Gallatin County building department

Gallatin County does not issue building permits. Gallatin County Planning and Community Development issues Land Use Permits (LUPs) and handles zoning, floodplain, and subdivision review outside city limits. Inside the cities, the cities do this work themselves. The office is in Room 108 of the County Courthouse. It’s open 9 to 5 on weekdays, except Wednesday, when it opens at 10.

Where a city or town runs a state-certified program, building code permits come from that local office:

• Bozeman and Belgrade: full programs.
• Manhattan: certified program.
• West Yellowstone: residential building only.

Everywhere else in the county, the Montana Department of Labor and Industry’s Building Codes Program is the building authority.

What the state requires outside certified cities

In the state’s jurisdiction, a state building permit is required before construction for non-exempt buildings. State law exempts:

• Residential buildings with fewer than five dwelling units, unless they serve transient guests
• Private garages and storage buildings for the owner’s own use
• Farm and ranch buildings

So a typical rural single-family home or barn needs no state building permit. Trade permits still apply:

• Electrical: a state electrical permit is required for electrical work. A homeowner may wire their own home, garage, and premises under a state homeowner’s permit. Everyone else needs a licensed electrical contractor.
• Plumbing: a homeowner doesn’t need a plumbing permit when doing the work personally on a home for their own use. A home built to sell or rent doesn’t qualify.
• Mechanical: state mechanical permits apply to buildings that need a state building permit.

The state reviews commercial plans in about three weeks on average. Contact the Building Codes Program at (406) 841-2056 or [email protected]. See also owner-builder permits.

Land Use Permits

Gallatin County has 22 zoning districts. In them, you need an LUP before building most structures. The property owner is responsible for getting it. Pouring concrete or making other permanent improvements before approval violates the zoning regulation, and the fee doubles.

To find your district, use the county’s interactive mapper. Then read that district’s regulations for setbacks, height, density, accessory structures, and permitted versus conditional uses. A conditional use needs a Conditional Use Permit first. For a zoning verification, a new address, or a septic permit, use the Property Information Request Form.

LUP applications must be filed online through the county’s MyGov portal. Paying by credit card adds a 3% fee. You can also pay by check or cash at the office. Allow at least four weeks for processing.

A complete LUP includes:

• An assigned address. Get this before you apply.
• A site plan with setbacks measured from both walls and eaves to each property line and to any watercourse or ditch
• Building elevations showing height and roof pitch
• Floor plans with every room labeled
• For septic, an approved permit from the Gallatin City-County Health Department at (406) 582-3120. For community sewer, approval to connect.

In the Gallatin Canyon/Big Sky Zoning District, you also need a Big Sky Fire District LUP form. A soils report is required if the slope is over 15%.

Site inspection

Submitting an LUP gives planning staff permission to enter the property. A planner then visits to confirm where the structures will go. Before the visit:

• Stake or flag every property corner and structure corner.
• Post the address so it’s visible from the road.
• Make sure a low-clearance car can get in. That can mean plowing snow or clearing brush.

If the site isn’t ready, you pay a revisit fee.

Fees (schedule effective September 21, 2026)

Application	Fee
LUP Minor (fences, decks, patios, agricultural and other minor structures)	$160
LUP Standard (residential and accessory structures)	Greater of $430 or 0.25% of construction value; max $5,400
LUP Major (multifamily, commercial, industrial; includes site plan review)	Greater of $430 or 0.25% of construction value; max $27,000
After-the-fact LUP	Double the base fee
LUP revisit	$215 per visit
Change of Use (commercial/industrial building)	$215
Floodplain permit, small-scale / substantial	$485 / $920

Belgrade “Donut” transition

Since July 1, 2026, Gallatin County has handled planning and development review in the area within 4.5 miles of Belgrade’s city limits. Belgrade handled it before then. This changes who reviews zoning and subdivisions there. It does not change who issues building permits.