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Building Permit (New Construction / Addition / Alteration / Repair / Remodel / Sign / Mobile Home / Fence) in Richland County (Unincorporated Areas and Towns, excluding Sidney), Montana

Required for new construction, additions, structural alterations, repairs, remodels, signs, mobile home placement, and fences (above a maximum height) within unincorporated Richland County and its towns other than Sidney (e.g., Fairview, Lambert, Savage). Issued LOCALLY by the Richland County Building Inspection Division (Building Inspector Kale Rasmussen) under Richland County's Montana DLI certification for Building (B), scoped 'County except Sidney' per the DLI's own certified-jurisdiction roster. Agricultural structures are explicitly exempt. Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical/HVAC work are NOT covered by this permit — see the separate state-issued permit entries below.

Verified 2026-07-04 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Complete the Richland County Building Permit Application in full — 'Applications will not be accepted without all signatures and approval'
  • Indicate Commercial or Residential, and select Class of Work: New, Addition, Sign, Mobile Home, Repair, Remodel, or Fence (with maximum height)
  • Agricultural structures do NOT require a building permit
  • Provide site address, legal description (quarter section/section/township/range or attachment), lot/block/subdivision, property owner name/address/phone
  • For residential building or alterations: draw a site plan on the attached graph paper showing the frontage road name/number, distances from property lines to the structure (if less than 50 ft), distances to existing permanent structures (if less than 50 ft), and a dimensioned floor plan with room uses — OR submit a full set of plans in lieu of the hand drawing
  • For commercial or multi-family structures: follow the application's Submittal Checklist (full plan set with site plan, soils report, drainage plan, sanitary sewer/water service details, solid-waste container area for new commercial/high-density housing, flood-plain review if applicable, and Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project review if within its district)
  • Obtain sign-off from the Office of the County Planner (123 West Main Street, Sidney, (406) 433-6886), and from the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project (2327 Lincoln Ave SE, Sidney, (406) 433-1306) if applicable, before building permit issuance
  • If altering/adding a sewer or water system, contact the County Sanitarian (1201 W Holly St. Ste. 5, Sidney, (406) 433-6876); if adding county road access, obtain an access permit from Richland Public Works (2140 W Holly St., Sidney, (406) 433-2106)
  • If the structure is in a flood zone, plans must be reviewed by the local floodplain administrator

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Building Permit Fee — Total Valuation $1 - $500Richland County Building Code Enforcement Fee Schedule (verbatim-verified via Wayback Machine archive, 2025-10-30, of richlandcountymt.documents-on-demand.com)
$23.50
Building Permit Fee — Total Valuation $501 - $2,000Richland County Building Code Enforcement Fee Schedule
$23.50 for the first $500 plus $3.05 for each additional $100 or fraction thereof to and including $2,000
Building Permit Fee — Total Valuation $2,001 - $25,000Richland County Building Code Enforcement Fee Schedule
$69.25 for the first $2,000 plus $14 for each additional $1,000 or fraction thereof to and including $25,000
Building Permit Fee — Total Valuation $25,001 - $50,000Richland County Building Code Enforcement Fee Schedule
$391.75 for the first $25,000 plus $10.10 for each additional $1,000 or fraction thereof to and including $50,000
Building Permit Fee — Total Valuation $50,001 - $100,000Richland County Building Code Enforcement Fee Schedule
$643.75 for the first $50,000 plus $7 for each additional $1,000 or fraction thereof to and including $100,000
Building Permit Fee — Total Valuation $100,001 - $500,000Richland County Building Code Enforcement Fee Schedule
$993.75 for the first $100,000 plus $5.60 for each additional $1,000 or fraction thereof to and including $500,000
Building Permit Fee — Total Valuation $500,001 - $1,000,000Richland County Building Code Enforcement Fee Schedule
$3,233.75 for the first $500,000 plus $4.75 for each additional $1,000 or fraction thereof to and including $1,000,000
Building Permit Fee — Total Valuation $1,000,001 and upRichland County Building Code Enforcement Fee Schedule
$5,608.75 for the first $1,000,000 plus $3 for each additional $1,000 or fraction thereof
Plan Review FeeApplicable when submittal documents are required, in addition to the building permit fee. Richland County Building Code Enforcement Fee Schedule.
35% of the calculated building permit fee
Plan Review Services OnlyApplicable only if plan review services are provided without a permit. Richland County Building Code Enforcement Fee Schedule.
50% of the calculated permit fee
Additional Plan Review / Inspections After Normal Business Hours / Inspections for which no fee is specifically indicated / Investigation Fee / Stop Work Order fees'Normal Business Hours' defined as 7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m., Monday-Saturday. Investigation Fee applies to work commenced prior to obtaining a required permit. Richland County Building Code Enforcement Fee Schedule.
$85.00 per hour in addition to regular fee (minimum charge of 1/2 hour)

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Building Permit (New Construction / Addition / Alteration / Repair / Remodel / Sign / Mobile Home / Fence) permit actually take in Richland County (Unincorporated Areas and Towns, excluding Sidney)?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Building inspections (unspecified schedule)

    The Richland County Building Department's own webpage states its responsibilities include 'Reviewing plans prior to construction,' 'Issuing building permits,' 'Issuing Certificates of Occupancy,' and performing inspections; no fixed inspection-stage checklist (e.g., footing, framing, final) is published on the county's own pages beyond a generic reference to inspections tied to code compliance.

See the full Richland County (Unincorporated Areas and Towns, excluding Sidney) inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

Tips

  • Richland County's Building certification covers the COUNTY EXCEPT SIDNEY, per the Montana DLI's own certified-jurisdiction roster — Sidney has its own, separately-administered Building program (same Building Inspector, Kale Rasmussen, but a distinct 'City Limits'-scoped certification); see the companion sidney.json jurisdiction file for permitting within Sidney city limits.
  • Fairview, Lambert, and Savage — the other towns within Richland County — are NOT separately listed on the DLI roster and are therefore covered by Richland County's own countywide (except-Sidney) Building certification, not a separate program of their own.
  • Electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits are NOT issued by Richland County — apply directly to the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau (Helena) for those trades; see the separate state-issued permit entries.
  • Depending on your project, you may need sign-off from the Office of the County Planner, the County Sanitarian, Richland Public Works, and/or the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project BEFORE the Building Inspector will approve your Building Permit Application — call ahead to each department to confirm availability before visiting in person.
  • Agricultural structures are explicitly exempt from the county building permit requirement.
  • No published review-timeline figure exists for this county-issued permit — budget extra time and confirm current turnaround directly with the Building Inspection Division, (406) 433-1122.

Frequently asked questions

Richland County (Unincorporated Areas and Towns, excluding Sidney) requires a building permit (new construction / addition / alteration / repair / remodel / sign / mobile home / fence) for: Complete the Richland County Building Permit Application in full — 'Applications will not be accepted without all signatures and approval'; Indicate Commercial or Residential, and select Class of Work: New, Addition, Sign, Mobile Home, Repair, Remodel, or Fence (with maximum height); Agricultural structures do NOT require a building permit; Provide site address, legal description (quarter section/section/township/range or attachment), lot/block/subdivision, property owner name/address/phone; For residential building or alterations: draw a site plan on the attached graph paper showing the frontage road name/number, distances from property lines to the structure (if less than 50 ft), distances to existing permanent structures (if less than 50 ft), and a dimensioned floor plan with room uses — OR submit a full set of plans in lieu of the hand drawing; For commercial or multi-family structures: follow the application's Submittal Checklist (full plan set with site plan, soils report, drainage plan, sanitary sewer/water service details, solid-waste container area for new commercial/high-density housing, flood-plain review if applicable, and Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project review if within its district); Obtain sign-off from the Office of the County Planner (123 West Main Street, Sidney, (406) 433-6886), and from the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project (2327 Lincoln Ave SE, Sidney, (406) 433-1306) if applicable, before building permit issuance; If altering/adding a sewer or water system, contact the County Sanitarian (1201 W Holly St. Ste. 5, Sidney, (406) 433-6876); if adding county road access, obtain an access permit from Richland Public Works (2140 W Holly St., Sidney, (406) 433-2106); If the structure is in a flood zone, plans must be reviewed by the local floodplain administrator. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Richland County Building Inspection Division — Building Inspector Kale Rasmussen (local Building-only DLI certification, county-wide EXCEPT Sidney); Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Building Codes Bureau (state — electrical, plumbing, mechanical, countywide) at (406) 433-1122 (Richland County Building Inspection Division); (406) 480-9113 (Kale Rasmussen, cell — also the phone number listed for Richland County on the DLI's own certified-jurisdiction roster); (406) 433-6886 (Richland County Planning Department / Office of the County Planner); (406) 841-2056 (State Building Codes Bureau — electrical, plumbing, mechanical) before starting work.

Fees are valuation-based, starting at $23.50 for projects valued $1-$500, scaling up through several tiers to $5,608.75 for the first $1,000,000 plus $3 per additional $1,000 above that, per the Richland County Building Code Enforcement Fee Schedule. A Plan Review Fee of 35% of the building permit fee also applies when submittal documents are required.

Richland County (Unincorporated Areas and Towns, excluding Sidney) does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Richland County Building Inspection Division — Building Inspector Kale Rasmussen (local Building-only DLI certification, county-wide EXCEPT Sidney); Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Building Codes Bureau (state — electrical, plumbing, mechanical, countywide) at (406) 433-1122 (Richland County Building Inspection Division); (406) 480-9113 (Kale Rasmussen, cell — also the phone number listed for Richland County on the DLI's own certified-jurisdiction roster); (406) 433-6886 (Richland County Planning Department / Office of the County Planner); (406) 841-2056 (State Building Codes Bureau — electrical, plumbing, mechanical) for current turnaround.

You'll need: Richland County Building Permit Application; Site Plan / Plot Plan. Depending on your project, Richland County (Unincorporated Areas and Towns, excluding Sidney) may also ask for: Submittal Checklist Package (commercial/multi-family only). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Richland County (Unincorporated Areas and Towns, excluding Sidney) requires 1 inspection(s) for a building permit (new construction / addition / alteration / repair / remodel / sign / mobile home / fence), in order: Building inspections (unspecified schedule). Schedule each through Richland County Building Inspection Division — Building Inspector Kale Rasmussen (local Building-only DLI certification, county-wide EXCEPT Sidney); Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Building Codes Bureau (state — electrical, plumbing, mechanical, countywide) ((406) 433-1122 (Richland County Building Inspection Division); (406) 480-9113 (Kale Rasmussen, cell — also the phone number listed for Richland County on the DLI's own certified-jurisdiction roster); (406) 433-6886 (Richland County Planning Department / Office of the County Planner); (406) 841-2056 (State Building Codes Bureau — electrical, plumbing, mechanical)).

Apply through Richland County Building Inspection Division — Building Inspector Kale Rasmussen (local Building-only DLI certification, county-wide EXCEPT Sidney); Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Building Codes Bureau (state — electrical, plumbing, mechanical, countywide) at 1105 3rd ST NW, Sidney, MT 59270 (Richland County Building Inspection Division office — note this office's physical location is within Sidney city limits, but its certified jurisdiction is the county EXCLUDING Sidney; Sidney itself is separately certified and administered — see sidney.json); Office of the County Planner, 123 West Main Street, Sidney, MT (development/planning sign-off referenced on the county's own Building Permit Application); Building Codes Bureau, PO Box 200517, Helena, MT 59620-0517 (state electrical/plumbing/mechanical permits). Phone: (406) 433-1122 (Richland County Building Inspection Division); (406) 480-9113 (Kale Rasmussen, cell — also the phone number listed for Richland County on the DLI's own certified-jurisdiction roster); (406) 433-6886 (Richland County Planning Department / Office of the County Planner); (406) 841-2056 (State Building Codes Bureau — electrical, plumbing, mechanical), email: Not published on richland.org as of this review; contact by phone. Office hours: Not published on the Richland County Building Department's own webpage (richland.org/building.html), Building Permit page, or General Q&A page as of this review — an honest publication gap, not an invented figure. (Third-party aggregator sites such as countyoffice.org list Tuesday/Thursday 1-3 p.m. office hours for a Richland County building contact, but this was NOT found stated on the county's own official pages and is therefore NOT included here per the grounded-data policy — call (406) 433-1122 to confirm current hours before visiting in person.). Official information: https://www.richland.org/building.html.

The Richland County Building Inspection Division, under Building Inspector Kale Rasmussen, issues Building permits for the county EXCEPT Sidney — confirmed directly against the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau's own certified-jurisdiction roster (updated 04/22/2026): 'Richland County | B | Kale Rasmussen | 480-9113 | County except Sidney.' Sidney has its own separate certification and permitting program.

No. Per the county's own General Q&A page: 'Richland County can provide building permits but the others are provided by Montana.' Electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permits for any address in Richland County (outside Sidney) are issued directly by the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-04.

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 Richland County (Unincorporated Areas and Towns, excluding Sidney) building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

Other permits in Richland County (Unincorporated Areas and Towns, excluding Sidney)

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