Certificate of Occupancy / Change of Use in Laurel, Montana

Laurel requires a certificate of occupancy / change of use permit for: No separate 'Certificate of Occupancy' or 'Change of Use' permit application was found on the City of Laurel Building Department page, Forms/Permits & Applications page, or in Resolution No. R25-18's Building Permit Fees and Charges or Planning Fees and Charges tables; Occupancy of new construction, additions, or altered buildings requires final Building Department inspection approval under the locally-adopted 2021 IBC (LMC Chapter 14.12), tied to whichever Building Permit governs the underlying work (see this file's residential-building-permit and residential-addition-remodel entries for that permit's own fees/timeline); For an existing, unaltered commercial space changing tenants/use with no construction, the applicable City product is the Planning Department's Zoning Compliance/Verification Letter, which confirms the proposed use is permitted under Title 17 Zoning at that address; Buildings newly created for lease or rent on a single tract of record (e.g., new multi-tenant commercial buildings) may separately trigger review under LMC Title 18, Chapter 18.02 (Ord. No. O13-01, 2013), administered by the city planner under MCA 76-3-501; several categories of buildings are exempt per LMC 18.02.050 (e.g., three or fewer such buildings pre-existing on the tract before September 1, 2013, lodging facilities subject to the state lodging-facility use tax, or agricultural buildings); Where LMC Title 18 review is not exempt, the administrator must determine application completeness within ten working days of submission (LMC 18.02.060.C.i) -- the only codified processing-time figure found across all of the change-of-use-adjacent processes examined for this entry; This chapter (Title 18) is expressly not intended to abrogate or annul any building permit, certificate of occupancy, variance, or other lawful permit issued before its effective date (LMC 18.02.030.C), confirming certificates of occupancy are recognized as a distinct, pre-existing concept in Laurel's code even though no standalone CO application/fee was located. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Laurel Building Department — city-certified for Building (B) and Swimming Pool (SP) only; Electrical, Plumbing, Mechanical, and Fuel/Gas permits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau at (406) 628-4796 ext. 5304 before starting work.

In Laurel, the published Zoning Compliance/Verification Letter is: $200.00. Additional published fees: Review of Buildings for Lease or Rent — $350.00. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Laurel does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Laurel Building Department — city-certified for Building (B) and Swimming Pool (SP) only; Electrical, Plumbing, Mechanical, and Fuel/Gas permits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau at (406) 628-4796 ext. 5304 for current turnaround.

Depending on your project, Laurel may also ask for: Zoning Compliance/Verification Letter request; Application for Creation of Buildings for Lease or Rent (LMC 18.02.060). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Apply through City of Laurel Building Department — city-certified for Building (B) and Swimming Pool (SP) only; Electrical, Plumbing, Mechanical, and Fuel/Gas permits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau at 115 W 1st St, Laurel, MT 59044. Phone: (406) 628-4796 ext. 5304, email: jgonzales@laurel.mt.gov. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (fax (406) 628-2241). Official information: https://cityoflaurelmontana.com/1295/City-Building-Code-Enforcement.

Laurel, 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 (building, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, swimming pool, WUI, etc.); non-certified trades within a certified jurisdiction, and all trades in non-certified areas, fall under direct state administration by the DLI Building Codes Bureau. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, Certified City, County and Town Programs and Current Codes pages (bsd.dli.mt.gov/building-codes-permits).; Laurel is a Montana DLI-certified jurisdiction for Building (B) and Swimming Pool (SP) ONLY within Laurel city limits — Jason Gonzales is the certified building official of record, (406) 628-4796. Laurel is NOT certified for Electrical (E), Plumbing (P), or Mechanical (M); those permits are issued directly by the state DLI Building Codes Bureau for all addresses within Laurel city limits. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, 'CITY CODES BUILDING OFFICIAL PHONE JURISDICTION' certified-jurisdictions PDF (bsd.dli.mt.gov/_docs/building-codes-permits/certified-city.pdf), updated 04/22/2026 — Laurel row reads 'B, SP / Jason Gonzales / 628-4796 / City Limits'. Legend on that PDF: B = Building, P = Plumbing, M/G = Medical Gas, E = Electrical, M = Mechanical, SP = Pool, W = WUI (Wildland-Urban Interface).; Unincorporated Yellowstone County (outside Laurel and Billings city limits) does not appear on the DLI certified-jurisdictions list at all — every permit type there (Building, Electrical, Plumbing, Mechanical) is issued directly by the state Building Codes Bureau, the same routing documented for unincorporated Yellowstone County in the Billings jurisdiction file. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, Certified City, County and Town Programs list.; The City of Laurel's own Building Department webpage confirms this split directly: 'Electrical, Fuel/Gas, Mechanical and Plumbing permits must be obtained through the State of Montana' at bsd.dli.mt.gov/Building-Codes-Permits/permit-applications. Source: City of Laurel Building/Building Code Enforcement page, cityoflaurelmontana.com/building.; 2021 International Building Code (IBC) — adopted by City of Laurel Ordinance No. O22-01 (Aug. 9, 2022), codified at Laurel City Code Chapter 14.12, adopted by reference pursuant to MCA 50-60-301(1)(a) as provided by ARM 24.301.131(1)-(3) with Appendix C (Group U — Agricultural Buildings) and modified through ARM 24.301.146(1)-(44); statewide effective June 11, 2022. Section 101.1 amended to read 'Building Code of City of Laurel'; Section 1612.3 amended to reference the Flood Insurance Study for Yellowstone County, Montana and Incorporated Area dated November 6, 2013 (Ord. No. O21-02, 4-13-2021). Source: Laurel, MT Code of Ordinances, Chapter 14.12 (International Building Code, 2021 Edition), library.municode.com/mt/laurel.; 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) — adopted by City of Laurel Ordinance No. O22-03 (Sept. 13, 2022), codified at Laurel City Code Chapter 14.16, adopted by reference pursuant to MCA 50-60-301(1)(a) as modified by ARM 24.301.154(1)-(24) with Appendix Q (Tiny Houses) as permitted by ARM 24.301.154(2)(a); statewide effective June 11, 2022. Section R101.1 amended to read 'Residential Code for One- and Two-family Dwellings of City of Laurel' (Ord. No. O21-02, 4-13-2021). Source: Laurel, MT Code of Ordinances, Chapter 14.16 (International Residential Building Code, 2021 Edition), library.municode.com/mt/laurel.; 2021 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — adopted by City of Laurel, codified at Laurel City Code Chapter 14.18, adopted by reference pursuant to MCA 50-60-301(1)(a) as provided by ARM 24.301.171(1)-(4); statewide effective June 11, 2022. Section 101.1 amended to read 'Existing Building Code of the City of Laurel' (Ord. No. O21-02, 4-13-2021). Source: Laurel, MT Code of Ordinances, Chapter 14.18 (International Existing Building Code, 2021 Edition), library.municode.com/mt/laurel.; 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — adopted by City of Laurel, codified at Laurel City Code Chapter 14.22, declared the energy conservation code of the city for design of new buildings/additions, exterior envelopes, and HVAC/service-water-heating/electrical-distribution/illuminating systems; statewide effective June 11, 2022. Sections C101.1 and R101.1 amended to read 'Energy Conservation Code of the City of Laurel' (Ord. No. O21-02, 4-13-2021). Source: Laurel, MT Code of Ordinances, Chapter 14.22 (International Energy Conservation Code, 2021 Edition), library.municode.com/mt/laurel.; 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC) — adopted by City of Laurel Ordinance No. O22-01 (Aug. 9, 2022), codified at Laurel City Code Chapter 14.23, adopted by reference pursuant to MCA 50-60-301(1)(a) and ARM 24.301.175(2), as modified by ARM 24.301.175(1)-(6); statewide effective June 11, 2022. Section 101.1 amended to read 'Swimming Pool and Spa Code of the City of Laurel'; Section 105.6.2 amended so fees are set by the city council fee-schedule resolution rather than the model-code fee table (Ord. No. O21-02, 4-13-2021). Laurel is DLI-certified for Swimming Pool (SP) permitting. Source: Laurel, MT Code of Ordinances, Chapter 14.23 (International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, 2021 Edition), library.municode.com/mt/laurel.; Laurel's Code of Ordinances Title 14 (Buildings and Construction) contains adoption chapters ONLY for the codes Laurel is DLI-certified to enforce (IBC, IRC, IEBC, IECC, ISPSC) — there is no locally-adopted Electrical, Plumbing, Mechanical, or Fuel Gas chapter in Title 14, corroborating the DLI certified-jurisdictions list: those trades are enforced directly by the state, not the city. Source: Laurel, MT Code of Ordinances, Title 14, library.municode.com/mt/laurel/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT14BUCO.; 2021 International Mechanical Code (IMC), 2021 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC), and 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC) all apply within Laurel city limits as the statewide-adopted editions (effective June 11, 2022) but are administered directly by the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau (Helena), not the City of Laurel, because Laurel holds no local certification for those trades. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, Current Codes page, bsd.dli.mt.gov/building-codes-permits/current-codes.. Local amendments apply — see the Laurel overview page for the full list.

Not as a standalone product. Occupancy sign-off for new construction, additions, or alterations is issued by the City of Laurel Building Department as part of the governing Building Permit's final inspection, under the locally-adopted 2021 IBC. No separate CO application or fee was found in the city's Forms/Permits page or its fee schedule (Resolution No. R25-18).

Request a Zoning Compliance/Verification Letter from the Planning Department ($200.00, per Resolution No. R25-18) confirming the proposed use is permitted under Title 17 Zoning at that address. This is Laurel's practical mechanism for a tenant/use change when no construction is involved.