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Residential Building Permit (New Construction / Addition / Alteration) in Forsyth, Montana

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.

Verified 2026-07-04 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Contact Forsyth City Hall, (406) 346-2521, 247 N 9th Ave, Forsyth, MT 59327, to initiate a residential building permit application — no downloadable application form or online portal was found published on the City's own website (forsythmt.info) as of this review
  • Pole building construction is capped at 900 square feet, single-story, 25 feet in height, per Forsyth Code 11-1-4
  • Garages in Residential Districts 1 and 2 are capped at 1,200 square feet, per Forsyth Code 11-1-4
  • Living quarters in a garage may be allowed only if a lumber criterion is met and zoning code requirements are satisfied, per Forsyth Code 11-1-4
  • Project must comply with the codes adopted at Forsyth Code 11-1-1 (2012 IBC, 2018 Residential Building Code, 2018 IECC, 2012 IEBC, 2017/ARM accessibility rules)

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Residential building permit feeNo fixed valuation-based fee table was found published on forsythmt.info (a Wix-hosted site whose Permit Application page is a generic Bookings template with no attached fee schedule), in Forsyth Code of Ordinances Title 11, or anywhere else searched (city council meeting minutes/agendas, Rosebud County Planner page) as of this review — an honest publication gap after exhausting the City's own website, the Wayback Machine's complete archive index for the domain, and the codified ordinances, not an inferred or invented figure. Applicants must contact Forsyth City Hall at (406) 346-2521 for a current fee quote.
Not published — contact the department

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Residential Building Permit (New Construction / Addition / Alteration) permit actually take in Forsyth?

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Inspection process

    Tips

    • Forsyth's local Building certification covers RESIDENTIAL construction only — a commercial project of any kind does not qualify for city-issued permitting and must go to the state DLI Building Codes Bureau instead; see the commercial-building-permit-state entry.
    • The City of Forsyth's own website (forsythmt.info) is a Wix-hosted site with a 'Permit Application' page that is a generic Bookings-style placeholder — it does not contain a real fee schedule, downloadable form, or department-specific contact. Call City Hall directly at (406) 346-2521 rather than relying on the website for permit forms or fees.
    • Pole buildings are capped at 900 sq ft / 25 ft height; garages in Residential Districts 1 and 2 are capped at 1,200 sq ft — confirm against Forsyth Code 11-1-4 before finalizing an accessory-structure design.
    • Forsyth's own locally-adopted code editions (2012 IBC, 2018 Residential Code, 2018 IECC, 2012 IEBC, per Forsyth Code 11-1-1) are older than the state's current statewide-effective editions (2021 IBC/IRC/IEBC, per the DLI Building Codes Bureau) — the City's own ordinance text has not been refreshed to the latest state adoption cycle as of this review; confirm which edition is actually being enforced with the Building Department before design.
    • No published fee schedule exists online for Forsyth's residential building permit — get a written quote from City Hall before budgeting a project.
    • Rosebud County does NOT issue building permits for property within Forsyth city limits or in unincorporated Rosebud County — the County Planner's office explicitly disclaims this function, referring residents to the State of Montana instead (or, for Forsyth city-limits residential building work specifically, to the City's own certified program).

    Frequently asked questions

    Forsyth requires a residential building permit (new construction / addition / alteration) for: Contact Forsyth City Hall, (406) 346-2521, 247 N 9th Ave, Forsyth, MT 59327, to initiate a residential building permit application — no downloadable application form or online portal was found published on the City's own website (forsythmt.info) as of this review; Pole building construction is capped at 900 square feet, single-story, 25 feet in height, per Forsyth Code 11-1-4; Garages in Residential Districts 1 and 2 are capped at 1,200 square feet, per Forsyth Code 11-1-4; Living quarters in a garage may be allowed only if a lumber criterion is met and zoning code requirements are satisfied, per Forsyth Code 11-1-4; Project must comply with the codes adopted at Forsyth Code 11-1-1 (2012 IBC, 2018 Residential Building Code, 2018 IECC, 2012 IEBC, 2017/ARM accessibility rules). 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.

    Forsyth does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact 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 for current turnaround.

    You'll need: Building Permit Application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

    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.

    The City of Forsyth issues its own residential building permits under a Montana DLI 'Building (B), residential only' certification, with certified official Gabe Martinsen on file with the state. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau certified-jurisdictions roster (updated 04/22/2026).

    No fixed fee schedule is published online by the City of Forsyth. Contact City Hall at (406) 346-2521 for a current quote.

    No. Rosebud County's own Planner page states plainly that building and electrical permits are not required through the County, though they may be required by the State of Montana. Forsyth runs its own independent, DLI-certified city Building program separate from the County.

    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 Forsyth building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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