Swimming pool permit rules in Yellowstone County, MT — also covering above-ground pools, in-ground pools, and spa installations — set fencing, barrier, alarm, and inspection requirements.
Public and semi-public pools and spas in Yellowstone County must be licensed and inspected by RiverStone Health before opening. Residential in-ground pools on unincorporated land need a building permit under the adopted code; inside Billings or Laurel, apply to that city instead.
Montana requires every public pool, spa, and water park to be licensed and inspected. RiverStone Health (Environmental Health Services, the Yellowstone County health department) reviews plans, conducts a pre-opening inspection, and collects the annual license fee. Applicants first submit a Plan Review Checklist to the state Food and Consumer Safety Section and obtain local building, zoning, and fire permits. For private residential pools, permitting depends on jurisdiction: unincorporated county parcels within an adopted zoning district follow the county building code, while parcels inside Billings or Laurel are permitted by that city. Confirm whether your parcel lies in an incorporated city or the unincorporated county.
Operating an unlicensed public pool, or building without a required permit, can trigger closure orders, correction requirements, and denial of the license until deficiencies are fixed.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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