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Change of Occupancy / Certificate of Occupancy in Livingston, Montana

Livingston has no standalone 'change of use' or 'certificate of occupancy' application distinct from the standard City of Livingston Building Permit Application. A change in a building's IBC/IEBC occupancy classification is processed as a Commercial Building Permit, reviewed by the City's DLI-certified Building Division under the locally adopted 2021 IBC and, at the owner's election, the 2021 International Existing Building Code's (IEBC) alternative prescriptive change-of-occupancy provisions (per Mont. Admin. R. 24.301.171). A certificate of occupancy is issued upon successful final inspection. Where only zoning-use confirmation is needed -- with no change in IBC occupancy classification and no new construction -- the Planning Department's separate Letter of Zoning Verification/Compliance is the applicable product instead.

Verified 2026-07-22 · Source

When you need this permit

  • No dedicated change-of-use or certificate-of-occupancy application distinct from the standard City of Livingston Building Permit Application (Commercial category) was found published
  • Per Mont. Admin. R. 24.301.171, incorporating the 2021 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) by reference, the owner of an existing building may elect to use either the 2021 IBC or the IEBC's alternative prescriptive provisions for a change of occupancy, but may not apply some requirements from the IEBC and others from the IBC on the same project
  • Reviewed by the City of Livingston Building Division under its DLI-certified local Building program (certified building official Jim Woodhull, (406) 222-0083)
  • Two complete sets of plans/specifications sufficient to demonstrate code compliance for the new occupancy classification must be submitted with the Building Permit Application, per the City's general building-permit submittal process
  • Where the request is only to confirm that an intended use is allowed under current zoning -- with no change in IBC/IEBC occupancy classification and no new construction -- the Planning Department's Letter of Zoning Verification/Compliance is the applicable product instead of a building permit

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Building Permit Fee -- valuation-based (same schedule as new commercial construction)City of Livingston Fee Schedule (Resolution 5181, approved 2/03/2026)
$23.50 minimum ($1.00-$500.00 valuation), scaling per the City of Livingston Fee Schedule Building Fees table
Plan Review Fee (projects over $15,000)City of Livingston Fee Schedule (Resolution 5181, approved 2/03/2026)
65% of the Building Permit Fee
Letter of Zoning Verification/ComplianceCity of Livingston Fee Schedule (Resolution 5181, approved 2/03/2026), Miscellaneous Planning Fees table -- for zoning-only confirmation, not a full change-of-occupancy building permit
$50

Review timeline

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

How long did your Change of Occupancy / Certificate of Occupancy permit actually take in Livingston?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Final / Certificate of Occupancy Inspection

    Completed work verified against approved plans and the new occupancy classification requirements (2021 IBC or 2021 IEBC, per the owner's election) prior to issuance of a certificate of occupancy

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

Tips

  • There is no separate 'change of use' or 'certificate of occupancy' application form in Livingston -- a change in IBC/IEBC occupancy classification is submitted as a standard Commercial Building Permit Application to the Building Division.
  • If you only need to confirm your intended use is allowed under current zoning -- with no change in occupancy classification and no new construction -- request the Planning Department's $50 Letter of Zoning Verification/Compliance instead of a building permit.
  • Per Mont. Admin. R. 24.301.171, you may use either the 2021 IBC or the 2021 IEBC's alternative prescriptive change-of-occupancy provisions, but you cannot mix requirements from both codes on the same project.

Frequently asked questions

Not necessarily. If there is no change in IBC/IEBC occupancy classification and no new construction, the Planning Department's $50 Letter of Zoning Verification/Compliance can confirm zoning compliance without going through the change-of-occupancy building-permit process.

In Livingston, the published Building Permit Fee -- valuation-based (same schedule as new commercial construction) is: $23.50 minimum ($1.00-$500.00 valuation), scaling per the City of Livingston Fee Schedule Building Fees table. Additional published fees: Plan Review Fee (projects over $15,000) — 65% of the Building Permit Fee; Letter of Zoning Verification/Compliance — $50. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Livingston's published plan-review target for a change of occupancy / certificate of occupancy permit is 1–10 business days.

You'll need: Building Permit Application (Commercial category). Depending on your project, Livingston may also ask for: Letter of Zoning Verification/Compliance request. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Livingston requires 1 inspection(s) for a change of occupancy / certificate of occupancy permit, in order: Final / Certificate of Occupancy Inspection. Schedule each through City of Livingston Building & Planning Department (Building Division) — city-certified for Building and Swimming Pool permits only; Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical/HVAC permits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau ((406) 222-4903 (Building & Planning); (406) 222-0083 (Interim Building Director Brad Haefs, Building Division)).

Apply through City of Livingston Building & Planning Department (Building Division) — city-certified for Building and Swimming Pool permits only; Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical/HVAC permits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau at 220 E. Park Street, Livingston, MT 59047 (Building Division field office: 330 Bennett Street). Phone: (406) 222-4903 (Building & Planning); (406) 222-0083 (Interim Building Director Brad Haefs, Building Division), email: jseverson@livingstonmontana.org (Planning Director Jennifer Severson); bhaefs@livingstonmontana.org (Interim Building Director Brad Haefs). Office hours: City Hall, 220 E. Park Street, Livingston, MT 59047. Official information: https://www.livingstonmontana.org/buildingplanning.

Livingston, 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, etc.); non-certified areas/trades 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).; Livingston is a Montana DLI-certified jurisdiction for Building (B) and Swimming Pool (SP) ONLY within Livingston city limits; certified building official on file with DLI: Jim Woodhull, (406) 222-0083. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, Certified City, County and Town Programs / Current Codes page, bsd.dli.mt.gov/building-codes-permits/certified-government; Livingston is NOT certified for Electrical (E), Plumbing/Mechanical-Gas (P(M/G)), or Mechanical (M). Per the City of Livingston Building Department page: 'The City of Livingston does not issue permits or conduct inspections for electrical, plumbing, or HVAC work. These services are regulated at the state level.' Source: City of Livingston Building Department page, https://www.livingstonmontana.org/buildingplanning/page/building-department; Park County (unincorporated, outside Livingston city limits) does not appear on the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau's certified local government list at all — unincorporated Park County is entirely state-enforced for Building, Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical permitting. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, Certified City, County and Town Programs list, bsd.dli.mt.gov/building-codes-permits/certified-government; 2021 International Building Code (IBC) — statewide effective June 11, 2022; per the City of Livingston Building Department, new 2021-edition building codes took effect locally September 23, 2022 ('NEW BUILDING CODES (2021) TAKE EFFECT SEPTEMBER 23, 2022'). Source: City of Livingston Building Department page; 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) — statewide effective June 11, 2022; adopted locally effective September 23, 2022 per City of Livingston Building Department page; 2021 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — statewide effective June 11, 2022; 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) — statewide effective June 11, 2022; Livingston is DLI-certified for swimming pool (SP) permitting; 2021 International Mechanical Code (IMC) and 2021 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) — statewide editions; state-administered permits in Livingston (city is not Mechanical-certified); 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) — statewide edition; state-administered permits in Livingston (city is not Plumbing-certified) — Montana uses the Uniform Plumbing Code, not the International Plumbing Code; 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC) — statewide edition; state-administered permits in Livingston (city is not Electrical-certified); 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — statewide effective June 11, 2022; All codes amended by the Administrative Rules of Montana (ARM) Title 24, Chapter 301. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, Current Codes page, bsd.dli.mt.gov/building-codes-permits/current-codes; The Livingston Building Department reviews plans and performs inspections using the ICC's IBC and IRC; codes are 're-adopted approximately every three years' per the City of Livingston Building Department page. No Livingston-specific Municode text of Chapter 6 (Uniform Building Code) confirming a distinct local amendment ordinance number could be retrieved (Municode's dynamic content did not resolve via direct fetch or Wayback Machine snapshot); the City's own Building Department page is used as the authoritative statement of adopted-code editions and effective date.. Local amendments apply — see the Livingston overview page for the full list.

Yes, but there is no standalone certificate-of-occupancy or change-of-use application -- a change in IBC/IEBC occupancy classification is submitted as a Commercial Building Permit Application to the Building Division, reviewed under the locally adopted 2021 IBC or, at the owner's election, the 2021 IEBC's alternative change-of-occupancy provisions (Mont. Admin. R. 24.301.171), with a certificate of occupancy issued after final inspection.