Kalispell building department

The City of Kalispell Building Department reviews plans and inspects all commercial and residential projects inside Kalispell city limits. It issues building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, tenant-improvement, and fire-suppression permits. The department also does fire life-safety inspections and fire sprinkler and alarm plan review for commercial properties in the city. Montana’s Building Codes Program lists Kalispell as certified for building, plumbing, mechanical, electrical, and pool codes within city limits. Flathead County is not on the state’s list of certified programs. Unincorporated areas fall under the state Building Codes Program, while Whitefish and Columbia Falls run their own certified programs.

Plan review lead times

The Building page posts current lead times, measured from a complete submittal:

Project	Lead time
Commercial plan review	12–14 weeks
Residential plan review	2–3 weeks

Applying online

Permits are submitted through the city’s Cityworks public portal. The Permit Processes and Policies page has:

• Step-by-step portal instructions
• Video tutorials for residential, commercial, and subdivision submittals
• File-format and sheet-naming requirements
• Plan review checklists

Review doesn’t start until every required document is uploaded, and incomplete submittals may be rejected. Plan sheets must be combined into a single PDF. Reports go in as separate PDFs.

A new single-family home needs:

• Full building plans, including electrical
• Structural sheets
• Engineer-stamped truss engineering and layout
• A scaled, dimensioned site plan showing distances to every property line

Townhouses and duplexes also need a fire-separation detail. Before any new home can be approved, you must apply for a Right-of-Way Permit and a Construction Stormwater Permit.

New commercial buildings, which include apartment buildings, need:

• Stamped architectural, structural, civil, mechanical, plumbing, and electrical sheets
• Stamped truss drawings. Deferred truss submittals are not accepted.
• A geotechnical report
• Landscaping that covers 5% of the parking lot, plus an irrigation plan
• Water, sewer, and storm design reports where mains or detention are proposed

Residential electrical permits have their own plan-review requirements, including an NEC standard load calculation for single-family homes. The Helpful Construction Related Documents page has sample plans and guides for:

• Decks, garages, and stairs
• Egress windows
• Header spans
• Foundations and mono-slabs
• Meter pits
• Setback verification

See also how to apply for a building permit.

Fees

Building permit fees are valuation-based. The residential schedule effective September 4, 2024:

Valuation	Permit fee
$1 – $500	$23.50
$501 – $2,000	$23.50 plus $3.05 per additional $100
$2,001 – $100,000	$69.25 plus $7.20 per additional $1,000
$100,001 – $200,000	$774.85 plus $4.90 per additional $1,000
$200,001 – $500,000	$1,264.85 plus $7.35 per additional $1,000
$500,001 – $750,000	$3,469.85 plus $6.40 per additional $1,000

The same schedule sets these other fees:

• Residential plan review: $50
• Reinspection: $50
• After-hours inspection: $75 an hour
• Outside consultants: cost plus 10%

There are separate schedules for commercial and fire systems, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work.

Under Ordinance 1889, you must have the permit paid for, in hand, and posted before work starts. The owner or general contractor must confirm that every subcontractor has the permits they need. If work is found underway without a permit, that work is stopped. Resolution 5703 sets the fee at 200% of the original permit amount.

Inspections

Email inspection requests to [email protected]. Include:

• The permit number or address
• The type of inspection
• A contact name and phone number

You’ll get a reply with the date and time. Schedule 24 to 48 hours ahead. The city can’t guarantee same-day inspections.

Certificate of occupancy

When you request a final inspection, the Building Department notifies the other city departments that day. Each then has five working days to inspect and approve or reject the work. Their sign-offs are required before the certificate of occupancy is issued:

Department	Reviews
Building	Building, plumbing, mechanical, electrical, accessibility, energy, life safety
Building/Fire	Sprinklers, fire alarms, other suppression systems
Parks	Trees, landscaping, park land, bike paths
Zoning (758-7940)	Parking, architectural review, lighting, floodplain, signs, CUP/PUD
Public Works	Streets, sidewalks, drainage, water and sewer, right-of-way
Fire (758-7763)	Fire lanes, access, hydrants

The applicant is responsible for working with each department to get its approval.

Codes in effect

The Building page lists the 2021 IBC, IMC, IFGC, IFC, IEBC, IRC, IECC, and International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, plus the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code and 2020 NEC. The state’s 2024 codes take effect statewide on September 26, 2026. The city links to free online access to Montana’s adopted ICC codes.