Commercial Building Permit (New Construction, Additions & Remodels) in Billings, Montana

Billings requires a commercial building permit (new construction, additions & remodels) for: Building permit required for new commercial construction, commercial additions, and commercial remodels/tenant-improvement build-outs affecting structural, mechanical, or life-safety systems, reviewed under the 2021 IBC as adopted by the City of Billings (Administrative Order #150); Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau's Certified City, County and Town Programs list shows Billings certified for Building (B) with no residential-only or commercial-only qualifier attached, unlike some other Montana jurisdictions on the same list -- meaning the City of Billings Building Division, not the state, reviews and issues commercial building permits citywide; Application submitted online via the CityView Portal (cityview.billingsmt.gov/Portal/), the same portal and general application flow used for residential permits; no separate commercial-specific primary application form is published, though the City's Applications and Forms page lists supplementary commercial documents (Commercial Deferred Submittal Form, Commercial Construction Costs Per Square Foot reference, Engineering Division Plan Submittal Checklist, Fire Department Delayed Plan Submittal Verification Form); Commercial valuation is the higher of the total bid price or the most recent valuation table published in the Building Safety Journal, per the City's Building Permit Fees schedule; the City separately publishes its own Commercial Construction Costs Per Square Foot reference table (Building & Safety Division, dated August 2020), broken out by 2018 IBC occupancy group and construction type, stating valuation is based on the higher of total bid price or that table; Commercial, multi-family, and multi-unit residential site plans require separate submittal to the City's Engineering Division per its Plan Submittal Checklist: a site/grading/drainage plan (or a separate grading and drainage plan), a storm drainage report based on the City's Storm Water Management Manual, a traffic accessibility study if the development generates more than 500 trips per day or one is required by Special Review, and any right-of-way improvements (curb, gutter, sidewalk); plan review does not begin until a complete package is submitted, and missing items are flagged within 2 working days of the initial submittal; Fire protection systems (automatic sprinkler, alternative automatic extinguishing, and fire alarm systems) for new and remodeled commercial buildings are reviewed separately from the building permit itself -- the Fire Prevention Bureau's Deputy Fire Marshals assist, but plans are submitted to and reviewed by the City's contracted third-party reviewer, Fire Safety Consultants, Inc. (FSCI), which forwards recommendations to the Fire Marshal; see this jurisdiction's Fire Sprinkler / Fire Alarm System Permit type for the delayed-submittal process and timing; A Pre-Construction Meeting is required before construction starts on large commercial construction projects, scheduled by calling the Building Division Plan Reviewer who completed the plan review; the City does not publish a specific project-size threshold defining a large project, nor a fee for the meeting; Deferred submittal items (e.g., trusses, elevators, or other items per IBC Section 107.3.4.1) must first be reviewed by the registered design professional of record, then delivered to the Building Division at least 10 business days before the deferred item is installed; the deferred item cannot be installed until the Building Division approves the submitted documents; The City's Inspection Checklists document includes a Final Commercial Inspection checklist citing 2018-edition IBC section numbers, and a commercial above-ceiling rough inspection required before ceiling tiles are installed, listed within its Mechanical Rough Inspection checklist; these 2018-edition citations were not confirmed to have been updated to match the City's 2021-edition code readoption of September 2022 (Administrative Order #150). If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Billings Building Division at (406) 657-8270 before starting work.

Commercial projects use the same valuation-based Residential and Commercial Building Permit Fees table as residential construction (starting at $30.00 for $1-$1,000 in valuation), with valuation set at the higher of the total bid price or the Building Safety Journal valuation table (or the City's own Commercial Construction Costs Per Square Foot reference). No separate percentage-based commercial plan review fee is published. Deferred submittal items carry an additional flat $100.00 review fee.

Per the City of Billings Building Division FAQ, initial plan review takes 2-4 weeks for Commercial - Minor projects and 3-6 weeks for Commercial - Major projects, once a complete plan set has been submitted and any special issues are resolved -- longer than the 4-7 business days typical for residential (single-family/duplex) review.

You'll need: Building Permit Application; Commercial Construction Documents. Depending on your project, Billings may also ask for: Commercial Deferred Submittal Form; Pre-Construction Meeting Application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Billings requires 2 inspection(s) for a commercial building permit (new construction, additions & remodels), in order: Commercial Above-Ceiling Rough, Final Commercial Inspection. Schedule each through City of Billings Building Division ((406) 657-8270).

Apply through City of Billings Building Division at 316 N 26th St, 5th Floor, Billings, MT 59101. Phone: (406) 657-8270, email: permits@billingsmt.gov. Office hours: Building Division front counter, 5th Floor, City Hall, 316 N. 26th St., Billings, MT 59101 (inspection requests: inspections@billingsmt.gov or 406-657-8270). Official information: https://www.billingsmt.gov/67/Building.

The City of Billings does. The Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau's Certified City, County and Town Programs list shows Billings certified for Building without a residential-only or commercial-only limitation, so the City's own Building Division reviews and issues commercial building permits within city limits. Outside city limits, in unincorporated Yellowstone County, the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau administers building permits directly.

No standalone commercial application form is published. Commercial projects use the same Building Permit Application and CityView Portal as residential permits, along with supplementary commercial documents where they apply -- a Commercial Deferred Submittal Form for deferred items, an Engineering Division Plan Submittal Checklist for site plans, and a Fire Department Delayed Plan Submittal Verification Form for fire protection systems.