Neither Jefferson County nor Boulder or Whitehall is a state-certified building-code jurisdiction, so nobody local issues a building permit: the Montana Building Codes Program permits commercial buildings, and a house with fewer than 5 units needs none. What the County does issue is a $75 site permit, required before any construction inside a County zoning district, from the Planning Department on the first floor of the courthouse in Boulder (406-225-4040). A County septic permit costs $250 with a certified installer.
What needs a permit in Jefferson County?
With no certified program anywhere in the county, the state rules decide who needs a building permit. Commercial buildings and residential buildings of 5 or more units need a state permit; smaller houses, farm and ranch buildings and private garages or storage buildings for the owner’s use do not.
The local permits are about land use, sanitation and roads:
- County site permit: the North Jefferson County Zoning Regulations require a site plan and permit before any construction in the zoning district. The County’s online zoning map shows which parcels are covered.
- Conditional use permit: needed before a use listed as conditional in a zoning classification is established. One example in the regulations is an accessory building bigger than the footprint of the main house.
- Septic permit: an application has to be completed and a permit obtained before a septic system is built.
- Encroachment permit: for driveway access, utility work or anything else in a county road right-of-way. Every new or modified driveway needs one.
- Floodplain permit: the Planning Department is the floodplain administrator.
- Buildings for lease or rent: reviewed under the County’s 2021 regulations.
- Boulder zoning permit and Whitehall development permit: each town requires its own before building inside its limits.
Who issues permits in Jefferson County?
| Office | What it handles | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Planning Department | Site permits, zoning, floodplain permits, subdivisions, buildings for lease or rent | First floor of the courthouse, Boulder; PO Box H, Boulder, MT 59632; 406-225-4040; 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. |
| Environmental Health (Sanitarian) | Septic permits and installer certification | 214 S. Main Street, Boulder; 406-225-4126; environmentalhealth@jeffersoncounty-mt.gov |
| Road and Bridge Department | Encroachment permits, including driveways | Central Shop, 111 Odyssey Lane, Boulder; 406-225-4158; by appointment |
| GIS and Rural Addressing | Addresses outside Boulder and Whitehall | 114 S Washington Street, Boulder; 406-225-4156; Monday to Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. |
| Montana Building Codes Program | State building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits | 406-841-2056; buildingcodes@mt.gov |
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →LaDana Hintz is the Planning Director. Environmental Health keeps shorter hours than the courthouse: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, and 8:30 a.m. to noon on Tuesday and Friday.
The 2 incorporated places:
- Boulder (population 1,305): not certified. Before constructing, expanding or altering a building, or starting a use, a person submits the City’s zoning application with plans drawn to scale. City Hall is at 304 North Main Street (406-225-3381).
- Whitehall (population 1,131): not certified. The Town requires a Development Permit before any exterior structure is built or added, a fence or shed included. The Planning Board reviews applications on the second Monday of the month, and the Town Council gives final approval. The fee schedule bound into the Town’s zoning ordinance, approved November 1, 2016, lists $150 for sketch plan review, the level that covers a one- or two-household dwelling, an accessory structure or a sign, and $500 plus contract planning costs for site plan review of other development. Town Hall is on 406-287-3972.
Both towns’ permits are for zoning only; Whitehall’s application says so and adds that state building, electrical, plumbing or mechanical permits may also be required.
Applications to know
- Site Permit Application (County Planning): 2 pages, with a site plan attached. It has lines for the County septic permit and approach permit and for state electrical, building, plumbing and mechanical permit numbers, which is how the Planning Department coordinates the other approvals.
- Request for Board of Adjustment Review and Zoning Amendment Application (County Planning).
- Jefferson County Septic Application, with a Pre-Septic Application Checklist and the County’s 2026 list of certified installers.
- Encroachment Permit Application (2025): one consolidated form for driveways, utility work and other right-of-way activity.
- City of Boulder zoning permit form and variance application.
- Town of Whitehall Zoning/Development Permit Application, with a contractor sheet and a variance form.
None of these is filed through an online portal. State permits are filed with the Building Codes Program online or on paper.
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Get a free quote →Fees in Jefferson County
Planning fees were set by Resolution 24-2022, septic fees by the County’s Wastewater Schedule of Fees, and Boulder’s fees are printed on its zoning permit form.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| County site development permit | $75 |
| County conditional use permit | $300 plus $100 for each additional request |
| County zoning variance | $500 plus $100 for each additional request |
| Extension of a zoning approval | $100 |
| Buildings for lease or rent review | $250 plus $10 per building or unit |
| Septic permit, County-certified installer | $250 |
| Septic permit, non-certified installer | $350 |
| Septic tank replacement only | $100 |
| Advanced (multi-user or site-specific) septic system | $400 |
| Septic system site evaluation | $300 |
| Septic re-inspection | $100 |
| Boulder zoning permit, single-family home | $100 plus actual consulting fees |
| Boulder zoning permit, business | $200 plus actual consulting fees |
| Boulder zoning permit, garage or addition | $75 plus actual consulting fees |
| Boulder zoning permit, shed, deck, carport, sign or fence | $50 plus actual consulting fees |
On County planning applications the applicant also pays for any outside technical review the department needs, and notice costs where notice is required. The sample permit bound into the zoning regulations still shows a $25 fee; the fee resolution and the current application both say $75. Boulder doubles its fee for a zoning permit applied for after the fact.
Whitehall’s zoning fee schedule also lists $500 plus $200 for advertising for a conditional use or variance application.
Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits
Trade permits in Jefferson County are state permits, in Boulder and Whitehall as much as in the Montana City area. The County site permit application leaves a line for each one, electrical, plumbing and mechanical, and the permits themselves are applied for with the Montana Building Codes Program.
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Call 1-855-478-4290 →What to submit
County site permit
- Legal description, owner, zoning district, density and parcel size
- Covenants, deed restrictions and the survey number
- A site plan showing property boundaries and dimensions
- Wells and septic systems
- Easements and other restrictions
- Size, height and location of existing and proposed structures, with distances to the parcel boundaries
- Utilities, roads and driveways
- Exterior views of the proposed structure, so the building height can be confirmed
County septic permit
- The Septic Application, after working through the pre-application checklist
- Test pits dug to a depth of 8 feet
- A layout that keeps the tank 50 feet and the disposal field 100 feet from a well, stream or lake
- 10 feet from property lines and foundation walls
- A tank sized to the house: 1,000 gallons for up to 3 bedrooms, 1,500 for 4 or 5, and 2,000 for 6 or 7
- Room for a replacement area as well as the disposal field
The zoning regulations ask for 6 sets of the site plan. An encroachment application needs a site plan of the work, proof of insurance naming the County as additional insured, a work schedule, photographs of existing conditions and, if the right-of-way will be obstructed, a traffic control plan.
How to apply: Jefferson County steps
Check the County zoning map, and whether the land is inside Boulder or Whitehall, where the town permit applies instead.
Outside the towns, call GIS and Rural Addressing with the legal description or tax ID; most addresses are assigned in a 15-minute call.
File the Septic Application with Environmental Health before any septic construction.
Send the Road and Bridge Department its application for a new or changed driveway onto a county road.
In a County zoning district, take the Site Permit Application, site plan and $75 to the Planning Department, with the other permit numbers filled in.
Add the state building permit for commercial work and state trade permits, then give the health department 24 hours’ notice before backfilling the septic system.
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The County inspects what it permits. The health department has to be notified 24 hours before a septic system is backfilled, and a repeat visit costs a $100 re-inspection fee. By signing the site permit application, the owner lets County staff onto the property, after reasonable notice, before, during and after construction. The Road and Bridge Department makes a preliminary inspection before it approves an encroachment permit.
The site permit itself is not a building code approval, and the County does not inspect structures. Commercial projects under a state building permit, and electrical and plumbing work, are inspected by state inspectors.
Local details that matter
Floodplain rules are changing: the County is updating its floodplain regulations and has proposed adopting FEMA’s preliminary floodplain maps; a public hearing was held on September 9, 2026.
Driveways: work in a county right-of-way without a permit can bring a $100-per-day fine from the date of notice, plus the County’s repair or removal costs.
Lead program: the site permit application has a line for a Lead Education/Abatement Program permit.
Address markers: the GIS office in Boulder supplies address markers free; they are cut to order, so the office asks for a day’s notice.
Whitehall: a complete Development Permit packet has to reach Town Hall by noon on the Wednesday before the Planning Board meeting. The application’s quick guide lists setbacks of 25 feet from the front of the lot, 8 feet from the side and 5 feet from the back, and asks for the contractor’s Town business licence number.
Land Use Board: the County’s Consolidated Land Use Board usually meets on the second Wednesday of each month.
Montana building code
Montana adopts one building code, based on the 2024 International Codes from 26 September 2026; a certified local program or the state Building Codes Program enforces it, and the state code does not reach houses of fewer than five units, farm and ranch buildings or private garages unless a local government has made it apply to them. How Montana’s statewide code works
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Official permitting resources for Jefferson County
These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.
- Montana effective construction code editions
- Montana certified local building programs
- Montana DLI state building permit application
- Jefferson County Environmental Health: septic permits
- Jefferson County Planning Department
- Jefferson County Site Permit Application
- North Jefferson County Zoning Regulations
- Jefferson County zoning map
- Jefferson County Planning Department fee schedule (Resolution 24-2022)
- Jefferson County wastewater schedule of fees
- Jefferson County septic requirements
- Jefferson County Road and Bridge Department: encroachment permits
- Jefferson County GIS and Rural Addressing
- City of Boulder forms: zoning permit
- Town of Whitehall Development Permit
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Jefferson County permit FAQs
Do I need a building permit for a house in Jefferson County?
No. No local government in the county is certified to enforce the building code, and the State does not require a building permit for a residential building with fewer than 5 units. In a County zoning district you still need the $75 site permit before construction.
What is a Jefferson County site permit?
A zoning permit issued by the Planning Department after it reviews a site plan. It is not a building code approval.
How much is a septic permit?
$250 when a County-certified installer does the work and $350 otherwise; a tank replacement alone is $100 and a County site evaluation is $300.
Do I need a permit for a driveway?
Yes, if it meets a county road. All new driveway installations and modifications need an encroachment permit from the Road and Bridge Department.
Do I need a permit in Boulder or Whitehall?
Yes. Boulder requires a zoning permit ($100 for a single-family home, $50 for a shed, deck or fence, plus consulting fees). Whitehall requires a Development Permit for any exterior structure, approved by the Town Council; its zoning fee schedule lists $150 for sketch plan review of a house, accessory structure or sign.
Who issues electrical and plumbing permits?
The State of Montana, through the Building Codes Program, everywhere in Jefferson County.
How do I get a rural address?
Call GIS and Rural Addressing on 406-225-4156 with the parcel’s legal description or tax ID. Boulder (406-225-3381) and Whitehall (406-287-3972) assign addresses inside their limits.
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More Montana permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Jefferson County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.