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Construction Permit — Residential Building (New Construction / Addition / Remodel) in East Helena, Montana

Required for new one- and two-family residential construction, additions, remodels, and other structural building work within East Helena city limits, issued by the City of East Helena Department of Building & Safety under its DLI-certified local Building (B) program (2021 IBC/IRC). Must be preceded by an approved Zoning Application. Submitted at City Hall, 306 E. Main Street.

Verified 2026-07-03 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Zoning Application must be approved before a Building Permit Application is submitted
  • Construction Permit Application (Building & Safety) must be completed with project address, owner/architect/contractor information, description of project, and estimated valuation of work
  • Owner-Builder & Worker's Compensation Declaration section must be completed (owner performing work vs. licensed contractor vs. Worker's Compensation Insurance certification) Owner-builderContractor
  • For new construction, additions, and remodels: Residential One- and Two-Family Dwellings Plan Submittal Requirements apply — site plan, foundation plan, floor plans, floor framing plan, lateral bracing analysis, building section/framing details, roof framing, exterior elevations, and fireplace details (if applicable) as described in the city's published submittal checklist
  • Engineered floor/roof truss data sheets required where applicable; calculations and drawings signed/sealed by a Montana-licensed design professional required for structural elements exceeding IRC Section R301 limits or otherwise non-conforming to the IRC
  • Geotechnical report required where expansive, compressible, shifting, or otherwise questionable soil conditions are likely present
  • Incomplete submittals are returned to the applicant un-reviewed
  • Applicant must pay the plan-review portion of the fee within 30 days of notification that plan review is complete (even if not proceeding to construction), and 100% of the total permit fee before starting work
  • Digital plans may be emailed to the Building Official at building@easthelenamt.us

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Building Permit Fee (new construction, addition, remodel)Not published as a flat table. City site states the fee 'is based on a predetermined formula and depends on the size of the project after submitting the permit application.' No fee schedule PDF was found on easthelenamt.us after checking the Planning/Zoning/Building page, the Forms page, and all linked PDFs; contact City Hall at (406) 227-5321 or building@easthelenamt.us for the current calculation.
Not published — contact the department

Review timeline

Plan reviewEast Helena’s published plan-review target
1–10 business days

How long did your Construction Permit — Residential Building (New Construction / Addition / Remodel) permit actually take in East Helena?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Footing Inspection

    Made when forms and footing steel are in place, prior to any concrete being placed

  2. 2

    Foundation Inspection

    Made after forms are erected and foundation steel is in place, prior to any concrete being placed

  3. 3

    Framing Inspection

    Made after roof, all framing, sheathing, fireblocking, and bracing are in place and all rough electrical wiring, plumbing, chimneys, vents, and ducting are complete, and before thermal insulation is installed

  4. 4

    Insulation Inspection

    Not required for single-family dwellings as a called inspection; required for commercial/multi-family after exterior wall and ceiling insulation is installed and secured, before interior surface covering is applied

  5. 5

    Wallboard Inspection

    Made after all wallboard is in place, but before joints and fasteners are taped/finished

  6. 6

    Final Inspection

    Made after the building is completed and ready for occupancy and all special conditions required for permit issuance are completed; a completed 'Energy Efficient Components' label (per Sec. 50-60-803, MCA) must be affixed to the interior breaker panel first

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

Tips

  • A Zoning Application must be approved BEFORE the Building Permit Application is submitted — plan for both steps.
  • No flat building-permit fee schedule is published; the city calculates fees by valuation formula after the application is submitted. Confirm the current calculation directly with the Department of Building & Safety, (406) 227-5321 / building@easthelenamt.us.
  • reviewTimelineDays is encoded from MCA 50-60-106(2)(c): a Montana jurisdiction certified under 50-60-302 (East Helena is certified for Building) must issue the permit or a written notice of plan disapproval within 10 working days of the contractor's submission when the state's single-family-dwelling checklist (devised under 50-60-118) is attached to the plans. East Helena's own site and permit forms do not publish an independent turnaround figure, so this statutory floor is used as the governing timeline rather than an invented number.
  • East Helena sits within the federal Superfund Institutional Control Program (ICP) administrative area (former ASARCO smelter site) — coordinate with the LEAP office (Room 201, City Hall, (406) 457-8583) to determine if soil/lead compliance measures apply to your project.
  • This permit becomes null and void if work is not commenced within 180 days, or is suspended/abandoned for 180 days after starting; request a progress inspection before 180 days elapses between inspections to keep the permit active.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. Per the City of East Helena's own Planning/Zoning/Building page, 'Building Permit Applications are submitted after approval of a Zoning Application.' Both processes go through City Hall at 306 E. Main Street.

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

You'll need: Construction Permit Application; Residential One- and Two-Family Dwellings Plan Submittal Requirements checklist. Depending on your project, East Helena may also ask for: Engineered Floor/Roof Truss Data Sheets. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

East Helena requires 6 inspection(s) for a construction permit — residential building (new construction / addition / remodel), in order: Footing Inspection, Foundation Inspection, Framing Inspection, Insulation Inspection, Wallboard Inspection, Final Inspection. Schedule each through City of East Helena Department of Building & Safety — city-certified for Building (B) and Swimming Pool (SP) only; Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical permits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau ((406) 227-5321).

Apply through City of East Helena Department of Building & Safety — city-certified for Building (B) and Swimming Pool (SP) only; Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical permits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau at 306 E. Main Street, PO Box 1170, East Helena, MT 59635. Phone: (406) 227-5321, email: building@easthelenamt.us. Office hours: City Hall, 306 E. Main Street, East Helena, MT 59635 (Administration Department, general questions: (406) 227-5321); Building Official/LEAP staff in Room 201 of City Hall, (406) 457-8583. Official information: https://easthelenamt.us/coeh/planning-zoning-building/.

East Helena, 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 trades within a certified jurisdiction, and all trades in 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).; East Helena is a Montana DLI-certified jurisdiction for Building (B) and Swimming Pool (SP) ONLY within East Helena city limits — Colin Thomas is the certified building official of record, (406) 594-6322. East Helena is NOT certified for Electrical (E), Plumbing (P), or Mechanical (M); those permits are issued directly by the state DLI Building Codes Bureau for all addresses within East Helena city limits. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, 'CITY CODES BUILDING OFFICIAL PHONE JURISDICTION' certified-jurisdictions PDF (https://bsd.dli.mt.gov/_docs/building-codes-permits/certified-city.pdf), updated 04/22/2026 — East Helena row reads 'B, SP / Colin Thomas / 594-6322 / City Limits'; independently cross-confirmed against the DLI 'Certified City, County and Town Programs' HTML page (bsd.dli.mt.gov/building-codes-permits/certified-government), same B, SP result. Legend on the PDF: B = Building, P = Plumbing, M/G = Medical Gas, E = Electrical, M = Mechanical, SP = Pool, W = WUI (Wildland-Urban Interface).; The City of East Helena's own Construction Permit Application confirms the split directly: 'Separate permits are required for building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work,' and the city's Planning/Zoning/Building webpage links its 'Electrical Permits' quick-link directly to the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau's electrical-permits page (bsd.dli.mt.gov/Building-Codes-Permits/Permit-Information/electrical-permits), not to any city-issued electrical form. Source: City of East Helena Construction Permit Application (PDF), easthelenamt.us/PDF/building_permit.pdf; City of East Helena Planning/Zoning/Building page, easthelenamt.us/coeh/planning-zoning-building/.; 2021 International Building Code (IBC) — statewide edition effective June 11, 2022, referenced directly on the City of East Helena Construction Permit Application (IBC Sec. 109.3 and 109.3.8 quoted verbatim on the inspection-requirements side of the form) and enforced locally by the city's own DLI-certified building official. Source: City of East Helena Construction Permit Application (PDF).; 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) — statewide edition effective June 11, 2022; the City of East Helena's Residential One- and Two-Family Dwellings Plan Submittal Requirements document cites IRC Section R301 and IRC Section R602.10 directly for structural/lateral-bracing plan-review purposes. Source: City of East Helena Residential Plan Submittal Requirements (PDF), easthelenamt.us/PDF/COEH_BuildingPlanSubmittalInfo_2021.pdf.; 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — statewide edition effective June 11, 2022; East Helena's Plan Submittal Requirements require insulation R-values for foundations, walls, and roofs to be shown on submitted plans. Source: City of East Helena Residential Plan Submittal Requirements (PDF); Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau Current Codes page.; 2021 International Existing Building Code (IEBC), 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC), and 2017 ICC A117.1 Accessibility Standard — statewide editions effective June 11, 2022, applicable within East Helena as the locally-enforced editions for the Building and Swimming Pool trades the city is certified for. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, Current Codes page, bsd.dli.mt.gov/building-codes-permits/current-codes.; 2021 International Mechanical Code (IMC), 2021 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC), and 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC) all apply within East Helena city limits as the statewide-adopted editions (effective June 11, 2022) but are administered directly by the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau (Helena), not the City of East Helena, because East Helena holds no local certification for those trades. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, Current Codes page; DLI Building Codes Bureau Electrical/Plumbing/Mechanical Permits pages.. Local amendments apply — see the East Helena overview page for the full list.

The city does not publish a flat fee table. The Building Permit fee 'is based on a predetermined formula and depends on the size of the project after submitting the permit application' (City of East Helena Planning/Zoning/Building page). Contact City Hall at (406) 227-5321 for the current calculation.

Other permits in East Helena

Informational Building Permit (Minor Residential Work)Construction Permit — Deck / Accessory Structure (Garage, Shed)Demolition PermitSwimming Pool PermitElectrical Permit (State-Issued)Residential Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit — State-Issued Electrical Permit Add-OnEV Charger / EVSE Permit — State-Issued Electrical Permit (No Distinct Line Item)Plumbing Permit (including Water Heater) — State-IssuedMechanical / HVAC Permit — State-IssuedSign Permit (Sketch Plan Zoning Review)Fire Sprinkler & Fire Alarm System PermitChange of Use / Occupancy Permit

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