Bozeman building department

The City of Bozeman Building Division, part of Community Development, reviews plans, issues permits, and inspects construction inside Bozeman city limits. Montana’s Building Codes Program lists Bozeman as certified for building, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, pool, and wildland-urban interface codes. Gallatin County doesn’t issue building permits, and Belgrade runs its own certified program. The division’s front counter is in the Professional Building at 20 East Olive Street. It’s open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Call (406) 582-2375 ext. 1 or email [email protected].

What doesn’t need a permit

Bozeman publishes the 2021 IRC section R105.2 exemptions for homes. No building permit is needed for:

• One-story detached accessory buildings up to 200 square feet, other than storm shelters
• Fences up to 7 feet high
• Retaining walls up to 4 feet, measured from the bottom of the footing, unless they support a surcharge
• Sidewalks and driveways
• Painting, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, countertops, and similar finish work
• Prefabricated pools less than 24 inches deep
• Swings and playground equipment
• Window awnings that project 54 inches or less and need no extra support
• Decks that meet all four conditions: 200 square feet or less, no more than 30 inches above grade, not attached to the house, and not serving a required exit door

Minor electrical, gas, mechanical, and plumbing repairs are exempt too. Examples include replacing a breaker in the same location, portable appliances, and clearing stoppages. See also do I need a permit for a shed.

Applying through ProjectDox

Applications and plans go in through ProjectDox, the city’s electronic plan review portal. The Development Center page lists submittal requirements. A few city rules to know:

• One structure, one permit. A detached garage on the same lot needs its own permit.
• ADUs need their own address. Request it from [email protected].

New homes need:

• The 2021 Residential Checklist
• A landscape and irrigation self-certification
• A water service fixture count. If the count goes over 39, contact City Shops at (406) 582-3200.
• A site drainage self-certification and the sump drain policy
• A stormwater permit
• Truss and structural calcs, a preliminary soil analysis, and spec sheets

A site-specific geotechnical analysis is required at application. The final observation report is due before the footing inspection.

Commercial projects use the 2021 Commercial Checklist. So do multifamily buildings with three or more units, because they fall under the IBC.

Stand-alone permits cover electrical-only, plumbing-only, and mechanical-only work, plus demolition of entire structures, fences and decks, and manufactured homes. They also cover moving, new air conditioning units, new pools, residential re-siding, re-roofs, sewer-only work, signs, and solar PV. Subcontractors can get their trade permit issued electronically. They email [email protected] with the application number and their company name; the company must hold an active business license. Even though plans no longer need in-office stamping, a representative must still come to the office for permit issuance.

To get help before you submit, book a 30-minute appointment with a residential or commercial plans examiner through Vagaro. Zoning and development review questions go to Planning at [email protected].

Fees

Building fees follow ICC valuation methodology under Resolution 5287 (2021) and Municipal Code section 10.02.020. The FY27 Building Fee Schedule took effect August 1, 2026. It applies to any project that passes prescreen after that date. You can pay fees through the city’s Click2Gov building permit site; card payments can carry a convenience fee of up to 3%.

For new square footage, the permit fee is the gross area × the February 2026 ICC cost per square foot × a cost modifier × 0.0084. The FY27 modifier is 80% for new construction and additions, and 64% for shell-only buildings. For one- and two-family homes (R-3), the ICC table runs from $175.92 to $224.62 per square foot, depending on construction type. Unfinished R-3 basements count at $31.50 per square foot.

Remodels, re-roofs, and mechanical, electrical, plumbing, moving, and demolition permits use a valuation table instead:

Project valuation	FY27 permit fee
$1 – $500	$26.75
$501 – $2,000	$26.75 + $3.05 per added $100
$2,001 – $25,000	$69.25 + $14 per added $1,000
$25,001 – $50,000	$391.75 + $10.10 per added $1,000
$50,001 – $100,000	$643.75 + $7 per added $1,000
$100,001 – $500,000	$993.75 + $5.60 per added $1,000

The city’s own example is a $75,000 job, which pays an $818.75 permit fee. Plan review adds 65% of the permit fee for both IBC and IRC projects. Other FY27 charges:

• Revisions after approval: at least $125 for IRC projects and $250 for IBC projects
• Permit or application extension: $75
• Re-inspection penalty: $300
• Early move-in penalty: $300
• Third and later resubmittals: one quarter of the original permit fee

Inspections

Schedule and cancel inspections through Click2Gov. The Click2Gov page says requests for next-day inspections must be in before 4 p.m. on the current business day. However, the Development Center page gives a 2 p.m. cutoff on the business day before, so booking by 2 p.m. meets both. You can’t pick a time. Inspectors set the order of their route, and staff notify the inspection contact if a visit gets moved. Landscape and irrigation inspections are required too. Schedule those with the Water Conservation Division at [email protected].

A few rules from the Development Center:

• Every permit for the project, including subcontractor permits, must be issued before any inspection takes place. Inspections booked on permits that haven’t been issued yet are canceled.
• Keep the stamped approved plans and the permit on site at all times.
• Finish the work before you call for the inspection.

The city also accepts self-certification forms for insulation, dampproofing, and sewer connections. If fire suppression or alarms are part of the permit, they must be approved and issued before the framing inspection.

Occupancy and final routing

Single-family homes, duplexes, and townhomes of three stories or less don’t go through the occupancy process. They just need a final inspection.

A certificate of occupancy is required for:

• New commercial construction
• Changes of use
• Buildings with five or more units
• Buildings three or more stories tall

Projects that went through planning review, such as a site plan, need final routing. Submit the occupancy or final routing request about four weeks before you plan to move in. Expect these requirements:

• Every final inspection must pass first.
• The architect, civil engineer, and landscape architect must submit certification letters.
• Projects needing a CO also need water and fire-sprinkler backflow tests.
• Unfinished minor site work can be guaranteed with an Improvement Agreement, which takes about two weeks to process.

Once every department signs off, allow the Building Division five business days to issue the certificate of occupancy.

Codes and design criteria

Bozeman currently enforces the 2021 IRC, IBC, IMC, IFGC, IECC, IEBC, and ISPSC, along with the 2021 UPC, 2020 NEC, and 2021 IFC, all as amended by Montana rule. The city adopted IRC Appendix Q (tiny houses) and IECC Appendix RB (solar-ready). The state’s 2024 codes took effect September 26, 2026. Bozeman’s effective date is January 1, 2027. Applications submitted on or after that date must be designed to the 2024 codes.

Criterion	Bozeman value
Ground snow load	46 psf
Roof snow load	41 psf
Deck live (snow) load	46 psf
Frost depth	36 in. (one story); 48 in. (two story)
Wind speed	115 mph
Seismic design category	D0 (IRC)
Weathering	Severe; ice barrier required