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Change of Occupancy / Change of Use Permit in Ronan, Montana

Required whenever a commercial tenant space changes occupancy classification or use within Ronan city limits. The City of Ronan does NOT publish a separate Change of Use or Certificate of Occupancy application or fee — its single generic Application for Building Permit explicitly lists 'change the occupancy' of a building or structure as one of the actions requiring a permit (alongside new construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, moving, and demolition), and the same valuation-based Building Permit Fee Schedule Worksheet is used to calculate the fee.

Verified 2026-07-22 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Any owner or authorized agent who intends to 'change the occupancy' of a building or structure must first make application to the building official and obtain the required permit, per the exact language of the City's Application for Building Permit form
  • Complete the standard Application for Building Permit: owner, physical address, legal description, use and occupancy of the building or structure, brief description of the project (the change of use/occupancy), and estimated cost of the project
  • Permit fee calculated from the same valuation-based Building Permit Fee Schedule Worksheet used for new construction; a 20% plan-review fee applies if the total project valuation exceeds $5,000
  • No separate Certificate of Occupancy application, inspection checklist, or fee distinct from the standard Building Permit was found published by the City of Ronan

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Building Permit Fee (valuation-based, same schedule as new construction)City of Ronan Building Permit Fee Schedule Worksheet, adopted March 3, 2020. No separate Certificate of Occupancy or change-of-use-specific fee line was found published by the City after reviewing the Building Department page, the Application for Building Permit, and the Fee Schedule Worksheet — the general valuation-based schedule applies, consistent with how demolition and accessory-structure work are treated elsewhere in this file.
$35.00 minimum (valuation $1,999 or less), scaling per the City's Building Permit Fee Schedule Worksheet
Plan Review Fee — total project valuations over $5,000City of Ronan Building Permit Fee Schedule Worksheet; applies to change-of-occupancy projects the same as any other permitted work
20% of the calculated building permit fee

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Change of Occupancy / Change of Use Permit permit actually take in Ronan?

Anonymous — one question, no email. Answers are combined and only shown once at least 5 people have reported.

Inspection process

    See the full Ronan inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

    Tips

    • A change of occupancy or change of use in Ronan does not have its own separate application or fee — it uses the exact same generic Application for Building Permit and valuation-based fee worksheet as new construction, additions, and demolition.
    • If the new use involves a commercial kitchen, assembly occupancy, or other use requiring additional life-safety review, confirm with Building Official Dan Miller, (406) 676-4231, whether any fire-suppression-related scope applies (see this file's fire-sprinkler-alarm-permit entry — Ronan has no local certified fire-plan-review authority for that scope).
    • A 20% plan-review fee applies to any change-of-occupancy project valued over $5,000, the same as for new construction.

    Frequently asked questions

    Yes. The City of Ronan's Application for Building Permit explicitly covers a 'change of occupancy' alongside new construction and alteration. There is no separate Certificate of Occupancy application or fee — the same generic form and valuation-based fee schedule apply. Contact the Building Department at (406) 676-4231 for guidance on a specific project.

    In Ronan, the published Building Permit Fee (valuation-based, same schedule as new construction) is: $35.00 minimum (valuation $1,999 or less), scaling per the City's Building Permit Fee Schedule Worksheet. Additional published fees: Plan Review Fee — total project valuations over $5,000 — 20% of the calculated building permit fee. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

    Ronan does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Ronan Building Department — Building Official Dan Miller; city-certified for Building (B) permits only. Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical/HVAC permits within Ronan city limits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau, not the City. at (406) 676-4231 for current turnaround.

    You'll need: Application for Building Permit (Change of Occupancy). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

    Apply through City of Ronan Building Department — Building Official Dan Miller; city-certified for Building (B) permits only. Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical/HVAC permits within Ronan city limits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau, not the City. at 207 Main St SW, Ste A, Ronan, MT 59864. Phone: (406) 676-4231, email: clerk@cityofronan.org. Office hours: City Hall business hours not separately published online; contact (406) 676-4231 or clerk@cityofronan.org. City ordinances may be obtained at 207 Main St SW during normal business hours per the City's own Ordinances page.. Official information: https://cityofronan.org/departments/planning-department/.

    Ronan, 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 City, County and Town Programs (bsd.dli.mt.gov/building-codes-permits).; Ronan is a Montana DLI-certified jurisdiction for Building (B) ONLY within city limits; certified building official on file with DLI: Dan Miller, (406) 676-4231. Verified directly against the DLI Building Codes Bureau's 'Montana Certified Local Government Program' roster PDF, updated 04/22/2026 (fetched and read directly, not via a mirror): 'Ronan | B | Dan Miller | 676-4231 | City Limits'. Source: https://bsd.dli.mt.gov/_docs/building-codes-permits/certified-city.pdf; The City of Ronan's own published Building Department forms reference the 2012 International Building Code (IBC) and 2012 International Residential Code (IRC), specifically Section 105.2 (IBC) / R105.2 (IRC) 'Work exempt from permit' provisions — a locally-adopted 2012-cycle edition, not the 2021-cycle state-adopted edition used by non-certified/directly-state-administered jurisdictions. Source: City of Ronan Building Department page, '2012 IBC Exempt' and 'Work Exempt From Permits 2012 IRC' PDFs (cityofronan.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/2012-IBC-Exempt.pdf and .../Work-Exempt-From-Permits-2012-IRC2.pdf).; Per the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau's Current Codes page (statewide effective date June 11, 2022, governing state-administered permits and setting the baseline amendment framework under ARM Title 24 Chapter 301): 2021 IBC, 2021 IRC, 2021 IEBC, 2021 IMC, 2021 IFGC, 2021 IECC, 2021 ISPSC, 2021 UPC, 2020 NEC, 2017 ICC A117.1 Accessibility. Ronan's own published exemption-list forms cite the 2012 IBC/IRC by name rather than the current 2021-cycle editions; this discrepancy is reported as found rather than assumed away — the City's posted permit-exemption documents have not been confirmed updated to the current statewide cycle as of this review. Source: bsd.dli.mt.gov/building-codes-permits/current-codes. Local amendments apply — see the Ronan overview page for the full list.

    Sources & verification

    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 Ronan building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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