Sign Permit (Commercial/Business Signage) in Whitefish, Montana

Whitefish requires a sign permit (commercial/business signage) for: Sign Permit Application required prior to erecting any sign; self-estimated fee must be attached at submittal per the current fee schedule; Applicant must identify the parcel's Sign District (Highway, Old Town, Community Business/Resort, Business Service, or Residential), each with its own standards for number of signs, allowable area, height, and spacing per Appendix G of the Sign Permit Application; All free-standing and ground-mounted signs must have a landscaped area around the sign base containing living landscape materials (shrubs and/or perennial ground cover); Multiple Businesses on a Single Development Site: a master sign plan is required for all multi-use buildings and commercial developments with more than one tenant and/or building; the property owner must submit a letter stating allowable square footage per tenant; the master sign plan must be approved prior to issuance of a building permit for any new buildings, additions, or renovations, and is assigned to the site address (it does not move with individual tenants); An aerial site plan showing property dimensions, building location, driveways, and the proposed sign location(s), plus a scaled drawing of each sign showing height, size, dimensions, materials, colors, structural supports, landscaping, lighting, electrical components, and total square footage per sign face, must be submitted; The permit becomes null and void if the sign(s) authorized are not installed within 180 days from the permit's date of issuance; The permit is for the sign only; any structural, foundation, or electrical work requires a separate permit (e.g., electrical trade permit for illuminated signs); A Temporary Sign Permit Application (separate, lower-cost form) governs temporary signage; a separate Campaign Sign Information sheet governs political campaign signs. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Whitefish Planning & Building Department at (406) 863-2410 before starting work.

Sign permits are fee-tiered by total sign area: $100 + $5/sq ft for 0-25 sq ft, $165 + $5/sq ft for 26-50 sq ft, and $230 + $5/sq ft for 51 sq ft and over. Temporary signs are a flat $50. An 'after the fact' permit (for a sign installed without a prior permit) is double the otherwise-applicable fee. Source: City of Whitefish Current Fee Schedule PDF (rev. 10-18-21) and Sign Permit Application (rev. 03-24-2023).

Whitefish does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Whitefish Planning & Building Department at (406) 863-2410 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Sign Permit Application; Aerial Site Plan; Scaled Sign Drawing. Depending on your project, Whitefish may also ask for: Master Sign Plan / Property Owner Letter; Temporary Sign Permit Application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Apply through City of Whitefish Planning & Building Department at 418 E 2nd Street, PO Box 158, Whitefish, MT 59937. Phone: (406) 863-2410, email: buildingdept@cityofwhitefish.gov. Office hours: Planning & Building Department, 418 E 2nd Street, Whitefish, MT 59937 (inspection requests: (406) 863-2414 or buildingdept@cityofwhitefish.gov, minimum 24 hours notice required). Official information: https://www.cityofwhitefish.gov/191/Building-Permits-Inspections.

Whitefish, 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, WUI, etc.); non-certified 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).; Whitefish is a Montana DLI-certified jurisdiction for Building (B), Plumbing (P), Electrical (E), Mechanical (M), Swimming Pool (SP), AND Wildland-Urban Interface (W) within Whitefish city limits — the fullest certification tier on the DLI list, matching only Bozeman and Columbia Falls statewide. Certified Building Official of record: Tad Lisowski, (406) 863-2410. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, '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) — 'W' is NOT a water-heater designation.; 2021 International Building Code (IBC) — statewide effective June 11, 2022; cited directly on the City of Whitefish Building Permits / Inspections page as a code applicable plans must meet; 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) — statewide effective June 11, 2022; cited on the City of Whitefish Building Permits / Inspections page; 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — statewide effective June 11, 2022; cited on the City of Whitefish Building Permits / Inspections page; energy code compliance demonstrated via Prescriptive path, REScheck (residential), or COMcheck (commercial); 2021 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — statewide effective June 11, 2022; cited on the City of Whitefish Building Permits / Inspections page; 2021 International Mechanical Code (IMC) — statewide effective June 11, 2022; cited on the City of Whitefish Building Permits / Inspections page; 2021 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) — statewide effective June 11, 2022; cited on the City of Whitefish Building Permits / Inspections page; 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) — statewide effective June 11, 2022; cited on the City of Whitefish Building Permits / Inspections page (Montana uses the Uniform Plumbing Code, not the International Plumbing Code); 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC) — statewide effective June 11, 2022; cited on the City of Whitefish Building Permits / Inspections page; 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) — statewide effective June 11, 2022; cited on the City of Whitefish Building Permits / Inspections page; Whitefish is DLI-certified for swimming pool (SP) permitting; 2021 International Wildland-Urban Interface Code (IWUIC) — statewide edition; cited on the City of Whitefish Building Permits / Inspections page ('2021 IWUIC'); Whitefish is DLI-certified for WUI (W) and requires a Fire Risk Assessment per the 2021 WUI code on new construction and addition Residential Building Permit applications; City of Whitefish Code of Ordinances, Title 10 (Building Regulations), Chapter 1 (Building Codes): Section 10-1-1 Adoption of Technical Codes and Administrative Regulations; Section 10-1-4 Building Permits. Source: codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/whitefishmt. Local amendments apply — see the Whitefish overview page for the full list.

Multi-use buildings and commercial developments with more than one tenant and/or building require a master sign plan on file with the City, stating the allowable square footage per tenant; this master plan is assigned to the development's address (not to individual tenants) and must be approved before a building permit is issued for new buildings, additions, or renovations. Source: City of Whitefish Sign Permit Application (rev. 03-24-2023), Section B.