.dli.mt.gov/building-codes-permits/certified-government; Miles City City Code § 5-2(a): the city adopts by ordinance 'the current editions of the building codes and all accompanying appendices, amendments and modifications' adopted by the DLI Building Codes Bureau, as authorized by MCA 50-60-301(1)(b) — the city does not maintain independently amended code text; it tracks whatever edition the state Building Codes Bureau currently has in force for local-government jurisdictions. Source: Miles City Code of Ordinances § 5-2, Municode (Ord. No. 1132, 5-28-02; most recently amended by Ord. No. 1375, 1-23-24); International Residential Code (IRC), 2021 Edition, as amended by ARM 24.301.154 — adopted by City of Miles City Code § 5-46 (Ord. No. 1375, 1-23-24); 2021 Existing Building Code, as amended by ARM 24.301.171 — adopted by City of Miles City Code § 5-61(a) (Ord. No. 1375, 1-23-24); 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, as amended by ARM 24.301.175 — adopted by City of Miles City Code § 5-61(b); Miles City is DLI-certified for Swimming Pool (SP) permitting (Ord. No. 1375, 1-23-24); 2021 International Energy Conservation Code, as amended by ARM 24.301.161 — adopted by City of Miles City Code § 5-61(c) (Ord. No. 1375, 1-23-24); National Electrical Code (NEC), 2020 Edition, as amended by ARM 24.301.401 — adopted by City of Miles City Code § 5-76 (Ord. No. 1392, 3-11-25); Miles City is DLI-certified for residential Electrical permitting only — commercial electrical work in Miles City is permitted and inspected directly by the state DLI Building Codes Bureau; International Building Code (IBC) — applicable via § 5-2(a)'s blanket adoption of the DLI Building Codes Bureau's current edition (2021 IBC statewide, effective June 11, 2022); the City of Miles City Building Permit Application form itself references IBC Section 105.3.2 (180-day application-abandonment provision) and IBC Section 110 (duty to request inspection); 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) and 2021 International Mechanical Code (IMC)/International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) — statewide editions; state-administered in Miles City since the city holds no Plumbing or Mechanical DLI certification; Miles City Code § 24-65 (Zoning, Article III): locally adopted Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) performance standards, including a Tiny Home provision referencing International Residential Code Appendix Q. Local amendments apply — see the Miles City overview page for the full list.

    Sources & verification

    Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-03.

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