Stevensville building permits
VerifiedDepartment contacts, adopted codes, permit types, fees, and gotchas for Stevensville, Montana.
Last verified 2026-07-04 · Source · Embed this page’s badge · Version history
Building department
- Address
- 206 Buck Street, Stevensville, MT 59870 (mailing: PO Box 30, Stevensville, MT 59870)
- Phone
- (406) 777-5271
- Office hours
- Town Hall main line (406) 777-5271, Building Office extension 105. Regular inspection hours: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 10:00 am - 12:30 pm (inspections by appointment only, 24 hours' notice required). Building Inspector Tim Netzley: (406) 880-5832. Inspection scheduling / general inspector line: (406) 552-3238, INSPECTOR@constructmt.com. Source: Town of Stevensville Building page (townofstevensville.com/building) and Building FAQs page (townofstevensville.com/building/page/building-faqs).
- Website
- Official site
Inspection guide
See how inspections work in Stevensville — sequence, scheduling & re-inspection fees.
Codes adopted
Montana adopts a single statewide building code by rule and, by default, enforces it directly — local governments only gain enforcement authority once the state certifies them. Under the Montana Building Codes Act (Mont. Code Ann. Title 50, Chapter 60), the Department of Labor & Industry's Building Codes Bureau adopts one state building code applicable everywhere (§ 50-60-203, codified further at Administrative Rules of Montana Title 24, Chapter 301) — currently the 2021 editions of the IBC, IRC, IMC, IFGC, IECC, IEBC, ISPSC, and UPC, with the 2020 NEC for electrical (effective statewide since 6/11/2022 per the Bureau's own Current Codes page). A city, county, or town may adopt and enforce its own building-code program under § 50-60-301, but its adopted code "may include only codes adopted by the Building Codes Bureau" — a local edition can never diverge from or be less stringent than the state's. Critically, under § 50-60-302, a local government cannot enforce ANY building code — even one it has formally adopted — until the Bureau certifies its program (requiring an approved code, a published fee schedule, an enforcement plan, and properly licensed or nationally certified inspectors); certification is granted per TRADE, not as one blanket designation. The Bureau's own "Certified City, County and Town Programs" list uses the key B=Building, P=Plumbing, E=Electrical, M=Mechanical, SP=Pool, W=Wildland-Urban-Interface — a jurisdiction can be certified for Building only while Electrical/Plumbing/Mechanical remain directly state-enforced within the same city limits (e.g., Havre, Anaconda-Deer Lodge), or certified across all trades (e.g., Billings, Missoula, Great Falls, Bozeman, Helena, Kalispell). Non-certified jurisdictions — most of Montana's unincorporated county land, since very few counties appear on the certified list — fall under direct enforcement by the state Building Codes Bureau (§ 50-60-304). Montana also exempts private homes and buildings of four or fewer dwelling units not serving transient guests from the state building-permit requirement entirely, though electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits remain separately required regardless. Always confirm with the specific jurisdiction which trades it is certified for versus which remain directly state-enforced.
- 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; a certified local program's adopted code 'may include only codes adopted by the Building Codes Bureau' (ARM 24.301.202). 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 (bsd.dli.mt.gov/_docs/building-codes-permits/certified-city.pdf, updated 04/22/2026).
- Stevensville is a Montana DLI-certified jurisdiction for Building (B), Plumbing (P), Electrical (E), Mechanical (M), and Swimming Pool (SP) — full-trade certification — within Stevensville city limits. Certified program contact on file with DLI: Tim Netzley, 880-5832. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, 'Certified City, County and Town Programs' roster (bsd.dli.mt.gov/_docs/building-codes-permits/certified-city.pdf, updated 04/22/2026), row 'Stevensville — B,P,E,M,SP — Tim Netzley — 880-5832 — City Limits'. Directly verified by fetching and extracting the PDF text during this research pass (2026-07-04).
- Per the Town's own 'Adopted Building Codes' notice (currently_adopted_building_codes.docx): Montana adopted several updated building code editions with amendments under ARM 24.301.202(1) on December 7, 2019, giving municipalities 90 days to formally adopt. The Town of Stevensville complied with adoption and enforcement of new projects as of February 17, 2020. Codes in effect per that notice: 2018 Uniform Plumbing Code, 2018 International Mechanical Code, 2018 International Fuel Gas Code, 2018 NFPA 99C (Gas and Vacuum Systems), 2017 National Electrical Code, 2018 International Building Code, 2018 International Residential Code, 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (explicitly stated to remain in effect, not updated to a later edition), 2018 International Existing Building Code, 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code. Signed by Tim Netzley, Building Official, Town of Stevensville. Source: Town of Stevensville, 'Currently Adopted Building Codes' (townofstevensville.com/forms, currently_adopted_building_codes.docx).
- This code-edition set (2018-vintage IBC/IRC/UPC/IMC/IFGC/IEBC/ISPSC, 2017 NEC, 2012 IECC) is older than the 2021-cycle codes now in effect statewide per the DLI's Current Codes page and is one edition cycle behind Hamilton's and Darby's currently-adopted 2021 codes; this is Stevensville's own most recently published adoption notice and is reported as-is rather than assumed to have been silently updated to the 2021 cycle without a superseding notice found on the Town's site.
- Montana uses the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC), not the International Plumbing Code.
Permit types & fees
Building Permit (New Construction / Addition / Remodel)
Required for new construction, additions, remodels, expanded footprint, garages/sheds, decks/porches, re-roofing, fences, and other structural work in Stevensville. Reviewed against the Town's adopted 2018-cycle IBC/IRC/IEBC and related codes (see codesAdopted) by the Building Official, Public Works, and Zoning divisions. Applications are submitted to Town Hall, 206 Buck Street / PO Box 30.
Electrical Permit
Required for electrical installation, alteration, or repair work in Stevensville, governed by the 2017 National Electrical Code (NEC) as adopted by the Town. Stevensville is a Montana DLI-certified jurisdiction for electrical permitting.
Plumbing Permit
Required for plumbing installation, alteration, or repair work in Stevensville, governed by the 2018 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) as adopted by the Town. Stevensville is a Montana DLI-certified jurisdiction for plumbing permitting.
Mechanical / HVAC Permit
Required for heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and related mechanical installations in Stevensville, governed by the 2018 International Mechanical Code (IMC) and International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) as adopted by the Town. Stevensville is a Montana DLI-certified jurisdiction for mechanical permitting.
Residential/Commercial Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit
Required for installation of a rooftop or ground-mounted solar photovoltaic system in Stevensville. Because Stevensville is a Montana DLI-certified jurisdiction for the Electrical (E) trade (in addition to Building, Plumbing, Mechanical, and Swimming Pool), solar PV is permitted locally by the Town rather than routed to the state — per the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau's own published Alternative Energy Information guidance, a licensed electrical contractor applies for a standard Electrical Permit and selects 'solar' on the application, a non-electrician installer submits an Alternate Energy Permit with solar information, and a homeowner may use the homeowner electrical permit option with solar information provided. The fee is based on the total value of the electrical work, including the solar equipment, using the same Commercial valuation-based tier documented in this file's Electrical Permit entry.
EV Charger / EVSE Permit
The Town of Stevensville has no dedicated electric-vehicle-charging-station permit or fee line. As a Montana DLI-certified jurisdiction for electrical (E) permitting, the Town issues and inspects an EV charger circuit through its standard Electrical Permit (2017 NEC as adopted), with the fee computed from the same itemized Electrical Permit Application fee table used for any other residential electrical work — most closely the 'New addition, remodel, interior rewire' line ($100.00) for a new dedicated circuit, or 'Misc. work not considered interior remodel/rewire' ($30.00) for simpler scope. No EV/EVSE-specific dollar figure was found published.
Sign Permit (Commercial/Business Signage)
Required to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert, or replace a commercial or business sign in Stevensville. There is no standalone sign-permit application or dedicated sign ordinance chapter — signs are permitted through the Town's standard Building Permit process (Sec. 6-48, Town of Stevensville Code of Ordinances) and billed under the flat 'Sign' line item already documented in this file's Building Permit entry. Zoning size/height limits are set only for two specific land use districts by Sec. 10-182 of the Development Code (Chapter 10); no codified dimensional standard for signs was found for other commercial districts (e.g., C-1, C-3) in the currently published Code of Ordinances.
Fire Sprinkler & Fire Alarm System Permit
Stevensville's own Code of Ordinances explicitly excludes the Fire Code from the Building Official's enforcement authority (Sec. 6-19), and unlike every other trade code adopted in Chapter 6 (Residential, Building, Existing Building, Energy Conservation, Electrical, Fuel Gas, Gas/Vacuum, Mechanical, Plumbing, Dangerous Buildings, and Swimming Pool/Spa codes — each of which has its own 'Enforcement, permitting and fees' section pointing to the Building Official), the Fire Code article (Sec. 6-207) has NO companion enforcement/permitting/fees section (Secs. 6-208 through 6-237 are 'Reserved'). Stevensville does not appear on the Montana DOJ Office of the State Fire Marshal's 'Fire Inspection Certified Jurisdiction' roster (current as of 11-18-2025), and — as already documented elsewhere in this file — the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau does not certify a 'Fire' trade for any jurisdiction (only Building, Plumbing, Electrical, Mechanical, and Swimming Pool). The Stevensville Rural Fire District's own published website is oriented toward wildland/volunteer response (burn permits, home-owner preparedness, public education) and publishes no sprinkler/alarm plan-review process or fee schedule. Net finding: fire sprinkler and fire alarm system plan review in Stevensville is not locally administered by the Town or the Rural Fire District — it defaults to the Montana Office of the State Fire Marshal (DOJ Fire Prevention and Investigation Bureau), the same body the Town's own ordinance names as the adopting authority for its 2012 International Fire Code. No published fee schedule or numeric review-timeline was found on the State Fire Marshal's own program page for sprinkler/alarm plan submission.
Change of Use / Change of Occupancy Permit
Required for a change in occupancy classification or use of an existing commercial building or tenant space in Stevensville. Governed by the International Existing Building Code, 2021 edition, as locally adopted (Sec. 6-135, Town of Stevensville Code of Ordinances), which explicitly covers 'the repair, alteration, change of occupancy, addition and relocation of existing buildings.' There is no standalone change-of-use application or Certificate of Occupancy form separate from the Town's general Building Permit process — change-of-use projects are submitted on the standard Building Permit Application and billed under the flat 'Change of use' fee line already documented in this file's Building Permit entry.
New residential construction activity
New privately-owned residential construction onlyHousing units authorized by building permits for new privately-owned residential construction — this is not total permit volume (no commercial permits or remodels).
- Latest month (2026-05)
- No data reported
- Trailing 12 months
- No data reported
- Year to date (2026 YTD)
- No data reported
- Full year 2025
- No data reported
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey (BPS), 2026-05 vintage. Census survey data — separate from the permit-requirements verification above. All Montana building activity
Tips & gotchas
- Montana runs a mandatory statewide building code (ARM Title 24, Chapter 301) administered by the DLI Building Codes Bureau. Stevensville is FULLY certified for Building, Plumbing, Electrical, Mechanical, and Swimming Pool (B, P, E, M, SP) — confirmed directly from the DLI's 'Certified City, County and Town Programs' roster (bsd.dli.mt.gov/_docs/building-codes-permits/certified-city.pdf, updated 2026-04-22), which lists 'Stevensville — B,P,E,M,SP — Tim Netzley — 880-5832 — City Limits'. This means Stevensville issues and inspects ALL trade permits itself within town limits; nothing routes to the state DLI Building Codes Bureau for in-town work.
- Building Inspector Tim Netzley (880-5832) also appears on the DLI roster as the certified official for neighboring Hamilton and Darby (also Ravalli County) — these are three separately DLI-certified programs sharing the same building official, not a merged jurisdiction. Do not conflate Stevensville's permitting scope with Hamilton's or Darby's.
- Codes adopted per the Town's own 'Currently Adopted Building Codes' notice (effective for new projects as of February 17, 2020): 2018 IBC, 2018 IRC, 2018 IEBC, 2018 ISPSC, 2018 UPC, 2018 IMC, 2018 IFGC, 2018 NFPA 99C, 2017 NEC, and 2012 IECC (explicitly stated to remain in effect). This is one code cycle behind Hamilton's and Darby's currently-published 2021-cycle codes and the DLI's statewide 2021-cycle baseline — reported as published by the Town rather than assumed updated.
- No numeric review-timeline figure (days or weeks) is published anywhere on the Town's official site for any permit type — the Building FAQs page explicitly states the materials 'don't specify exact review timeframes.' All four permit types (Building, Electrical, Plumbing, Mechanical) are flagged reviewTimelineVerified:false with reviewTimelineDays:null. An unsourced '1-2 weeks' estimate appears on third-party permit-aggregator sites (not townofstevensville.com or bsd.dli.mt.gov) — this was deliberately excluded as it does not trace to an official source.
- Building Permit Fees ARE fully published with valuation tiers and flat per-item rates — the source PDF is a scanned image with no extractable text layer; content was read by rendering the page to an image (PyMuPDF, 3x zoom) and visually transcribing the table, not inferred.
- Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical permit fees are also fully published with valuation tiers / itemized flat rates, printed directly as machine-readable text on their respective permit application PDFs.
- Building and Mechanical permits carry an additional 25% plan review fee on top of the calculated permit fee; Electrical and Plumbing fee tables do not show this add-on on their own printed forms.
- Decks are only permit-exempt if under 30 inches high AND under 120 sq ft; low storage structures under 120 sq ft, painting/finishing, and playground equipment are also exempt per the Building FAQs page.
- Site plans (Residential or Commercial Site Plan Check List) are required for new construction, remodels, and expanded-footprint projects; hillside/slope thresholds at 5% and 10% grade trigger additional topographic/engineering requirements per the Residential Site Plan Check List.
- Water/Sewer/Water Meter/Street Cut/Curb Cut infrastructure fee line items appear on the Building Permit application itself, but no separate published infrastructure fee schedule with dollar amounts was found on the Town's site — flagged as a genuine information gap (amount: null), not invented.
- This permit becomes null and void if work is not commenced within 180 days of issuance, or is suspended/abandoned for 180 days after commencing, across all four Town-issued trade permits (Building, Electrical, Plumbing, Mechanical).