Richland County, Montana Building Permit Guide

Richland County is on the State’s list of certified building-code programs, so a county building permit is required for new construction outside Sidney, houses included. The Richland County Building Department at 1105 3rd St NW in Sidney takes a paper application that also needs sign-offs from the County Planner and, near a ditch, the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project. Fees follow a valuation table, with a plan review fee of 35% added when plans are required: $1,553.75 plus $543.81 on a $200,000 project. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits come from the State.

What needs a permit in Richland County?

The County’s position is that a construction permit is needed for all new construction, and in many cases for repairs. Its permit application has a tick box for each class of work it permits, for both commercial and residential buildings.

Only one structure can be built per permit, so a house and a detached shop need two applications. Other approvals sit alongside the building permit:

• A septic permit from Environmental Health before any system is installed.
• A floodplain review when the structure is in a flood zone; the plans must go to the local floodplain administrator.
• An approach permit from Public Works for any access onto a County road, and an encroachment permit for utilities in the right-of-way, private water lines included.
• State electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits. The County notes that replacing or repairing a fixture, such as changing a faucet, does not normally need one.

Who issues permits in Richland County?

The Building Department reviews plans before construction, issues building permits and Certificates of Occupancy and performs the County’s building inspections. Kale Rasmussen is the Building Inspector, and the State lists him as the building official for both Richland County and the City of Sidney.

The county has two incorporated municipalities:

• Sidney: the City is certified separately for building permits inside its limits. Its Fire Marshal / Building Inspector office shares the County office’s address and phone number, and the City publishes its own residential and commercial applications, a submittal document and a fee schedule. Land-use questions inside Sidney go to the City, not the County Planner: under the City’s Zoning Ordinance (City Code Title 11, revised March 21, 2022) a permitted use goes ahead on a zoning conformance permit from the Zoning Administrator, and no City building permit is issued for a project that does not comply with it.
• Fairview: the State lists the County program as covering the county except Sidney, and its inspector list marks building in Fairview as certified, so the building permit for a project in Fairview comes from the County Building Department. The Town adds a zoning step of its own. Its code (§ 155.071) requires a zoning conformance permit for new building activity, a fence permit before a fence is installed and a change of use permit for a non-minor change of occupancy or use, and a mobile home needs a zoning permit from the Town’s Zoning Officer before it is placed (§ 150.02). Accessory buildings under 10 feet high with less than 120 square feet of roof area that are not lived in, and repairs or remodels that do not change the exterior dimensions by more than 6 inches, need no Town permit. Applications go to Town Hall with a site plan and the fee set by the Town Council, the Zoning Administrator decides, and a permit is valid for one year. The County Planner also provides planning support to the Town. Town office: 318 S Central Ave, (406) 742-5616.

Crane, Lambert, Savage and the rest of the unincorporated county are covered by the County permit as well.

Permit types and the application

There is no online portal. You can ask for the Building Permit Application at the Building Inspector’s office or download it, fill it in on screen or by hand, and print three copies. The County suggests calling ahead to make sure the office is open.

The form is an application, not a permit. It has to be carried to the offices whose approval is needed and then to the Building Inspector:

• County Planner: signs every application as approved or disapproved.
• Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project: signs when you are developing or building next to a ditch, after issuing a letter on potential impacts to agricultural water facilities.
• County Sanitarian: must be contacted if the project alters or adds a sewer or water system.
• Public Works: issues the access permit if the project adds an access onto a County road.

When the work is finished the County issues a Certificate of Occupancy. For remodels and small additions it may issue a Certificate of Final Inspection instead, confirming that all inspections were completed.

The County Planner separately handles subdivision review, buildings for lease or rent, temporary workforce housing zoning and the citizen-initiated McGlynn Reservoir zoning district.

Richland County permit fees

The County’s Fees page links its Building Code Enforcement Fee Schedule. The sheet carries no date; the City of Sidney posts the same schedule marked effective January 2, 2018.

When submittal documents are required, a plan review fee of 35% of the building permit fee is paid in addition. For example, a project valued at $200,000 pays $993.75 plus 100 × $5.60, which is $1,553.75, and a plan review fee of $543.81, for a total of $2,097.56.

The Building Inspector decides the valuation. It covers all the construction work under the permit, including finish work, roofing, electrical, plumbing, heating and permanent equipment. Firm bids or contract amounts are used first, then the design professional’s cost estimate; failing those, the County applies a cost-per-square-foot table and multiplies the result by 0.70.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and septic permits

Richland County is certified for building only. In the County’s words, it can provide building permits but electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are provided by Montana, and that holds in Sidney and Fairview too. A plumbing, electrical or mechanical permit is needed for an addition or change to a building’s existing system and for new construction. For State inspections, the County says to contact the office that issued the permit.

Septic permits come from the Environmental Health Office of the Richland County Health Department. A local septic permit is always required before a system is installed. Staff first check the parcel’s existing approvals and tell you the minimum size, type and location of the system; the site evaluation must be done by a County sanitarian or a professional engineer registered in Montana. An owner may install the system or pick from the County’s list of licensed installers. Septic paperwork is not processed on Fridays or after 4 p.m.

Application documents and plan review

The joint Sidney/Richland plan proposal sheet lists the minimum drawings for a full plan set: site or plot plan, foundation plan, floor plan, reflected ceiling plan, wall sections, elevations and energy calculations. Engineered drawings are required for prefabricated steel buildings and for pre-manufactured floor or roof trusses, and any automatic fire suppression system needs drawings prepared by a licensed engineer. It asks for at least two complete sets, says plans are not reviewed until the review fee is received, and tells applicants to anticipate up to 60 days for review.

How to apply: 6-step Richland County process

Richland County inspections

The person doing the work must call the Building Department for four inspections:

• Footings and foundations, before concrete is poured
• Framing, before walls are covered
• Drywall, before taping
• Final inspection

The County holds the property owner responsible for seeing that inspections happen, even when the contractor makes the call. A Certificate of Occupancy follows once the builder has requested the series of inspections and corrected any deficiencies. The County warns that a project finished without one becomes increasingly difficult to certify later.

Building without a required permit can bring fines and penalties. The owner then has to obtain permits and pass inspection, or return the structure or site to its previous condition.

Local Richland County details that matter

Irrigation ditches: the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project reviews site layouts for land in its district next to a ditch, and its approval line is printed on the County application.

Floodplain: the County updated its Floodplain Regulations by Resolution 2019-005 along with new mapping of the Yellowstone River corridor. To find out whether a floodplain permit is needed, give the County the subdivision name with lot and block, or the Certificate of Survey number with section, township and range.

County road permits: approach permits cover agricultural, industrial, oil field and residential access alike, and the usual time to a decision is 30 days from submittal and payment. A cattleguard in a County right-of-way needs County Commission approval and takes about 60 days.

Code editions: the County’s Building Codes page lists the 2012 IBC, IRC, IEBC and IECC as the codes it adopted. The State of Montana, whose adopted codes a certified county program enforces, moved to the 2024 editions on September 26, 2026, and state rules give a certified program 90 days from the State’s notice to bring its codes into line.

Office details: the County’s General Q&A page gives 115 2nd Street SE, (406) 433-2809 and Tuesday and Thursday afternoon hours for the Building Inspector. The County’s Building page gives 1105 3rd St NW and 406-433-1122, the address and number the City of Sidney also publishes for the same office. The State’s list of certified programs prints 406-480-9113 for the building official.

Asbestos: the Building Department’s documents page includes a Montana DEQ asbestos handout for owners asking what is required.

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 Richland 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
• Richland County septic systems
• Richland County building permit page
• Richland County Building Department
• Richland County Building Permit Application (PDF)
• Richland County Building Code Enforcement Fee Schedule (PDF)
• Richland County inspection information
• Richland County Planner
• Richland County floodplain management
• Richland County encroachment, approach and cattleguard permits
• Montana electrical permits
• City of Sidney building permit applications
• Sidney/Richland building plan proposal requirements (PDF)
• City of Sidney Zoning page (zoning code, map and zoning change form)
• Town of Fairview website
• Fairview Code of Ordinances, § 155.071: permits and activities exempt from permitting

Richland County permit FAQs

Does Richland County require a building permit for a house?

Yes. Richland County is a State-certified building jurisdiction, and its application covers residential as well as commercial work. Agricultural structures are the stated exception.

How much is a building permit in Richland County?

The fee comes from a valuation table, and a plan review fee of 35% is added when plans are required. A $200,000 project pays $1,553.75 plus $543.81, a total of $2,097.56.

Where do I apply?

At the Richland County Building Department, 1105 3rd St NW, Sidney, 406-433-1122. Bring three copies of the application with the County Planner’s sign-off.

Does the County issue electrical or plumbing permits?

No. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are State of Montana permits throughout the county.

What inspections are required?

Footings and foundations before the pour, framing before walls are covered, drywall before taping, and a final inspection.

Who issues building permits in Sidney and Fairview?

Sidney issues a City permit inside its limits, through the same inspector’s office. Fairview is covered by the County building permit, and the Town requires its own zoning conformance permit as well, applied for at Town Hall, (406) 742-5616.

Do I need a permit for a fence in Fairview?

Yes. The Town code requires a fence permit before a fence is installed, and the County’s building permit application also covers fences.

How much is a septic permit?

$200, paid to the Richland County Health Department with the septic permit application.

Simplify Richland 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 Richland County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.