Polson building permits

Building department

Address

106 1st Street East, Polson, MT 59860

Phone

(406) 883-8214

Email

bp@cityofpolson.com

Office hours

City Hall main line (406) 883-8200, fax (406) 883-8238. Building Official: Lynda Benson, (406) 883-8216. Community Development Director: Rob Edington, (406) 883-8213. Applications may be submitted by mail (City of Polson, 106 1st Street East, Polson, MT 59860) or by email to bp@cityofpolson.com. The City also directs applicants to apply online at GovWell.com.

Website

Official site

Permit portal

Apply online at Polson's portal

Inspection guide

See how inspections work in Polson — sequence, scheduling & re-inspection fees.

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.

• 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; 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 (bsd.dli.mt.gov/_docs/building-codes-permits/certified-city.pdf, updated 04/22/2026).
• Polson is a Montana DLI-certified jurisdiction for Building (B), Plumbing (P), Electrical (E), and Mechanical (M) — but explicitly NOT Swimming Pool (SP) — within Polson city limits. Certified program contact on file with DLI: 'Office', (406) 883-8214. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, 'Montana Certified Local Government Program' roster (bsd.dli.mt.gov/_docs/building-codes-permits/certified-city.pdf, updated 04/22/2026), row 'Polson | B, P, E, M | Office | 883-8214 | City Limits'. Directly fetched and text-extracted from the PDF during this research pass (2026-07-04); no 'SP' designation appears for Polson in the roster, unlike Darby, Hamilton, Manhattan, and other full-trade-certified Montana towns in this same roster which explicitly list 'SP'. No separate Lake County-level DLI certification row exists in the roster (the county itself is not a certified jurisdiction), so there is no competing county-level certification for areas outside Polson city limits.
• 2021 International Building Code (IBC), as amended by ARM 24.301.131 — per City of Polson Standards for Design & Construction page (Montana Building Codes / International Code Council list)
• 2021 International Residential Code (IRC), as amended by ARM 24.301.154 — per City of Polson Standards for Design & Construction page
• 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), as amended by ARM 24.301.161 — per City of Polson Standards for Design & Construction page
• 2021 International Existing Building Code (IEBC), as amended by ARM 24.301.171 — per City of Polson Standards for Design & Construction page
• 2021 International Mechanical Code (IMC), as amended by ARM 24.301.172 — per City of Polson Standards for Design & Construction page; also cited directly on the City's Mechanical Permit Application ('Title 50, Chapter 60, Section 104, MCA and ARM 24.301.172')
• 2021 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), as amended by ARM 24.301.173 — per City of Polson Standards for Design & Construction page
• 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC), as amended by ARM 24.301.175 — per City of Polson Standards for Design & Construction page. Note: this code is listed among Montana's statewide-adopted codes referenced by the City's own Standards page, but Polson is NOT DLI-certified for Swimming Pool (SP) permitting — see codesAdopted certification note above; pool-specific permitting/inspection is understood to route to the state DLI Building Codes Bureau rather than being issued locally by Polson.
• 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC), as amended by ARM 24.301.301 — per City of Polson Standards for Design & Construction page; also cited directly on the City's Plumbing Permit Application ('Title 50, Chapter 60, Section 505, MCA and ARM 24.301.301 and ARM 24.301.361'). Montana uses the Uniform Plumbing Code, not the International Plumbing Code.
• 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC) — effective statewide June 11, 2022 per Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau Current Codes summary; cited directly on the City of Polson Electrical Permit Application ('Title 50, Chapter 60, Section 604, MCA and ARM 24.301.431'). Not separately listed on the City's own Standards for Design & Construction code list (which enumerates only ICC/UPC family codes), but confirmed via the statewide DLI source and the City's own electrical permit application form citation.
• All codes verified directly against the City of Polson 'Standards for Design & Construction' page (Montana Building Codes / International Code Council section), https://www.cityofpolson.com/building/page/standards-design-construction, fetched and read directly during this research pass (2026-07-04).

Permit types & fees

• Zoning Conformance & Building Permit (New Construction / Addition / Remodel)

  Required for new single-family and two-family dwelling construction, additions, and remodels within Polson city limits. Uses a single combined Zoning Conformance & Building Permit Application reviewed against the Polson Development Code (Zoning Conformance) and the adopted 2021 IBC/IRC/IECC/IEBC (Building Permit). Applications submitted to the Building Department at 106 1st Street East, or online at GovWell.com.

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• Electrical Permit

  Required for electrical installation, alteration, or repair work in Polson, governed by the 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC) per Title 50, Chapter 60, Section 604, MCA and ARM 24.301.431. Polson is a Montana DLI-certified jurisdiction for electrical permitting.

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• Plumbing Permit

  Required for plumbing installation, alteration, or repair work in Polson, governed by the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) per Title 50, Chapter 60, Section 505, MCA and ARM 24.301.301/.361. Polson is a Montana DLI-certified jurisdiction for plumbing permitting.

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• Mechanical / HVAC Permit

  Required for heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and related mechanical installations in Polson, governed by the 2021 International Mechanical Code (IMC) per Title 50, Chapter 60, Section 104, MCA and ARM 24.301.172. Polson is a Montana DLI-certified jurisdiction for mechanical permitting. Boiler work is explicitly excluded and routes to the State.

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• Demolition Permit

  Required for demolition of buildings within Polson city limits, following the City's published Guidelines for Demolition. Includes a mandatory EPA federal notification step in addition to the City permit.

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• Fence Permit (Fencing Application)

  Fences in Polson are reviewed by the Planning Department under a flat-fee zoning permit process, separate from the Building Department's construction-trade permits.

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• Lakeshore Construction Permit

  Required for construction activity along Flathead Lake shoreline property within Polson, a locally-specific permit type reflecting Polson's location on Flathead Lake. Fee is tiered by project cost.

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• Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit

  Required for rooftop or ground-mounted residential solar photovoltaic installation within Polson city limits. The City's Application for Electrical Permit and Building Department Fee Schedule have no dedicated solar/PV line item — the array/mounting/structural scope is billed under the general valuation-based Building Permit Fee table, and the electrical interconnection scope is billed under the Single Family Interior/Exterior Wire or Rewire circuit-count tiers on the Electrical Permit Application (governed by Title 50, Chapter 60, Section 604, MCA and ARM 24.301.431). Polson is DLI-certified for Building, Plumbing, Electrical, and Mechanical (B, P, E, M) permitting.

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• EV Charger / EVSE Permit

  Polson has no EV-charger-specific permit type or fee line. An EV charger (EVSE) circuit is electrical work, governed by the 2020 NEC as adopted by the City (a Montana DLI-certified jurisdiction for electrical permitting), and is filed on the same Application for Electrical Permit used for any other residential wiring project. The Electrical Permit Application has no EV-specific checkbox — the fee is selected from the closest applicable Single Family Interior/Exterior Wire or Rewire circuit-count category (for adding a dedicated EV circuit) or, if the installation requires a panel/service upgrade, the corresponding Residential Change of Service or amperage-tier category.

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• Sign Permit

  Required every time a new freestanding, ground-mounted, monument, or building-mounted sign is proposed within Polson, per the City's Sign Permit Application. Administered by the Community Development / Planning Department, distinct from Building Department trade permits — the Certificate of Occupancy/Change of Use Application form explicitly notes 'Sign appl (separate appl/fee)' to flag that sign permitting is its own process.

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• Fire Sprinkler / Fire Alarm Permit

  Polson has no standalone, published City permit, application form, or fee schedule specifically for fire sprinkler or fire alarm system installation. The City of Polson Fire Dept page lists only Open Burning and Burn Permits — no sprinkler/alarm permit. Montana's DLI Certified Local Government Program, which certifies Polson for Building (B), Plumbing (P), Electrical (E), and Mechanical (M) permitting, has no Fire Suppression or Fire Alarm trade designation for ANY Montana jurisdiction on its roster (the roster's own key defines only B, P, M/G, E, M, SP, and W) — fire-sprinkler/alarm plan review is not part of that local-certification framework at all, for Polson or any other certified Montana city. Businesses that sell, install, or service fire alarm or fire-suppression systems anywhere in Montana must instead hold a Fire Protection license issued by Montana DLI's Fire Prevention Licensing Program — a statewide contractor/business license, not a project-specific City permit. The Montana DOJ State Fire Marshal's Office administers statewide fire prevention, inspection of public buildings, and certification of local inspection programs under Title 50, Chapter 3, MCA, but its published materials describe inspection/investigation authority rather than a project-specific fire-sprinkler/alarm plan-review permit application or fee, and none was found for Polson.

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• Certificate of Occupancy / Change of Use Permit

  Required when a structure's business use changes or a Certificate of Occupancy is needed, using the City's single combined 'Application for Certificate of Occupancy/Change of Use' form. The currently effective Planning and Public Works Fee Schedule (2026-01-15) separately lists 'Certificate of Occupancy' and 'Change of Use Permit' as two distinct $100 line items under Planning fees, even though the City's own application form is one combined document listing a single $100 fee.

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