Forsyth building permits

Building department

Address

City Hall, 247 N 9th Ave, Forsyth, MT 59327

Phone

(406) 346-2521

Email

Not published; contact City Hall at (406) 346-2521

Office hours

City Hall, 247 N 9th Ave, Forsyth, MT 59327, Monday-Friday (hours not published online as of this review). City Hall main line (406) 346-2521. The City of Forsyth's own website (forsythmt.info) is a Wix-hosted site whose 'Permit Application' and 'Code Information Consultation' pages are generic Wix Bookings service-page templates with no published fee schedule, application form, or department-specific contact beyond the main city phone number; no dedicated Building Department staff directory, direct-dial extension, or department email was found published anywhere on the site as of this review.

Website

Official site

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; non-certified trades — and, where a city's Building certification is itself partial (e.g. residential-only), non-certified project types — 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).
• Forsyth is a Montana DLI-certified jurisdiction for Building (B), RESIDENTIAL ONLY, within city limits; certified official on file with DLI: Gabe Martinsen, 406-346-2521. Verified directly against the DLI Building Codes Bureau's 'Montana Certified Local Government Program' roster PDF, updated 04/22/2026 (fetched and text-extracted directly from the source PDF): 'Forsyth | B (residential only) | Gabe Martinsen | 406-346-2521 | City Limits'. Note: Gabe Martinsen is ALSO the certified official listed for Miles City, MT (B, M, SP, E (residential only)) on the same roster — a single official serving two separate certified programs is plausible (shared regional building inspector) but was not independently confirmed beyond the roster entry itself. Source: https://bsd.dli.mt.gov/_docs/building-codes-permits/certified-city.pdf
• Colstrip, MT — also within Rosebud County — holds its OWN INDEPENDENT Montana DLI certification for Building (B), RESIDENTIAL ONLY, with a DIFFERENT certified official (Russell Murphy, 853-5084) and a different city-limits jurisdiction line on the same roster: 'Colstrip | B (residential only) | Russell Murphy | 853-5084 | City Limits'. This confirms Forsyth and Colstrip run INDEPENDENT city-level certified Building programs — they do NOT share a single county-level program, despite both being located in Rosebud County. Rosebud County itself does not appear on the DLI roster as a certified jurisdiction in its own right. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, Certified Local Government Program roster PDF (updated 04/22/2026)
• Rosebud County's own Planning & Permitting department (County Planner page, rosebudcountymt.gov) explicitly states: 'Building and electrical permits are not required through Rosebud County, but may be required by the State of Montana.' The County Planner's office assists the City of Forsyth, City of Colstrip, unincorporated communities, and independent boards within Rosebud County with subdivision, flood plain, zoning, and septic permitting only — NOT building or electrical permitting, which is consistent with Forsyth and Colstrip each running their own independent city-level DLI-certified Building programs rather than a county-administered one. Source: https://rosebudcountymt.gov/departments/county-planner/
• Forsyth, MT Code of Ordinances, Title 11 Building Regulations, Chapter 1 Building Code, Section 11-1-1 'Building Codes Adopted' (current through Ord. 2024-11, passed 12-16-2024; section itself amended by Ord. 01-2014 1-12-2015, amd. Ord. 2020-01 6-8-2020, Res. 2021-R04 4-12-2021) adopts by reference: International Building Code 2012 edition (per ARM 24.301.131, including Appendix Chapter C group U agricultural buildings, and ARM 24.301.146); Residential Building Code 2018 edition; International Energy Conservation Code 2018 edition (per ARM 24.301.161); International Existing Building Code 2012 edition (per ARM 24.301.171); National Electric Code 2014 edition (NFPA 70, per ARM 24.301.401); International Mechanical Code 2012 edition (per ARM 24.301.172); International Fuel Gas Code 2012 edition (per ARM 24.301.173); Uniform Plumbing Code 2012 edition (per ARM 24.301.301); Building Accessibility Rules per ARM 24.301.901-905; and Optional Appendix Chapters B (Board of Appeals) and H (Signs) per ARM 24.301.134. Section 11-1-1(B) states these codes 'are applicable to all buildings within the building code enforcement area of Forsyth as provided by section 50-60-102, Montana Code Annotated.' Note the adopted code editions (2012 IBC/IMC/IFGC/UPC/IEBC, 2014 NEC, 2018 IRC/IECC) are OLDER than the state's current statewide-effective editions (2021 IBC/IRC/IEBC/IMC/IFGC/IECC/ISPSC/UPC, 2020 NEC per the DLI Building Codes Bureau's Current Codes page effective June 11, 2022) — Forsyth's local ordinance text has not been updated to match the state's most recent code-adoption cycle, though the state-enforced trades (Electrical, Plumbing, Mechanical) in Forsyth are governed by whatever edition the state DLI Building Codes Bureau currently applies statewide, not this local ordinance text. Source: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/forsythmt/latest/forsyth_mt/0-0-0-1929
• Per the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau's Current Codes page (statewide effective date June 11, 2022, applicable to all state-enforced trades and jurisdictions, including Forsyth's state-routed commercial building and its Electrical/Plumbing/Mechanical permits): 2021 IBC, 2021 IRC, 2021 IEBC, 2021 IMC, 2021 IFGC, 2021 IECC, 2021 ISPSC, 2021 UPC, 2020 NEC, 2017 ICC A117.1 Accessibility. Source: bsd.dli.mt.gov/building-codes-permits/current-codes

Permit types & fees

• Residential Building Permit (New Construction / Addition / Alteration)

  Required for new single-family/two-family home construction, additions, and alterations on RESIDENTIAL property within Forsyth city limits. Issued by the City of Forsyth under its DLI certification for Building (B), RESIDENTIAL ONLY, reviewed against the locally-adopted 2012 IBC / 2018 Residential Building Code / 2018 IECC / 2012 IEBC (Forsyth Code of Ordinances 11-1-1). This certification does NOT extend to commercial building work — see the separate commercial-building-permit-state entry.

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• Commercial Building Permit (State-Issued)

  Because Forsyth's DLI certification for Building covers RESIDENTIAL work only, any commercial building project within Forsyth city limits — new construction, addition, alteration — requires a Building Permit/Plan Review Application issued directly by the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau in Helena, not by the City of Forsyth.

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• Electrical Permit (State-Issued)

  Because Forsyth holds no DLI certification in Electrical (only a residential-only Building certification), electrical work anywhere within Forsyth city limits — residential or commercial — requires a Residential or Commercial Electrical Permit issued directly by the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau in Helena, not by the City of Forsyth, under the National Electrical Code as currently adopted statewide (2020 NEC per the Bureau's Current Codes page; Forsyth's own local ordinance text at 11-1-1 references the older 2014 NEC edition for its own — inapplicable to this state-enforced trade — reference).

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• Residential Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit — State-Issued Electrical Permit Add-On

  Because Forsyth holds no DLI certification in Electrical (only a residential-only Building certification), rooftop or ground-mount residential solar PV installation within Forsyth city limits is not a separate stand-alone permit — it is billed and processed as an Alternative Energy Source add-on to the state-issued Residential Electrical Permit, issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau (Helena), the same office that issues all electrical permits for Forsyth addresses. The Bureau's statewide Application for Residential Electrical Permit form (BCP-1) itemizes 'Alternative Energy Source (solar/wind/hydro)' as a fixed $65 fee added on top of whichever base electrical work-type fee applies, and requires the applicant to specify system type (Micro Inverter/AC Module System or PV String System). If the racking/mounting requires structural roof modification, that scope would separately require Forsyth's own residential-certified Building permit (or the state's commercial-building-permit-state entry, for non-residential property).

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• Plumbing Permit (State-Issued, incl. Water Heater)

  Because Forsyth holds no DLI certification in Plumbing (only a residential-only Building certification), plumbing work anywhere within Forsyth city limits — including water heater installation/replacement, residential or commercial — requires a Plumbing Permit issued directly by the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau in Helena, not by the City of Forsyth, under the Uniform Plumbing Code as currently adopted statewide (2021 UPC per the Bureau's Current Codes page; Forsyth's own local ordinance text at 11-1-1 references the older 2012 UPC edition for its own — inapplicable to this state-enforced trade — reference).

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• Mechanical / HVAC Permit (State-Issued)

  Because Forsyth holds no DLI certification in Mechanical (only a residential-only Building certification), mechanical/HVAC work anywhere within Forsyth city limits — residential or commercial — requires a Mechanical Permit issued directly by the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau in Helena, not by the City of Forsyth, under the International Mechanical Code and International Fuel Gas Code as currently adopted statewide (2021 IMC/IFGC per the Bureau's Current Codes page; Forsyth's own local ordinance text at 11-1-1 references the older 2012 editions for its own — inapplicable to this state-enforced trade — reference).

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• EV Charger / Electric Vehicle Charging Circuit Permit (State-Issued)

  Because Forsyth holds no DLI certification in Electrical (only a residential-only Building certification), an EV charger/EVSE circuit anywhere within Forsyth city limits requires the same state-issued Residential or Commercial Electrical Permit documented in the electrical-permit-state entry, issued directly by the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau in Helena — not the City of Forsyth. The Bureau's statewide Application for Residential Electrical Permit form (BCP-1, Rev. 11/25) has no line item specifically labeled 'EV charger' or 'electric vehicle'; a retrofit EV charging circuit is billed under the 'Single Family Interior/Exterior Wire or Rewire' category as an additional circuit or piece of equipment, and a charger wired into a new single-family service is folded into the base new-service fee (per the amperage tier).

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• Sign Permit (Zoning)

  Forsyth, MT Code of Ordinances 12-2-9 'Signs' (Title 12 Zoning Regulations, Chapter 2 General Requirements, Ord. 2000-03, 9-13-2000) regulates outdoor advertising and business signs citywide. Subsection B lists specific sign categories exempt from a permit (real-estate signs, address/nameplate signs, non-commercial government flags, government-required legal/directional signs, non-lettered architectural features, non-advertising traffic/parking signs, institutional bulletin boards set back 10'+ from the right-of-way, and temporary political signs removed within 15 days of an election); ordinary on-site business/industrial signage is NOT among the listed exemptions, and subsection D is explicitly titled 'Regulation Of Off-Site Signs Requiring A Permit,' confirming at minimum that off-site (billboard-type) signs require a permit — the ordinance text does not use the word 'permit' again in subsection C's on-site-sign standards, so whether an ordinary on-site business sign is itself a separate permitted transaction (versus simply a standard enforced at zoning review of a broader project) is not fully spelled out in the codified text. Separately, Forsyth's own Building Code (11-1-1(A)(10)) adopts International Building Code Appendix Chapter H (Signs), per ARM 24.301.134, as an optional local building-code chapter governing the structural design/construction of sign structures — a layer distinct from, and in addition to, this Title 12 zoning permit. No fee schedule, application form, administering-department contact, or review timeline for this permit was found published anywhere on the City's own website or in the codified ordinances as of this review.

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• Fire Sprinkler & Fire Alarm Permit (State-Issued)

  Forsyth's own local fire code, Forsyth Code of Ordinances 6-1-1 'Adoption Of Fire Prevention Code' (Title 6 Fire Regulations, Chapter 1 Fire Prevention Code, Ord. 2015-06, 9-28-2015), adopts only a generic, undated 'fire prevention code, current edition, as recommended by the National Board Of Fire Underwriters' on file with the city clerk-treasurer — Title 6 Chapter 1 contains just two sections (6-1-1 this adoption clause, and 6-1-2 a voluntary $20 wood/coal stove inspection fee unrelated to sprinkler or alarm systems), confirming Forsyth has NO locally-administered fire sprinkler or fire alarm permit-and-fee mechanism of its own. Because Forsyth's DLI certification also does not extend to commercial Building work or to Electrical work of any kind, fire suppression (sprinkler) systems route through the same state-issued process documented in the commercial-building-permit-state entry: the DLI Building Codes Bureau's statewide Building Permit/Plan Review Application (BCP-1) lists 'Fire Suppression' as one of its explicit 'Type Of Work' checkboxes, alongside New/Addition/Alteration/Change of Use/etc. Fire alarm system wiring, in turn, has no dedicated line item on any state permit form — it is billed under the same general valuation-based Commercial (or Residential) Electrical Permit fee schedule as any other electrical work, since Forsyth holds no local Electrical certification at all. The Montana Fire Protection License Program (administered separately by DLI's Business Standards Division boards office) licenses the businesses and individuals who sell, install, and service fire-suppression and fire-alarm equipment statewide — it is a contractor-licensing program, not a separate permit-issuing authority for individual installations, and does not substitute for the Building Codes Bureau's own plan-review permit process.

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• Change of Use / Certificate of Occupancy (State-Issued)

  Because Forsyth's DLI certification for Building covers RESIDENTIAL work only, a change of use or change of occupancy classification for a COMMERCIAL structure within Forsyth city limits is not a separate stand-alone product — it is filed as the 'Change of Use' Type Of Work option on the same statewide Building Permit/Plan Review Application (BCP-1) used for the commercial-building-permit-state entry, issued directly by the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau in Helena, and reviewed under International Existing Building Code Chapter 10 'Change of Occupancy' as currently applied statewide (2021 IEBC per the Bureau's Current Codes page; Forsyth's own local ordinance text at 11-1-1 references the older 2012 IEBC edition for its own — inapplicable to this state-enforced commercial track — reference). Per the Bureau's own guidance, in areas (and, for Forsyth, project types) where it acts as the Authority Having Jurisdiction, the Bureau issues the Certificate of Occupancy upon successful completion of the project and passing all required inspections — there is no additional standalone 'CO fee' beyond the Building Permit/plan-review fee itself. A change of use confined to a purely residential structure/use, remaining within Forsyth's own certified residential Building scope, would instead be filed as Forsyth's own city-issued residential Building Permit (see residential-building-permit entry) rather than through the state.

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