Ravalli County, Montana Building Permit Guide

In the County’s own words, Ravalli County does not have a building department, and the only building permits it issues are floodplain development permits ($200 for a minor project, $650 for a major one). For everything else on unincorporated land, the Ravalli County Planning Department publishes a building and remodeling checklist, revised August 12, 2026, that sends owners to Environmental Health for a septic permit, to the State for building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits, and to Road & Bridge for an approach permit. Hamilton, Darby and Stevensville run their own building departments inside town.

What needs a permit in Ravalli County?

Because there is no county building permit, the list for unincorporated land is made up of single-purpose approvals from different offices.

The County advises checking covenants, deed restrictions and easements before any project. The Clerk and Recorder will not look up covenants without a document number, so a current title report is the way to get the list.

Who issues permits in Ravalli County?

Apart from Road & Bridge and the Weed District, the County offices on the checklist are in the Administrative Building at 215 S. 4th Street in Hamilton. The Planning Department is open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and can be emailed at planning@rc.mt.gov.

The county has four incorporated towns, and the County’s guide tells owners inside them to deal with the municipality:

• Hamilton: the City’s Building Department at 920 New York Avenue enforces the building, plumbing, electrical and mechanical codes and issues all four kinds of permit. Completed applications are emailed in; inspections are scheduled at (406) 552-3238. Work done without a permit is charged double the permit fee. The Planning Department has permits of its own: a fence permit ($25 review fee), a sign permit ($30 plus $0.50 per square foot) and a floodplain permit ($400) under the Planning and Public Works Fee Schedule effective April 7, 2021, which also charges $50 for site plan review of a single-family project.
• Stevensville: the Town’s Building Division issues building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits. Applications and plans are brought to Town Hall, 206 Buck Street, (406) 777-5271, and regular inspection hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., by appointment. Under the Town Code no building permit is issued without the zoning administrator’s approval, the Town publishes residential and commercial site plan checklists, and its floodplain permit costs $150.
• Darby: the Town is certified for building and all three trades and posts its Building Department permit applications with its town forms. Zoning is checked through the building permit: the Town Code asks for the application and scale plans in triplicate at the Town Clerk-Treasurer’s office two weeks before the regular Town Council meeting. The Town’s fee schedule (Resolution 424, updated April 13, 2021) lists $30 for a fence permit, with no fee for a fence under 6 feet, $50 each for siding, demolition and sign permits and $75 for a change of use. The State’s certified list gives 406-961-2423 for the Town’s building official. Town Hall is at 101 East Tanner Ave, 406-821-3753, open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Pinesdale: the Town is not on the State’s list of certified building-code programs (updated October 7, 2026), so building-code permits there follow the State rules.

Permit types and forms

The Planning Department’s Forms page carries the Building or Remodeling Checklist and Guide and the applications Planning itself processes:

• Floodplain permit: the 2021 joint application form and directions, reviewed under the Ravalli County Floodplain Regulations.
• Zoning Information Request Form: used to find out whether a parcel is in one of the more than 40 citizen-initiated zoning districts and what that district requires. A written zoning verification letter costs $10.
• Off-premise sign permit: an application under the County’s Off Premise Sign Ordinance, with a separate variance form.
• Wireless communication facility permit: application revised February 12, 2019.
• Buildings for lease or rent: an application, questionnaire and declaration certificate under the County’s 2013 regulations.

Citizen-initiated zoning districts are created by petition of at least 60% of the freeholders in an area of 40 acres or more and, once adopted, are enforced by the County. Each has its own recorded regulations, which may set setbacks, height limits and use restrictions.

The septic permit application is a County form that can be signed electronically in Adobe Reader. Environmental Health takes applications at the counter from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, and also by fax, email or mail. Staff will help you fill it in.

Ravalli County permit fees

$50 of each wastewater application, site evaluation and groundwater monitoring fee is non-refundable. Each of the three certified towns sets its own building fees.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and septic permits

On unincorporated land and in Pinesdale, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are State permits. The County’s guide tells anyone altering those systems to contact the State Building Codes Bureau. Hamilton, Darby and Stevensville are each certified for electrical, plumbing and mechanical work as well as building, so inside those towns the trade permits come from the town.

The septic process for a new system runs in a set order:

• DEQ approval: a parcel already reviewed by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality has approved locations for the well and the primary and replacement drainfields; give Environmental Health the approval statement or subdivision name.
• Site evaluation: without DEQ approval, the owner books a site evaluation within 25 feet of the proposed drainfield and has an excavator dig a test hole 8 to 12 feet deep while the County sanitarian is present.
• Groundwater monitoring: if the evaluation calls for it, sign up between January 1 and March 1 for that year’s season; the County does the monitoring.
• Non-degradation analysis: required for new builds and added bedrooms, with a nitrate water sample from a nearby well that the applicant collects and pays the lab for.
• Permit: once approved, the permit must be bought within 12 months.

Application documents

A septic system proposed within 300 feet of a delineated floodplain needs a floodplain determination from Planning before Environmental Health will issue the permit.

How to apply: 7 steps in Ravalli County

Inspections

With no County building department, there are no County building inspections on unincorporated land. Environmental Health inspects wastewater systems and charges $100 to come back after a failed final inspection. State inspectors inspect work done under State building and trade permits.

In Hamilton and Stevensville, building inspections are booked through the same scheduling line, (406) 552-3238. Hamilton requires every permitted job to be inspected by the City’s building official, and Stevensville asks for an appointment for any plan question that will take more than 10 minutes.

Local Ravalli County details that matter

Water: the Bitterroot Valley is closed to new appropriations of surface water, so no new surface water rights can be obtained. A new well for a home is a groundwater development handled by the DNRC Water Resources office in Missoula.

Sewer districts: Florence, Victor and Corvallis have sewer districts, which matters before designing a septic system there.

Two airports: the Ravalli County Airport east of Hamilton has land-use permits for buildings, trees and other tall objects in its affected area. Regulations for the Stevensville Airport are on file with the Clerk and Recorder.

High groundwater: the seasonal high period generally runs from March into the fall, which is why groundwater monitoring has to be booked by March 1.

Septic regulations: the Ravalli County Subsurface Wastewater Treatment and Disposal Regulations took effect on July 1, 2021.

Weeds: a weed management plan from the Weed District in Victor is required for new subdivisions and gravel pits.

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

Official permitting resources for Ravalli 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
• Ravalli County septic permits
• Ravalli County Planning Department
• Checklist and Citizen’s Guide to Building or Remodeling in Ravalli County (PDF, revised August 12, 2026)
• Ravalli County Planning forms
• Ravalli County Planning Department fee schedule, effective October 24, 2023 (PDF)
• Ravalli County citizen-initiated zoning districts
• Ravalli County floodplain regulations and forms
• Ravalli County septic permit process and fee sheet (PDF)
• Montana electrical permits
• City of Hamilton Building Department
• City of Hamilton planning permits (fence, sign and conditional use forms, fee schedule)
• Town of Stevensville Building Division
• Town of Stevensville Planning & Zoning (fees, development code)
• Town of Darby Town Hall contact page
• Town of Darby forms and documents (permit applications, fee schedule, town code)

Ravalli County permit FAQs

Do I need a building permit in Ravalli County?

Not from the County, which has no building department. Outside Hamilton, Darby and Stevensville, a house with fewer than five units needs no building permit, while commercial buildings and larger residential buildings need a State permit.

What permits does Ravalli County issue for construction?

Floodplain development permits from Planning, septic permits from Environmental Health and approach or encroachment permits from Road & Bridge.

How much is a floodplain permit?

$200 for a minor project and $650 for a major project under the fee schedule effective October 24, 2023. After-the-fact permits cost double.

How much is a septic permit in Ravalli County?

$250 for a standard trench system on a parcel with State DEQ approval, or $330 without it, which includes the non-degradation analysis. A site evaluation is $225 per soil profile hole.

Is my property in a zoning district?

Possibly. The county has more than 40 citizen-initiated zoning districts; send Planning a Zoning Information Request Form or call 406-375-6530.

Who issues building permits in Hamilton, Stevensville and Darby?

Each town does, for building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical work inside its limits. For a fence, Hamilton charges a $25 fence permit review fee, and Darby’s schedule lists a $30 fence permit with no fee for a fence under 6 feet.

Does Ravalli County permit wells?

No. Environmental Health reviews well locations as part of the septic permit, and water rights go through the Montana DNRC.

Simplify Ravalli County permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Montana. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Ravalli County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.