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Residential Addition / Remodel / Alteration Permit in Livingston, Montana

Required for additions, remodels, alterations, and exterior decks affecting existing one- and two-family dwellings in Livingston, including changes to door/window openings and moving or adding walls. Reviewed against the 2021 IRC as adopted locally. Uses the same Building Permit Application as new construction.

Verified 2026-07-03 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Building permit required per City of Livingston FAQs for: any structural work, changing door or window openings, moving or adding walls, and building exterior decks
  • Two complete sets of plans (site plan, cross-section(s), elevation(s), foundation/floor plan as applicable to scope) submitted with the Building Permit Application
  • Detached, one-story residential storage buildings 120 sq. ft. or smaller are exempt from the building permit requirement
  • Commercial alterations, even minor, will almost always require a permit to verify life-safety code compliance for the occupancy

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Building Permit Fee — valuation-based (same schedule as new 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
Other Building Inspection Fees (after-hours, unlisted inspection, additional plan review)City of Livingston Fee Schedule (Resolution 5181, approved 2/03/2026)
Overtime rate + benefits of assistant building inspector (currently $53.89/hour); 2-hour minimum after-hours, 1/2-hour minimum otherwise

Review timeline

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

How long did your Residential Addition / Remodel / Alteration Permit 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

    Footing/Foundation

    Required before concrete pour for additions, deck posts, or foundation work

  2. 2

    Framing

    Structural framing and connections to the existing structure verified before walls are closed

  3. 3

    Final

    Completed work verified against approved plans

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

Tips

  • A residential storage shed 120 sq. ft. or smaller (one-story, detached) does not need a Livingston building permit — smaller than the 200 sq. ft. threshold used in Billings.
  • Exterior decks explicitly require a building permit per the City's FAQ, unlike some jurisdictions that exempt low decks.
  • Setbacks and lot coverage are governed by Livingston Municipal Code Chapter 30 (Zoning) — confirm with the Planning Department, (406) 222-4903, before finalizing a site plan.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. Building permits are required for any structural work, including building exterior decks, moving or adding walls, and changing door or window openings, per the City of Livingston FAQs page.

In Livingston, the published Building Permit Fee — valuation-based (same schedule as new 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; Other Building Inspection Fees (after-hours, unlisted inspection, additional plan review) — Overtime rate + benefits of assistant building inspector (currently $53.89/hour); 2-hour minimum after-hours, 1/2-hour minimum otherwise. 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 residential addition / remodel / alteration permit is 1–10 business days.

You'll need: Building Permit Application; Construction Drawings. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Livingston requires 3 inspection(s) for a residential addition / remodel / alteration permit, in order: Footing/Foundation, Framing, Final. 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.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-03.

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