PermitBasepermitbase.app
Change of Use / Certificate of Occupancy (State-Issued) — Forsyth, Montana · Requirements sheet
Verified 2026-07-22 · Source: https://bsd.dli.mt.gov/building-codes-permits/permit-applications/building-permits/state-building-permit
PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency. Requirements change and vary by project — confirm current details with the building department before you submit.
Change of Use / Certificate of Occupancy (State-Issued) in Forsyth, Montana
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.
Verified 2026-07-22 · Source
When you need this permit
- Submit a Building Permit/Plan Review Application (BCP-1) with the 'Change of Use' Type Of Work box checked, together with complete plans, to the Building Codes Bureau
- Provide a detailed description of the project's proposed use and occupancy, as required on the application form
- Project must demonstrate compliance with International Existing Building Code Chapter 10 (Change of Occupancy) as currently applied statewide by the Bureau
- A Certificate of Occupancy is issued by the Bureau upon successful completion of the project and passing all required inspections; the building may not be used or occupied until approved
- Apply in accordance with Title 50, Chapter 60, MCA and ARM Title 24, Chapter 301
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 Permit/Plan Review Fee (Change of Use)Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, 'Is a State Building Permit Needed?' guidance page — the same fee-calculation method already documented for Forsyth's commercial-building-permit-state entry, since Change of Use is checked as a Type Of Work option on the identical Building Permit/Plan Review Application. No separate standalone Certificate of Occupancy fee was found published beyond this plan-review fee.
Generally 1%-2% of building valuation, calculated by the Building Codes Bureau after screening
Review timeline
Plan reviewForsyth’s published plan-review target
14–21 business days
Inspection process
- 1
State Inspections
Permit holder must call the Bureau's building inspector at least 24 hours before a requested inspection; the inspector then has 72 hours from notification to perform it. A Certificate of Occupancy is issued upon successful completion of the project and passing all required inspections.
Tips
- There is no separate 'change of use permit' or 'certificate of occupancy' fee product in Forsyth for commercial structures — it is the 'Change of Use' checkbox on the same statewide Building Permit/Plan Review Application used for any other commercial building work, issued by the state since Forsyth's own certification excludes commercial Building entirely.
- A Certificate of Occupancy is issued by the state Bureau upon successful completion and passing inspections — do not occupy or use the building/space until it is approved.
- A change of use confined to a residential structure/use within Forsyth's own certified residential Building scope should instead be directed to the City's own residential Building Permit process — contact City Hall, (406) 346-2521, to confirm which track applies to your specific project.
Frequently asked questions
Forsyth requires a change of use / certificate of occupancy (state-issued) permit for: Submit a Building Permit/Plan Review Application (BCP-1) with the 'Change of Use' Type Of Work box checked, together with complete plans, to the Building Codes Bureau; Provide a detailed description of the project's proposed use and occupancy, as required on the application form; Project must demonstrate compliance with International Existing Building Code Chapter 10 (Change of Occupancy) as currently applied statewide by the Bureau; A Certificate of Occupancy is issued by the Bureau upon successful completion of the project and passing all required inspections; the building may not be used or occupied until approved; Apply in accordance with Title 50, Chapter 60, MCA and ARM Title 24, Chapter 301. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Forsyth Building Department — city-certified for Building (B), RESIDENTIAL ONLY per the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau's certified-jurisdiction roster (certified official on file: Gabe Martinsen). Commercial building permits, and Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical/HVAC permits of ANY project type, within Forsyth city limits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau, not the City. Rosebud County itself performs NO building or electrical permitting function for the city or the unincorporated county — confirmed directly on the Rosebud County Planner page. at (406) 346-2521 before starting work.
The same Building Permit/Plan Review fee documented for commercial building permits applies: generally 1%-2% of building valuation, calculated by the Bureau after screening. No separate standalone Certificate of Occupancy fee was found published.
Forsyth's published plan-review target for a change of use / certificate of occupancy (state-issued) permit is 14–21 business days.
You'll need: Building Permit/Plan Review Application (BCP-1) — Change of Use box checked. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.
Forsyth requires 1 inspection(s) for a change of use / certificate of occupancy (state-issued) permit, in order: State Inspections. Schedule each through City of Forsyth Building Department — city-certified for Building (B), RESIDENTIAL ONLY per the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau's certified-jurisdiction roster (certified official on file: Gabe Martinsen). Commercial building permits, and Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical/HVAC permits of ANY project type, within Forsyth city limits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau, not the City. Rosebud County itself performs NO building or electrical permitting function for the city or the unincorporated county — confirmed directly on the Rosebud County Planner page. ((406) 346-2521).
Apply through City of Forsyth Building Department — city-certified for Building (B), RESIDENTIAL ONLY per the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau's certified-jurisdiction roster (certified official on file: Gabe Martinsen). Commercial building permits, and Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical/HVAC permits of ANY project type, within Forsyth city limits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau, not the City. Rosebud County itself performs NO building or electrical permitting function for the city or the unincorporated county — confirmed directly on the Rosebud County Planner page. at 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.. Official information: https://www.forsythmt.info/.
Forsyth, 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 — 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. Local amendments apply — see the Forsyth overview page for the full list.
For commercial structures, no — Forsyth's Building certification is residential-only, so a change of use/occupancy for a commercial building is filed via the state DLI Building Codes Bureau's Building Permit/Plan Review Application (Change of Use checkbox), which also issues the Certificate of Occupancy upon completion and passing inspections. Plan review averages two to three weeks if plans are complete.
Sources & verification
Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-22.
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 Forsyth building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.
Other permits in Forsyth
Residential Building Permit (New Construction / Addition / Alteration)Commercial Building Permit (State-Issued)Electrical Permit (State-Issued)Residential Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit — State-Issued Electrical Permit Add-OnPlumbing Permit (State-Issued, incl. Water Heater)Mechanical / HVAC Permit (State-Issued)EV Charger / Electric Vehicle Charging Circuit Permit (State-Issued)Sign Permit (Zoning)Fire Sprinkler & Fire Alarm Permit (State-Issued)
Change of Use / Certificate of Occupancy (State-Issued) in other cities
Compare change of use / certificate of occupancy (state-issued) fees across Montana →
Look up this fee in a different city →
Now live
Build your Forsyth project checklist
Describe your project once and get every permit, document, and fee it triggers in Forsyth — in one checklist. Sign up and pay once to generate it, or go unlimited with Pro.
Get started →