Anaconda-Deer Lodge building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Anaconda-Deer Lodge, Montana.
Last verified 2026-07-02 · Source
Building department
- Address
- ADLC Courthouse, First Floor, 800 Main Street, Anaconda, MT 59711 (local Building permits); Building Codes Bureau, PO Box 200517, Helena, MT 59620-0517 (state electrical/plumbing/mechanical permits)
- Phone
- (406) 563-4010 (Planning Dept, local Building permits) / (406) 563-4011 (Greg Bahr, Building Inspector) / (406) 841-2056 (State Building Codes Bureau — electrical, plumbing, mechanical)
- Office hours
- Not published on the ADLC Planning Department page; contact (406) 563-4010
- Website
- Official site
Codes adopted
Montana adopts a single statewide building code by rule and, by default, enforces it directly — local governments only gain enforcement authority once the state certifies them. Under the Montana Building Codes Act (Mont. Code Ann. Title 50, Chapter 60), the Department of Labor & Industry's Building Codes Bureau adopts one state building code applicable everywhere (§ 50-60-203, codified further at Administrative Rules of Montana Title 24, Chapter 301) — currently the 2021 editions of the IBC, IRC, IMC, IFGC, IECC, IEBC, ISPSC, and UPC, with the 2020 NEC for electrical (effective statewide since 6/11/2022 per the Bureau's own Current Codes page). A city, county, or town may adopt and enforce its own building-code program under § 50-60-301, but its adopted code "may include only codes adopted by the Building Codes Bureau" — a local edition can never diverge from or be less stringent than the state's. Critically, under § 50-60-302, a local government cannot enforce ANY building code — even one it has formally adopted — until the Bureau certifies its program (requiring an approved code, a published fee schedule, an enforcement plan, and properly licensed or nationally certified inspectors); certification is granted per TRADE, not as one blanket designation. The Bureau's own "Certified City, County and Town Programs" list uses the key B=Building, P=Plumbing, E=Electrical, M=Mechanical, SP=Pool, W=Wildland-Urban-Interface — a jurisdiction can be certified for Building only while Electrical/Plumbing/Mechanical remain directly state-enforced within the same city limits (e.g., Havre, Anaconda-Deer Lodge), or certified across all trades (e.g., Billings, Missoula, Great Falls, Bozeman, Helena, Kalispell). Non-certified jurisdictions — most of Montana's unincorporated county land, since very few counties appear on the certified list — fall under direct enforcement by the state Building Codes Bureau (§ 50-60-304). Montana also exempts private homes and buildings of four or fewer dwelling units not serving transient guests from the state building-permit requirement entirely, though electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits remain separately required regardless. Always confirm with the specific jurisdiction which trades it is certified for versus which remain directly state-enforced.
Permit types & fees
Residential Building Permit (New Construction)
Required for new single-family homes, duplexes, townhouses, and other residential structures in Anaconda-Deer Lodge. Issued and reviewed LOCALLY by the ADLC Planning Department / Building Inspector (Greg Bahr) — Anaconda-Deer Lodge is a Montana-certified local government for Building permitting (residential only), per the state Building Codes Bureau's certified-jurisdiction list. Reviewed against the 2021 IRC/IBC (Administrative Rules of Montana, Title 24, chapter 301).
Residential Addition / Remodel Permit
Required for additions, remodels, and structural alterations to existing residential structures in Anaconda-Deer Lodge. Uses the same local Building Permit Application and valuation-based fee table as new construction, issued by the ADLC Planning Department / Building Inspector.
Electrical Permit
Required for electrical installations, alterations, service changes, and panel upgrades in Anaconda-Deer Lodge. Electrical permitting is NOT locally certified in Anaconda-Deer Lodge — it is issued and inspected DIRECTLY by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Building Codes Bureau, under the 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC), effective June 11, 2022.
Plumbing Permit
Required for plumbing installations, alterations, and repairs in Anaconda-Deer Lodge. Plumbing is NOT locally certified in Anaconda-Deer Lodge — it is issued and inspected DIRECTLY by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Building Codes Bureau, under the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC), effective June 11, 2022.
Mechanical / HVAC Permit
Required for heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and fuel-gas installations in Anaconda-Deer Lodge. Mechanical is NOT locally certified in Anaconda-Deer Lodge — it is issued and inspected DIRECTLY by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Building Codes Bureau, under the 2021 International Mechanical Code (IMC) and 2021 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), both effective June 11, 2022.
Solar PV / Alternative Energy Permit
Required for installation of rooftop or ground-mounted solar photovoltaic, wind, or hydro alternative-energy systems in Anaconda-Deer Lodge. Since electrical is state-enforced there, alternative-energy electrical connections are permitted directly by the Montana Building Codes Bureau via a dedicated Alternative Energy Permit application; the structural/roof-mounting scope falls under the local ADLC Building Permit.
Demolition Permit
Required for demolition or removal of any structure in Anaconda-Deer Lodge. Issued locally by the ADLC Planning Department, with utility disconnection sign-off from the ADLC Water Department, ADLC Road Department, and Northwestern Energy (gas and electric).
New residential construction activity
New privately-owned residential construction onlyHousing units authorized by building permits for new privately-owned residential construction — this is not total permit volume (no commercial permits or remodels).
- Latest month (2026-05)
- No data reported
- Trailing 12 months
- No data reported
- Year to date
- No data reported
- Latest full year
- No data reported
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey (BPS), 2026-05 vintage. Census survey data — separate from the permit-requirements verification above. All Montana building activity
Tips & gotchas
- Anaconda-Deer Lodge is a HYBRID jurisdiction, unlike the fully-local-program pattern of Denver or the fully-local pattern of Carson City: the county is Montana-certified for BUILDING permits only (residential), per the state's own certified-jurisdiction list, but ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING, and MECHANICAL permits are issued and inspected DIRECTLY by the state Building Codes Bureau in Helena — confirmed in writing on the ADLC Building Inspector's own webpage.
- A single residential project (e.g., a new home) typically requires permits from TWO different authorities: a local ADLC Building Permit (plus likely an Administrative Development Permit) from the county, AND separate state Electrical, Plumbing, and/or Mechanical Permits from the Montana Building Codes Bureau in Helena — budget time and separate fee payments for both.
- The state's electrical/plumbing/mechanical applications and fee schedules used here are the SAME statewide forms (BCP-1, Rev. 11/25) used everywhere else in Montana that isn't locally certified for that trade — these are not Anaconda-Deer Lodge-specific fees, but they are the correct, real, currently-published fees that apply to work performed there.
- New residential construction requires more than just the Building Permit locally: an Administrative Development Permit (ADP), and — depending on the site — Septic/Well and Driveway Approach permits are also required before the Building Permit itself is approved.
- Ground snow load for the locally-certified Building program is NOT a fixed county-wide number published online — per the state Building Codes Bureau's Snow Load Information page, certified jurisdictions determine site-specific snow load through their own building official (Greg Bahr), not the state's ASCE 7 Hazard Tool.