Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Great Falls, Montana

Great Falls’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Great Falls city limits.

  • Requirements vary by mapped zoning district and applicable development standards.

  “City zoning, subdivision, annexation, and other land development regulations may be found in the City's online Municipal Code (see also web link below) and related Zoning Map.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Mapped zoning districts inside Great Falls city limits.

  • The City advises review of official records before decisions based on the map.

  “A downloadable PDF of the Zoning Map is available under "Supporting Documents" below, and Title 17 Land Development Code can be viewed online.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land subdivisions within Great Falls city limits, including proposed annexations.

  • The Planning Advisory Board/Zoning Commission and planning staff review subdivisions.

  “The Planning Advisory Board/Zoning Commission and planning staff are responsible for reviewing land subdivisions within the City of Great Falls, including those proposed for annexation to the City.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Subdivision, annexation, and property-improvement applications inside Great Falls city limits.

  • The page links to a fee document; the applicable fee amount was not extracted from the opened page.

  “LAND DEVELOPMENT FEE SCHEDULE City of Great Falls, Montana EFFECTIVE: October 5, 2023”

• Permit processPartial

  Planning and development review inside Great Falls city limits.

  • The page links to procedure synopses for annexations, subdivisions, zone changes, and conditional uses.

  “The following links offer a synopsis of the various development review procedures:”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Great Falls or Cascade County directly.

• Building permit — Residential construction inside Great Falls city limits.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residences inside Great Falls city limits.
• Building code adopted — Building construction inside Great Falls city limits.
• Inspections — Residential construction inside Great Falls city limits.
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of buildings inside Great Falls city limits.

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Great Falls means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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