Skip to main content
PermitBase

Change of Use / Certificate of Occupancy (Building Permit Field) in Conrad, Montana

Conrad has no standalone Change of Use Permit or separate Certificate of Occupancy application. A change of use is captured on the same combined Zoning and Building Permit Application (Jurisdiction of Conrad): item 8 on the form reads 'Change of use from' / 'Change of use to,' completed alongside the standard Class of Work, description-of-work, and valuation fields used for any other building project -- directly confirmed from the City's own Building Permit Packet PDF. The certificate of occupancy itself is not a separately issued document with its own application: City Code 4-1-4.H states the Final inspection is where the building inspector shall 'issue certificate of occupancy,' conducted in accordance with the International Building Code, at the conclusion of the same Building Permit process. Zoning Code (Ordinance No. 411) Chapter 3 (Non-Conforming Uses, 10-3-1) separately governs when an existing nonconforming use may continue, must conform to district regulations upon change, or lapses after one year of discontinuance -- relevant to whether a proposed change of use is allowed by right or requires zoning review, but this is a zoning-conformance rule, not a separate permit product. Documenting this honestly rather than inventing a freestanding 'Change of Use Permit' or 'CO Application' that does not exist for Conrad.

Reviewed 2026-07-22 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Complete item 8 ('Change of use from' / 'Change of use to') on the Zoning and Building Permit Application (Jurisdiction of Conrad), in addition to the standard class-of-work, description-of-work, and valuation fields
  • The new use must comply with the permitted-use list of the applicable zoning district (Title 10, Chapters 4 through 10, covering R-1, R-2, MH-1, C-1, C-2, LM-1, and M-I); a use not listed as permitted requires a conditional use permit under Zoning Code 10-2-13, filed with the city finance officer with public hearings before the zoning commission and city council
  • If the property carries a legal nonconforming use, Zoning Code 10-3-1 governs whether the change is allowed: a nonconforming use discontinued for one year must conform to current district regulations on any future use, and any change made must otherwise comply with all regulations governing the new use (10-3-1.D.1)
  • The building inspector issues the certificate of occupancy at the Final inspection (City Code 4-1-4.H), conducted in accordance with the International Building Code, once all other required inspections and special department approvals (zoning, health, fire, electrical, plumbing, mechanical) are complete

Required documents

Check off what you have — your progress is saved on this device.

Not ready yet — 0 of 1 required documents checked.

This checker covers one permit. A full project usually triggers several — our paid checklist will assemble all of them, from $29 →

Fee schedule

Building/Zoning permit fee (covers change-of-use review)Not published as a fixed table; set by city council resolution per City Code 4-1-7, the same gap already documented for Conrad's other Building Permit fees in this file.
Not published — contact the department
Conditional use permit filing fee (only if the new use is not a listed permitted use)Zoning Code 10-2-13.D.1 states a 'required filing fee, as determined or set by the city council from time to time,' but no dollar figure is published on the City's Building Permits, Building & Zoning, or Finance pages.
Not published — contact the department

Review timeline

Plan reviewConrad’s published plan-review target
Up to 60 business days

How long did your Change of Use / Certificate of Occupancy (Building Permit Field) permit actually take in Conrad?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Final

    Final inspection issues the certificate of occupancy per City Code 4-1-4.H, conducted in accordance with the International Building Code

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

Tips

  • There is no separate 'Change of Use Permit' or standalone Certificate of Occupancy application in Conrad -- both are handled within the same combined Zoning and Building Permit Application used for any other building project.
  • If your new use isn't on the permitted-use list for your zoning district (Title 10, Chapters 4 through 10), you'll need a conditional use permit first, which requires a public hearing before the zoning commission and city council -- budget significant extra time beyond the standard 60-working-day plan review.
  • A nonconforming use that has sat vacant/unused for a full year loses its nonconforming status under Zoning Code 10-3-1 -- any new use after that must conform to current district regulations.

Frequently asked questions

Conrad requires a change of use / certificate of occupancy (building permit field) for: Complete item 8 ('Change of use from' / 'Change of use to') on the Zoning and Building Permit Application (Jurisdiction of Conrad), in addition to the standard class-of-work, description-of-work, and valuation fields; The new use must comply with the permitted-use list of the applicable zoning district (Title 10, Chapters 4 through 10, covering R-1, R-2, MH-1, C-1, C-2, LM-1, and M-I); a use not listed as permitted requires a conditional use permit under Zoning Code 10-2-13, filed with the city finance officer with public hearings before the zoning commission and city council; If the property carries a legal nonconforming use, Zoning Code 10-3-1 governs whether the change is allowed: a nonconforming use discontinued for one year must conform to current district regulations on any future use, and any change made must otherwise comply with all regulations governing the new use (10-3-1.D.1); The building inspector issues the certificate of occupancy at the Final inspection (City Code 4-1-4.H), conducted in accordance with the International Building Code, once all other required inspections and special department approvals (zoning, health, fire, electrical, plumbing, mechanical) are complete. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Conrad Building & Zoning Department — Building Official Keith Thaut; city-certified for Building (B) permits only. Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical/HVAC permits within Conrad city limits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau, not the City. at (406) 271-5821 before starting work.

Conrad's published plan-review target for a change of use / certificate of occupancy (building permit field) is Up to 60 business days.

You'll need: Zoning and Building Permit Application. Depending on your project, Conrad may also ask for: Conditional Use Permit Application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Conrad requires 1 inspection(s) for a change of use / certificate of occupancy (building permit field), in order: Final. Schedule each through City of Conrad Building & Zoning Department — Building Official Keith Thaut; city-certified for Building (B) permits only. Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical/HVAC permits within Conrad city limits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau, not the City. ((406) 271-5821).

Apply through City of Conrad Building & Zoning Department — Building Official Keith Thaut; city-certified for Building (B) permits only. Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical/HVAC permits within Conrad city limits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau, not the City. at 413 South Main Street, Conrad, MT 59425-2337. Phone: (406) 271-5821, email: office@cityofconrad.com. Office hours: City Hall: Monday-Friday, 7:00 AM - 3:30 PM. Building Inspector Keith Thaut should be called directly at (406) 271-5821 before construction begins so inspections can be scheduled; approval times from the Building Inspector may vary. Building & Zoning general line (406) 271-3623, fax (406) 271-5602..

Conrad, 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).; Conrad is a Montana DLI-certified jurisdiction for Building (B) ONLY within city limits; certified building official on file with DLI: Keith Thaut, (406) 271-5821. Verified directly against the DLI Building Codes Bureau's 'Montana Certified Local Government Program' roster PDF, updated 04/22/2026: 'Conrad | B | Keith Thaut | 271-5821 | City Limits'. Source: https://bsd.dli.mt.gov/_docs/building-codes-permits/certified-city.pdf; City of Conrad Municipal Code Title 4, Chapter 1 (Building Codes and Regulations), Section 4-1-1 (Adoption of Codes), last amended by Ordinance 425 (8-9-2022): adopts 'the state building code' referenced in Mont. Code Ann. Section 50-60-203 (2021), consisting of: (1) International Building Code (IBC), 2021 Edition, as described in and amended by ARM 24.301.131; (2) International Residential Code (IRC), 2021 Edition, as described in and amended by ARM 24.301.154; (3) International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), 2021 Edition, as amended by ARM 24.301.161; (4) International Existing Building Code (IEBC), 2021 Edition, as described in and amended by ARM 24.301.171. Source: City of Conrad Municipal Code 4-1-1, https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/conradmt/latest/conrad_mt/0-0-0-728 (also verified via the City's own Building Permit Packet PDF); The City's Building Permit Packet 'Validity of Permit/Disclaimer' form (signed by every applicant) additionally names the International Mechanical Code, International Fuel Gas Piping Code, ICC A117.1 Accessibility Standards, the Uniform Plumbing Code, and the National Electrical Code as codes/standards referenced for construction in Conrad — consistent with the statewide code set enforced by the DLI even though Conrad itself is not separately certified in the Mechanical/Plumbing/Electrical trades. Source: City of Conrad Building Permit Packet PDF (Validity of Permit/Disclaimer page), https://www.cityofconrad.com/_files/ugd/984806_971dc8cb30b84475b0f2cd026eed99df.pdf; Per the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau's Current Codes page (statewide effective date June 11, 2022): 2021 IBC, 2021 IRC, 2021 IEBC, 2021 IMC, 2021 IFGC, 2021 IECC, 2021 ISPSC, 2021 UPC, 2020 NEC, 2017 ICC A117.1 Accessibility. Conrad's own municipal code (Title 4-1-1) names the same 2021 IBC/IRC/IECC/IEBC editions without authoring independently amended code text, consistent with a small B-only-certified jurisdiction enforcing the state-adopted editions. Source: bsd.dli.mt.gov/building-codes-permits/current-codes. Local amendments apply — see the Conrad overview page for the full list.

Not as a standalone application. The certificate of occupancy is issued by the building inspector at the Final inspection (City Code 4-1-4.H) at the end of the standard Building Permit process, once all required inspections and department approvals are complete.

File the combined Zoning and Building Permit Application with 'Change of use from' and 'Change of use to' completed (item 8). If the new use isn't a permitted use in your zoning district, you'll also need a conditional use permit under Zoning Code 10-2-13, which requires a public hearing before the zoning commission and city council.

Other permits in Conrad

Zoning and Building Permit (New Construction / Addition / Alteration / Repair)Re-Roof / Re-Side PermitDemolition / Building Move PermitAccessory Structure Permit (Deck, Storage Shed, Garage)Electrical Permit (State-Issued)Plumbing Permit (State-Issued, incl. Water Heater)Mechanical / HVAC Permit (State-Issued)Solar PV / Alternative Energy Permit (State-Issued)Electric Vehicle Charging Station Permit (State-Issued Electrical Permit)Sign / Billboard PermitFire Sprinkler / Fire Alarm System Approval (Building Permit Special Approval)

Change of Use / Certificate of Occupancy (Building Permit Field) in other cities

Anaconda-Deer Lodge, MontanaBelgrade, MontanaChoteau, MontanaCity of Deer Lodge, MontanaColstrip, MontanaColumbia Falls, MontanaCut Bank, MontanaDarby, Montana

Compare change of use / certificate of occupancy (building permit field) fees across Montana →

Look up this fee in a different city →

Embed this data card →

Now live

Build your Conrad project checklist

Describe your project once and get every permit, document, and fee it triggers in Conrad — in one checklist. Sign up and pay once to generate it, or go unlimited with Pro.

Get started →