Great Falls
City of Great Falls, Community Development Department (Planning & Building Division)
In short
City of Great Falls, Community Development Department (Planning & Building Division) issues 9 permits we publish for Great Falls, last verified 2026-09-12. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Great Falls, Community Development Department (Planning & Building Division) | $38.78 for a sign of 0-24 sq ft, plus $1.62 per sq ft for 25 sq ft or more. A flat $65.90 Reface Sign Permit/Inspection fee applies instead when refacing an existing permitted sign, and a separate $38.78 Sign Electrical Inspection Fee applies if the sign is wired. Other charges under the same fee schedule include a $50.00 Sign Examination Application Fee and a $150.00 Sign Electrician Certificate (Class A License) for sign contractors, a $77.55/year Bench Sign/Transit Shelter fee, a $64.62/year A-Type Sandwich Board Sign fee, and an On-Premise Temporary Sign fee of $32.31 (60-day permit) or $129.24 (annual permit). An Investigation Fee equal to the permit fee is assessed if a sign is installed before a required permit is issued. | one-time, per sign — not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-09-12 |
| Certificate of Occupancy | City of Great Falls, Community Development Department (Planning & Building Division) | No fee | one-time — issued after required building inspections confirm code compliance | 2026-09-12 |
| Contractor License Verification | City of Great Falls, Community Development Department (Planning & Building Division) | $45 annually, per license type held (e.g., a contractor verifying both an Electrical and a Plumbing license pays $45.00 for each) | annual (calendar year) | 2026-09-12 |
| Varianceonly if it applies to you | City of Great Falls, Community Development Department (Planning & Building Division) | $2,500 one-time, per application | one-time, per application | 2026-09-12 |
| Zoning Permit | City of Great Falls, Community Development Department (Planning & Building Division) | $1,000 one-time, per application (commercial rate; $200.00 for a residential use) | one-time, per application | 2026-09-12 |
| Zoning Determinationonly if it applies to you | City of Great Falls, Community Development Department (Planning & Building Division) | $500 one-time, per request | one-time, per request | 2026-09-12 |
| Day-Care Home Zoning Preemptiononly if it applies to you | City of Great Falls, Community Development Department (Planning & Building Division) | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-12 |
| Building Permit | City of Great Falls, Community Development Department (Planning & Building Division) | A valuation-based fee starting at $62.61 for the first $1,000 (or portion) of project valuation and rising in table increments to $1,091.02 at $100,000; from $100,001-$500,000 it is $1,091.02 plus $6.39 per additional $1,000 (or portion); from $500,001-$1,000,000 it is $3,646.14 plus $5.04 per additional $1,000; above $1,000,000 it is $6,161.34 plus $3.81 per additional $1,000. A Plan Review fee is added on top, equal to 50% of the Building Permit fee for residential projects or 65% for commercial projects. An Investigation Fee equal to the full Building Permit fee is assessed if construction begins before a required permit is issued. Separate Mechanical, Plumbing, Electrical, and Medical Gas permits are each priced under the same resolution, starting with a flat $34.39 issuance fee plus itemized per-fixture/per-appliance unit fees (e.g., $12.65 per plumbing fixture, $21.49 per residential electrical appliance outlet, $19.04 per mechanical furnace/burner installation). | one-time, per project | 2026-09-12 |
| Conditional Use Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Great Falls, Community Development Department (Planning & Building Division) | $3,000 one-time, per application | one-time, per application | 2026-09-12 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Sign Permit
Applies to a new or replacement sign attached to or associated with a business premises; a temporary or bench sign is billed under the separate flat-fee lines noted above rather than the per-square-foot rate.
Certificate of Occupancy
The City's own Building Division FAQ and Building Permit Fees pages, both read directly, describe the final inspection process required before a Certificate of Occupancy is issued but state no standalone dollar figure for the certificate itself, so no fee is listed beyond the Building Permit fee already recorded above.
Contractor License Verification
Layered on top of, not instead of, Montana's own $70.00 Construction Contractor Registration fee already recorded at the Montana state layer. The form requires a current copy of the applicable State of Montana license or registration (or an ICEC exemption), proof of insurance (Commercial General Liability, Automobile Liability, and Workers' Compensation at stated minimums), and a $5,000.00 bond ($25,000.00 for a House Mover) for most license types.
Variance
Decided by the City's Board of Adjustment/Appeals, which the City's own page confirms hears and decides variance requests consistent with Title 17. Applications are submitted through the Community Development Department, which administers the Land Development Fee Schedule for both this process and the Conditional Use Permit recorded above.
Zoning Permit
Confirms a proposed commercial use and site plan comply with the applicable zoning district before a Building Permit is issued.
Zoning Determination
A written determination of whether a specific use is permitted on a specific parcel, typically sought before signing a lease or submitting a Building Permit application.
Day-Care Home Zoning Preemption
76-2-412 MCA makes a licensed family or group day-care home a permitted use in every residential zone in Great Falls, the same as anywhere else in Montana, and the City may not require a Conditional Use Permit to maintain one, so no fee applies. A stand-alone commercial day-care center is not named in this exemption and instead follows the same Business License, Building Permit, and zoning path recorded as separate requirements for any other commercial use of comparable size.
Building Permit
Fees are based on the valuation assigned to the project by the owner/contractor, or on the International Code Council's Building Valuation Data if the stated valuation appears undervalued, per the City's own Building Division FAQ.
Conditional Use Permit
Applies when a proposed use is not outright permitted in its zoning district and requires case-by-case approval. A licensed family or group day-care home is exempted from this process entirely by Montana state law (recorded separately below).
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Great Falls
- Phone
- (406) 455-8430
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- 76-2-412, Montana Code Annotated — Relationship of foster homes...and day-care homes to zoningMontana Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-12
- Contractor License Verification Form (Community Development Department), stating the $45.00-per-license-type annual verification feeCity of Great Falls, Montana, Community Development Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-12
- Land Development Fee Schedule (effective October 5, 2023)City of Great Falls, Montana, Community Development Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-12
- Resolution No. 10374 — Building, Mechanical, Medical Gas, Plumbing, Electrical, Sign, and House Moving Permit Fees (adopted November 17, 2020)City of Great Falls, Montana, City Commission · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-12
Other offices serving Great Falls
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
Industry permit lists that include this agency
Montana jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.