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Sign Permit in Anaconda-Deer Lodge, Montana

Required for the creation, construction, alteration, or relocation of permanent signs in Anaconda-Deer Lodge, issued locally by the ADLC Planning Department. The live, currently-revised ADLC Business License Application (Rev. December 19th, 2025) explicitly warns applicants installing 'any sort of signage' that they must obtain an ADLC Sign Permit, confirming this is an active, currently-enforced local requirement. The most detailed source found for permit-application content and fees is a sign-regulations ordinance document still hosted on the county's own website — however, that PDF is captioned 'Signage-Ord_Sept2020_DRAFT' in its filename and the document body itself is unsigned, with blank Chairman/Clerk signature lines and blank 'First Reading,' 'Public Hearing,' and 'Final Adoption' date fields. No separately confirmed, formally-adopted final ordinance number or codified Municode chapter for sign regulations could be located. Treat the requirement to obtain a permit as verified and currently enforced; treat the specific fee figures and procedural details below as sourced from the best available document but carrying residual uncertainty about final-adopted form.

Reviewed 2026-07-22 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Application for a permit for the creation, construction, alteration, or relocation of any permanent sign must be made to Anaconda-Deer Lodge County upon a form provided by the County (not published as a downloadable PDF; obtained directly from the ADLC Planning Department)
  • Application must include: name and address of the sign owner; street address of the property where the sign will be located, plus the property owner's name and address; the type of sign/sign structure; a scaled drawing and site plan showing the proposed sign location and the location/square footage of all existing signs on the premises; specifications and scale drawings showing materials, design, dimensions, structural support, and electrical components of the proposed sign; the appropriate fee; and, for a temporary/portable sign or banner, the time period the sign will be displayed
  • No more than two signs are allowed per property unless permitted through the Board of Adjustments
  • Signs must conform to the International Building Code, the sign ordinance itself, and Montana Department of Transportation sign regulations where applicable — the strictest provision of any applicable code governs
  • Prohibited outright regardless of permit: flashing/blinking signs, roof signs, most abandoned signs, any sign over 35 feet in height, signs encroaching a public right-of-way without a separate encroachment permit, signs in the FAA conical zone near the ADLC airport, beacons (except at airports/emergencies), revolving signs, undesignated stringed flags, and (outside Section 9 exceptions) portable signs and inflatable/tethered-balloon signs
  • Temporary Signs/Banners (Special Event, Grand Opening, Temporary Advertising) must be approved through the Planning Office and are subject to fixed display-duration limits (e.g., Grand Opening banners: 30 days, one per business lifetime; Temporary Advertising banners: up to 30 consecutive days per season/event)
  • Signage proposed within a Historic District or on a National-Register-listed property is subject to approval by the Historic Preservation Officer and Design Review Guidelines available at the Planning Department

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Signs attached to or painted onto a buildingAs printed in Section 15 (Fees) of the sign-regulations ordinance document hosted at adlc.us (filename 'Signage-Ord_Sept2020_DRAFT'); the document itself is unsigned with blank adoption dates, so confirm the currently-charged amount with the ADLC Planning Department, (406) 563-4010, before applying
$45.00
Sandwich (sidewalk) signsSame source as above; sandwich signs are also capped at 2 feet wide by 4 feet tall, may not be lighted, may not be permanently attached, and must be located within 10 feet of the business unless the affected property owner grants written permission for greater distance
$25.00
Free-standing (pole/ground) signsSection 15.A.i of the same ordinance document; Section 15.B notes these fees may be amended by resolution of the Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Board of Commissioners
Per the construction-fee schedule contained within the International Building Code (valuation-based; no flat ADLC dollar amount is published for this category)

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Sign Permit permit actually take in Anaconda-Deer Lodge?

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Inspection process

    See the full Anaconda-Deer Lodge inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

    Tips

    • If you are opening or altering a business in Anaconda-Deer Lodge and plan to install ANY signage, the current (Rev. December 19th, 2025) Business License Application flags this in bold red text at the top of every page — get the Sign Permit from the Planning Department before installing, not after.
    • The most detailed sign-fee source found is a document still hosted on the county's own site but captioned as a September 2020 DRAFT and left unsigned/undated for adoption — call (406) 563-4010 to confirm current fees and whether a later, formally-adopted version superseded it.
    • No standalone inspection process for signs is described in the source ordinance; enforcement instead happens after the fact through Code Enforcement notices for unsafe, un-maintained, abandoned, or non-conforming signs (30-day cure period after written notice).
    • A billboard requires a Special Use Permit approved by the Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Planning Board, not just a standard Sign Permit.

    Frequently asked questions

    Yes, for any permanent sign — the creation, construction, alteration, or relocation of a permanent sign requires a Sign Permit from the ADLC Planning Department. The county's current Business License Application explicitly warns that installing any signage requires an ADLC Sign Permit.

    Per the sign-regulations document published on the county's website: $45 for a sign attached to or painted onto a building, $25 for a sandwich/sidewalk sign, and a valuation-based International Building Code construction fee for free-standing signs. This source document is unsigned and captioned as a 2020 draft, so confirm current amounts with the Planning Department, (406) 563-4010.

    Anaconda-Deer Lodge does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Planning Department — Building Inspector (local Building-only program); Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Building Codes Bureau (state — electrical, plumbing, mechanical) at (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) for current turnaround.

    You'll need: Sign Permit Application; Scaled Drawing and Site Plan; Sign Specifications and Scale Drawings. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

    Apply through Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Planning Department — Building Inspector (local Building-only program); Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Building Codes Bureau (state — electrical, plumbing, mechanical) at 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), email: Contact via ADLC Planning Department website contact form (Building Inspector Greg Bahr); Building Codes Bureau email available via bsd.dli.mt.gov contact links. Office hours: Not published on the ADLC Planning Department page; contact (406) 563-4010. Official information: https://www.adlc.us/187/Planning.

    Anaconda-Deer Lodge, Montana has adopted: Anaconda-Deer Lodge County is a MONTANA CERTIFIED LOCAL GOVERNMENT for BUILDING permitting only, RESIDENTIAL ONLY — per the Montana Building Codes Bureau's official 'Certified City, County and Town Programs' list (bsd.dli.mt.gov), entry: 'Deer Lodge County — B (residential only) — Greg Bahr — 563-4010 — County'. This matches the local Building Inspector's own webpage, which names Greg Bahr as Building Inspector.; Electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permitting and inspection in Anaconda-Deer Lodge are NOT locally certified — these remain under DIRECT STATE ENFORCEMENT by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Building Codes Bureau (Employment Standards Division). This is explicitly confirmed on the ADLC Building Inspector page: 'The Building Inspector does not handle electrical, plumbing, or mechanical inspection and permitting. These are functions of the Montana Department of Labor and Industry.'; Statutory basis for the certified-local-government model: a city, county, or town may adopt a building code by ordinance and enforce it locally ONLY if certified by the Building Codes Program as complying with applicable statutes/rules (current adopted code, current fee list, and enforcement plan filed and approved) — per ARM Title 24, chapter 301, subchapter 2 (Local Jurisdiction Administrative Rules) and Title 50, chapter 60, MCA (Local Jurisdiction Statutes). Absent local certification for a given trade (electrical/plumbing/mechanical here), the State Building Codes Bureau retains jurisdiction under Title 50, chapter 60, MCA.; Statewide adopted codes (Administrative Rules of Montana, Title 24, chapter 301) apply as the substantive code baseline for both the locally-certified Building program and the state-enforced trades: 2021 International Building Code (IBC), effective June 11, 2022; 2021 International Residential Code (IRC), effective June 11, 2022; 2021 International Existing Building Code (IEBC), effective June 11, 2022; ICC A117.1 Accessibility, 2017 Edition, effective June 11, 2022; 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC), effective June 11, 2022 — enforced directly by the State Building Codes Bureau in Anaconda-Deer Lodge (not locally certified); 2021 International Mechanical Code (IMC), effective June 11, 2022 — enforced directly by the State Building Codes Bureau in Anaconda-Deer Lodge (not locally certified); 2021 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), effective June 11, 2022 — enforced directly by the State Building Codes Bureau; 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC), effective June 11, 2022 — enforced directly by the State Building Codes Bureau in Anaconda-Deer Lodge (not locally certified); 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), effective June 11, 2022; 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC), effective June 11, 2022; 2021 Wildland Urban Interface Code, effective June 11, 2022. Local amendments apply — see the Anaconda-Deer Lodge overview page for the full list.

    Sources & verification

    Key facts verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-22.

    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 Anaconda-Deer Lodge building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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