Plumbing Permit (State-Issued, incl. Water Heater) in Libby, Montana

Yes. Water heater installation or replacement requires a state Plumbing Permit for $25, issued by the Montana Building Codes Bureau (not the city), since Libby is not plumbing-certified.

In Libby, the published Each NEW water heater (or replacement) is: $25. Additional published fees: Each plumbing fixture or trap — $10 per fixture/trap. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Libby does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Libby Building Department — Building Inspector Walter Snyder; city-certified for Building (B), RESIDENTIAL ONLY, plus Swimming Pool (SP) permits. Commercial building permits, and Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical permits for ALL project types (residential and commercial), within Libby city limits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau, not the City. at (406) 293-2731 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Application for Plumbing Permit (BCP-1). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Apply through City of Libby Building Department — Building Inspector Walter Snyder; city-certified for Building (B), RESIDENTIAL ONLY, plus Swimming Pool (SP) permits. Commercial building permits, and Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical permits for ALL project types (residential and commercial), within Libby city limits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau, not the City. at 952 E. Spruce St., PO Box 1428, Libby, MT 59923. Phone: (406) 293-2731, email: building.inspector@cityoflibby.com. Office hours: City Hall, 952 E. Spruce St., Libby, MT 59923; general line (406) 293-2731, fax (406) 293-4090. Building Inspector Walter Snyder direct line (406) 291-9629, email building.inspector@cityoflibby.com.. Official information: https://cityoflibby.com/departments-services/building-inspector/.

Libby, 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 and non-certified project scopes 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).; Libby is a Montana DLI-certified jurisdiction for Building (B), RESIDENTIAL ONLY, plus Swimming Pool (SP), within city limits; certified official on file with DLI: Walter Snyder, (406) 293-2731. 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 taken on secondhand summary): 'Libby | B (residential only), SP | Walter Snyder | 293-2731 | City Limits'. This means COMMERCIAL building permits within Libby city limits, and Electrical/Plumbing/Mechanical permits for ALL project types (residential and commercial), are issued DIRECTLY by the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, not the City. Source: https://bsd.dli.mt.gov/_docs/building-codes-permits/certified-city.pdf; The City of Libby's own Building Inspector Department page and Building Permit Requirements packet list the codes referenced for construction in Libby as: the 2021 International Residential Code (IRC), 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), 2021 International Existing Building Code (IEBC), and 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) — consistent with a small residential-and-pool-only-certified jurisdiction enforcing the state-adopted editions rather than authoring independently amended code text. Source: City of Libby Building Inspector page, https://cityoflibby.com/departments-services/building-inspector/; Per the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau's Current Codes page (statewide effective date June 11, 2022, applicable to all certified and state-enforced jurisdictions alike): 2021 IBC, 2021 IRC, 2021 IEBC, 2021 IMC, 2021 IFGC, 2021 IECC, 2021 ISPSC, 2021 UPC, 2020 NEC, 2017 ICC A117.1 Accessibility. Source: bsd.dli.mt.gov/building-codes-permits/current-codes; The City's own downloadable Building Permit Requirements and Application packet (cityoflibby.com) still references an older permit-fee appendix table sourced from the 2006 International Residential Code (Appendix L) and an inspection-record card citing the 2009 IBC/IRC — the City's packet has not been fully refreshed to reference 2021-edition appendix/section numbers even though the statewide code in force is now the 2021 edition; this is reported as an observed inconsistency in the City's own published document, not an invented fact.. Local amendments apply — see the Libby overview page for the full list.