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Change of Use / Change of Occupancy Permit in Stevensville, Montana

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.

Verified 2026-07-22 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Per Sec. 6-135 (Chapter 6, Article VI - Existing Building Code): the International Existing Building Code, 2021 edition, is adopted 'for regulating and governing the repair, alteration, change of occupancy, addition and relocation of existing buildings ... within the town; and for providing for the issuance of permits and collections of fees therefor'
  • Per Sec. 6-136, enforcement, permitting, and fees for change-of-occupancy work follow the same general process set out in Chapter 6, Articles II (Building Official) and III (Building Permits) — the same Building Official, application, and 180-day commencement / 12-month validity rules that govern the standard Building Permit (already documented in this file's Building Permit entry)
  • The Town's Building FAQs page independently confirms that a permit is required 'to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, [or] change the occupancy of a building or structure'
  • Per Sec. 10-187(c) (Development Code): as a condition of permit issuance for new commercial construction or a substantial remodel (floor-area increase of 20 percent or more, or modifications exceeding 50 percent of replacement value), required street frontage improvements (curb, gutter, sidewalk, pavement, storm drainage) must be installed or upgraded at the permittee's sole cost PRIOR TO the issuance of a certificate of occupancy — meaning a Certificate of Occupancy is the Town's actual sign-off document for qualifying commercial permits and can be conditioned on completion of infrastructure work
  • No standalone 'Change of Use Permit' or 'Certificate of Occupancy' application form was found on the Town's Forms page separate from the general Building Permit Application
  • Distinct from the Town's separate annual general Business License (Chapter 12 of the Code of Ordinances, $75.00/year, renewed each December 31) — a change-of-use permit is a one-time building-code compliance permit, while the business license is a recurring requirement to operate any business in town; the two are not interchangeable and both may be required

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Change of use (flat fee)Town of Stevensville Building Permit Fees schedule, Miscellaneous Permit Fees table — same source and line item already documented in this file's Building Permit entry
$75.00

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Change of Use / Change of Occupancy Permit permit actually take in Stevensville?

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

    Building Official verifies the new occupancy classification and use comply with the International Existing Building Code (2021 edition, as locally adopted) and applicable zoning before issuing a Certificate of Occupancy; per Sec. 10-187(c), qualifying commercial projects must also complete required street frontage improvements before a Certificate of Occupancy is issued

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

Tips

  • A change-of-use permit is separate from the Town's annual general Business License (Chapter 12, $75.00/year) — a business operating in Stevensville may need both a one-time change-of-use/building permit AND the recurring business license.
  • If the change of use involves new commercial construction or a substantial remodel (floor area up +20% or modifications exceeding 50% of replacement value), Sec. 10-187(c) requires street frontage improvements (curb, gutter, sidewalk, pavement, storm drainage) to be installed/upgraded at the applicant's sole cost before a Certificate of Occupancy will be issued — budget and plan for this early.
  • There is no dedicated change-of-use or Certificate of Occupancy application form; use the standard Building Permit Application and describe the occupancy change in the scope of work.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. Change of occupancy is explicitly covered by the Town's adopted International Existing Building Code (Sec. 6-135) and confirmed as a permit trigger on the Building FAQs page. It is billed under the Building Permit Fees schedule's flat $75.00 'Change of use' line item and processed on the standard Building Permit Application.

In Stevensville, the published Change of use (flat fee) is: $75.00. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Stevensville does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Town of Stevensville Building Department at (406) 777-5271 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Building Permit Application. Depending on your project, Stevensville may also ask for: Commercial Site Plan Check List. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Stevensville requires 1 inspection(s) for a change of use / change of occupancy permit, in order: Final / Certificate of Occupancy Inspection. Schedule each through Town of Stevensville Building Department ((406) 777-5271).

Apply through Town of Stevensville Building Department at 206 Buck Street, Stevensville, MT 59870 (mailing: PO Box 30, Stevensville, MT 59870). Phone: (406) 777-5271, email: INSPECTOR@constructmt.com. 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).. Official information: https://www.townofstevensville.com/building.

Stevensville, 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; 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.. Local amendments apply — see the Stevensville overview page for the full list.

No. The change-of-use permit is a one-time building-code compliance permit tied to the physical building/occupancy classification (Sec. 6-135, Existing Building Code). The Town's general Business License (Chapter 12) is a separate, recurring annual requirement ($75.00/year) to operate any business within town limits. Both may be required for a new commercial tenant.

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