Fire Sprinkler / Fire Alarm System Permit (reviewed within the Commercial Building Permit -- no standalone product found) in Lewistown, Montana

Lewistown requires a fire sprinkler / fire alarm system permit (reviewed within the commercial building permit -- no standalone product found) for: Engineer-stamped fire protection plans, including hydraulic calculations and manufacturer cut sheets for sprinkler/suppression and alarm systems, submitted as item 8 of the plan set required for the City's Commercial Building Permit (Commercial Building Permit Checklist, Rev. 9/1/2022); Reviewed by the Lewistown Fire Department as one of five city departments in the Commercial Building Permit's internal review process; may also be sent for external review at the building official's discretion, with added costs added to the building permit fee; Automatic sprinkler system hydraulic calculations must include a minimum safety factor of 10% but not less than 5 psi, per the City's local amendment to IFC section 903.3.5 (City Code 7-2-1(B), Ord. 1734, 5-16-2011); Fire alarm systems required by the fire code or building code must be monitored by an approved supervising station per NFPA 72, per the City's local amendment to IFC section 907.7.5 (City Code 7-2-1(B)); exceptions apply to single/multi-station smoke alarms, Group I-3 smoke detectors, and sprinkler systems in one- and two-family dwellings; New commercial buildings, and existing commercial buildings undergoing remodeling exceeding $1,000, must install a fire department key box ("Knox-Box" style) at a bureau-approved exterior location, stocked with keys to areas containing fire protection system controls and alarm panels, installed on or before final inspection of the building (City Code 7-2-11); The City's codified Fire Prevention Code (Title 7, Chapter 2) locally adopts the 2009 International Fire Code by reference (Ord. 1733, 6-6-2011) -- a DIFFERENT, OLDER edition than the "International Fire Code 2012 IFC as amended by ARM 23.12.601" cited in the Commercial Building Permit Checklist (Rev. 9/1/2022); this is reported as a genuine unresolved discrepancy between the codified ordinance and the City's own current-practice checklist document, not an inferred figure; If a fire alarm system requires new electrical wiring or circuits, that electrical work may separately require a State of Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau Electrical Permit, since Lewistown holds DLI certification for Building only, not Electrical (same split documented elsewhere in this file for electrical-permit-state, solar-pv-permit, and ev-charger-permit). If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Lewistown Building Department — Building Inspector Joe Ward; city-certified for Building (B) permits only. Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical permits within Lewistown city limits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau, not the City. at (406) 535-1776 before starting work.

Lewistown does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Lewistown Building Department — Building Inspector Joe Ward; city-certified for Building (B) permits only. Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical permits within Lewistown city limits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau, not the City. at (406) 535-1776 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Engineer-Stamped Fire Protection Plans (sprinkler/alarm calculations and manufacturer cut sheets); Commercial Building Permit Checklist. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Lewistown requires 1 inspection(s) for a fire sprinkler / fire alarm system permit (reviewed within the commercial building permit -- no standalone product found), in order: Key Box Installation Verification. Schedule each through City of Lewistown Building Department — Building Inspector Joe Ward; city-certified for Building (B) permits only. Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical permits within Lewistown city limits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau, not the City. ((406) 535-1776).

Apply through City of Lewistown Building Department — Building Inspector Joe Ward; city-certified for Building (B) permits only. Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical permits within Lewistown city limits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau, not the City. at 305 W Watson St, Lewistown, MT 59457 (Building Department office also cited at 308 4th Avenue South, Lewistown, MT). Phone: (406) 535-1776, email: building@ci.lewistown.mt.us. Office hours: Not published on the City's Building Department page as of this review. Building Inspector: Joe Ward, (406) 535-1776, building@ci.lewistown.mt.us; general Building Department line/fax (406) 535-1760 / (406) 535-3323 per city directory listings.. Official information: https://www.cityoflewistown.com/services/building-department.

Lewistown, 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 Local Government Program roster (bsd.dli.mt.gov/building-codes-permits).; Lewistown is a Montana DLI-certified jurisdiction for Building (B) ONLY within city limits; certified building official on file with DLI: Holy Phelps, (406) 535-1776. 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 against the PDF (row: 'Lewistown | B | Holy Phelps | 535-1776 | City Limits').; Per the City of Lewistown's own Public Notice 'Adoption of Building Codes' (Lewistown Public Works Administrative Order, dated August 12, 2022, issued pursuant to Lewistown Ordinance Section 4-4-1 adopted by the City Commission May 6, 2002, signed by Public Works Director Tim Majerus), the following codes are adopted and effective within the City of Lewistown as of September 1, 2022: International Building Code 2021 Edition (as amended by ARM 24.301.131), International Residential Code 2021 Edition (as amended by ARM 24.301.154), International Energy Conservation Code 2021 Edition (as amended by ARM 24.301.161), and International Existing Building Code 2021 Edition (as amended by ARM 24.301.171). Source: City of Lewistown, images/pdf/2021-Code-adoption.pdf; The City's Commercial Building Permit Checklist (Revised 9/1/2022) additionally references the International Fire Code, 2012 Edition, as amended by ARM 23.12.601, and the City of Lewistown's Ordinance #1749 and #1750 as part of the adopted codes and ordinances applicants must show compliance with. Source: City of Lewistown, images/pdf/Commercial-Permit-Checklist-10.2022.pdf; The City's Residential Building Permit Application Procedure (Admin approved 1/30/2015) states plans must comply with the '2012 International Residential Code (IRC), 2012 International Energy Conservation Code as amended by ARM 24.301.161' — this is a stale reference predating the City's own September 2022 code-adoption notice; the governing current codes are the 2021 editions per the City's 2022 Public Works Administrative Order above. Source: City of Lewistown, images/pdf/Respremit012015.pdf (dated 2015, superseded in substance by the 2022 adoption notice but still the only published residential application-procedure document found); Per the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau's Current Codes reference (statewide effective date June 11, 2022): 2021 IBC, 2021 IRC, 2021 IEBC, 2021 IMC, 2021 IFGC, 2021 IECC, 2021 ISPSC, 2021 UPC, 2020 NEC, 2017 ICC A117.1 Accessibility — consistent with the codes the City of Lewistown's own 2022 adoption notice cites for its Building-certified scope.. Local amendments apply — see the Lewistown overview page for the full list.

No standalone fire sprinkler or fire alarm permit application, fee, or timeline is published by the City of Lewistown. Engineer-stamped fire protection plans (with hydraulic calculations and manufacturer cut sheets) are submitted as one required item within the Commercial Building Permit's plan set and reviewed by the Fire Department as part of that permit's standard five-department internal review. Source: City of Lewistown Commercial Building Permit Checklist, Rev. 9/1/2022.

The Lewistown Fire Department (Fire Chief James Jensen, (406) 535-1780) reviews fire protection plans as one of five city departments in the Commercial Building Permit's internal review process. The Fire Prevention Bureau, headed by the fire marshal, separately enforces the City's locally-adopted fire code under City Code Title 7, Chapter 2.