Billings, MT Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- Yes, under adopted state building code
- Completion deadline
- 18 months, extendable 12 more
- First violation penalty
- Up to $300 civil fine
- Repeat violation penalty
- Up to $500, per day
- Farm/ranch exemption
- Accessory structures under 1,000 sq ft
Summary
Billings requires a building permit for most new construction, additions, and alterations under the adopted state building code, with a narrow exemption for small farm and ranch accessory structures.
The following indicated sections of the Uniform Building Code are amended or added as follows: Section 106.2 is amended to add another exemption from a building permit: Farm and ranch accessory structures such as livestock barns, hay sheds, equipment storage, agriculture fences or similar uses directly related to agricultural operations. Structures are limited to one thousand (1,000) square feet and do not include habitable structures (i.e., residence, shop).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 66 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Billings adopts the current Montana Building Codes Bureau editions of the building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical codes by reference under Sec. 6-201, and those codes govern permits for the erection, alteration, repair, moving, or demolition of buildings citywide. Permit fees follow the city's own council-set fee schedule rather than the model code's tables (Sec. 6-202). No plumbing, mechanical, or electrical permit can be issued until the building permit itself is issued (Sec. 6-303). Once issued, all exterior work on a new or altered structure must be completed within 18 months, with a possible 12-month extension for documented hardship (Sec. 6-304).
Violations & Fines
Building without a required permit, or missing the 18-month completion deadline, is a municipal infraction: up to $300 for a first offense, $500 per repeat, each day a separate violation (Sec. 18-1304).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Billings require a permit for a farm shed?
Can I get plumbing or electrical work permitted before the building permit?
What if I miss my building permit's completion deadline?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Billings
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