Residential Building Permit (New Construction / Addition / Remodel / Repair) in Columbia Falls, Montana

Columbia Falls requires a residential building permit (new construction / addition / remodel / repair) for: Required for Class of Work: New, Addition, Remodel, Repair, or Demolition, per the Building Permit Application; Application must include legal description (lot/block), job address, owner and contractor contact information, project description, and valuation of work; Plans must indicate proper snow load (55 lbs), Seismic Zone D1, and 115 MPH wind design per the Building Permit Packet checklist; One full-size 1/4-inch scale set of plans, one 11x17 set, and one digital copy required for residential projects; commercial and multi-family projects of three or more units require plans stamped by an architect/engineer; Required plan sheets: site plan, floor plan, exterior elevations, foundation plan, wall section, stair section, framing details (all at 1/4-inch scale); ResCheck or the Prescriptive Method is required for energy code (2021 IECC) compliance; Set-back requirements (front, side, rear, side-corner) must be shown on the site plan; Separate permits are required for electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work — this building permit does not cover those trades; Permit becomes null and void if work has not commenced within 180 days, or is suspended/abandoned for 180 days at any time after commencement. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Columbia Falls Building Department (Building, Planning & Public Works) at (406) 892-4391 before starting work.

In Columbia Falls, the published Building Permit Fee is: Calculated at time of submission based on project valuation; the City's own application form does not print a standalone valuation-fee table (field left blank for Building Department completion). No dedicated Columbia Falls fee-schedule document was found published separately from the application form after exhaustive search of the City's DocumentCenter, site search, and Resolutions listings.. Additional published fees: Plan Review Fee — Calculated at time of submission (field left blank on the City's application form for Building Department completion); Fire Prevention Program Fee — Calculated at time of submission (field left blank on the City's application form for Building Department completion); no separate percentage or flat-rate schedule for this fee was found published by the City. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Columbia Falls's published plan-review target for a residential building permit (new construction / addition / remodel / repair) is 1–10 business days.

You'll need: Building Permit Application; Building Permit Packet; Construction Drawings. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

The City of Whitefish Building Department performs building inspections for Columbia Falls under a contractual agreement between the two cities, even though permits are issued by the City of Columbia Falls. Schedule inspections directly with Whitefish at (406) 863-2410 or buildingdept@cityofwhitefish.gov, with at least 24 hours' notice.

Apply through City of Columbia Falls Building Department (Building, Planning & Public Works) at 130 6th St West, Columbia Falls, MT 59912. Phone: (406) 892-4391, email: sobczakc@cityofcolumbiafalls.com. Office hours: City Hall, 130 6th St West, Columbia Falls, MT 59912. Building/Planning/Public Works Clerk: Caleb Sobczak, (406) 892-4432, sobczakc@cityofcolumbiafalls.com. All building, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permit applications begin at City Hall by contacting the Building Clerk; actual building inspections are scheduled directly with the City of Whitefish Building Department, (406) 863-2410, buildingdept@cityofwhitefish.gov, under a contractual inspection-services agreement between the two cities. Source: City of Columbia Falls Building Inspection & Code Enforcement page, cityofcolumbiafalls.org/1204/Building-Inspection-Code-Enforcement. Official information: https://www.cityofcolumbiafalls.org/1240/Permits-Applications.

Columbia Falls, 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 (building, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, swimming pool, wildland-urban interface, etc.); a certified local program's adopted code 'may include only codes adopted by the Building Codes Bureau' (ARM 24.301.202). Non-certified trades/areas 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).; Columbia Falls is a Montana DLI-certified jurisdiction for Building (B), Plumbing (P), Electrical (E), Mechanical (M), Swimming Pool (SP), AND Wildland-Urban Interface (W) within Columbia Falls city limits — the fullest certification tier on the statewide DLI list (matched only by Whitefish and Bozeman). Certified Building Official of record: Tad Lisowski, per the DLI 'CITY CODES BUILDING OFFICIAL PHONE JURISDICTION' certified-jurisdictions PDF (bsd.dli.mt.gov/_docs/building-codes-permits/certified-city.pdf), updated 04/22/2026. Legend on that PDF: B = Building, P = Plumbing, M/G = Medical Gas, E = Electrical, M = Mechanical, SP = Pool, W = WUI (Wildland-Urban Interface). Tad Lisowski is also the certified building official of record for Whitefish, consistent with the two cities' shared building-inspection arrangement.; The City of Columbia Falls has adopted all 2021 building-related codes (2021 IBC, IRC, IEBC, IMC, IFGC, IECC, ISPSC editions as adopted statewide, effective June 11, 2022) per 'Administrative Order 2022 Building Code Adoption,' referenced on the City's Permits & Applications page. Source: City of Columbia Falls Permits & Applications page, cityofcolumbiafalls.org/1240/Permits-Applications.; 2021 International Building Code (IBC) — effective statewide June 11, 2022; adopted by City of Columbia Falls per Administrative Order 2022 Building Code Adoption; 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) — effective statewide June 11, 2022; adopted by City of Columbia Falls per Administrative Order 2022 Building Code Adoption; 2021 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — effective statewide June 11, 2022; state-adopted edition applicable within Columbia Falls' certified Building program; 2021 International Mechanical Code (IMC) — effective statewide June 11, 2022; adopted by City of Columbia Falls per Administrative Order 2022 Building Code Adoption; 2021 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) — effective statewide June 11, 2022; state-adopted edition applicable within Columbia Falls' certified Mechanical program; 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — effective statewide June 11, 2022; adopted by City of Columbia Falls per Administrative Order 2022 Building Code Adoption; the City's Building Permit Application requires ResCheck or the Prescriptive Method for energy-code compliance; 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) — effective statewide June 11, 2022; state-adopted edition applicable within Columbia Falls' certified Plumbing program (Montana uses the Uniform Plumbing Code, not the International Plumbing Code); 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC) — effective statewide June 11, 2022; applicable within Columbia Falls' certified Electrical program per the City's Electrical Permit Application, which cites Title 50, Chapter 60, MCA and ARM 24.301.421/24.301.203; 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) — effective statewide June 11, 2022; Columbia Falls is DLI-certified for swimming pool (SP) permitting; 2021 International Fire Code (IFC) — state-adopted edition; the City's Building Permit Application references a 'Fire Prevention Program Fee' as a distinct line item collected with building permit fees; Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) code provisions — Columbia Falls holds DLI 'W' certification, meaning the City (not the state) enforces WUI code requirements within city limits. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau certified-jurisdictions PDF.. Local amendments apply — see the Columbia Falls overview page for the full list.

Plans must indicate a minimum snow load of 55 lbs, Seismic Zone D1, and a 115 MPH wind design speed, per the City of Columbia Falls Building Permit Packet checklist.