Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Virginia City, Montana

Town of Virginia City’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Virginia City town limits.

  • Town Code contains Title 7, Zoning Regulations.

  “Title 7 - Zoning Regulations [...] Chapter 1: General Provisions; Administration & Enforcement [...] Chapter 2: Districts; Zoning Map”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Virginia City town limits.

  • The town's official code index publishes a Districts; Zoning Map chapter and identifies historic commercial and residential design-review districts.

  “Chapter 2: Districts; Zoning Map [...] 7-7-5-1 Historic Downtown Commercial District [...] 7-7-5-3 Historic Residential District”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Short-term rentals inside Virginia City town limits.

  • An STR Business Permit is required annually.
  • A new application must be complete, signed, submitted with required fees, and heard and decided by Town Council.
  • For a new permit, property posting is required for 60 days before the hearing and newspaper notice for two consecutive weeks before the hearing; these requirements do not apply to renewals.
  • Operators must have an EIN or Montana lodging-tax account number; Tourist Homes, B&Bs, and Boarding Houses also must provide an annual Montana Public Accommodation license.
  • Renewal is due by January 31; otherwise the permit automatically terminates and a new application is required.
  • Permits are capped at 10% of total dwelling units and the limit is recalculated each February.
  • A permit not used during the Resort Tax season is automatically revoked.

  maximum STR permits: 10 percent of total dwelling units (Recalculated each February; waiting list if cap is reached.) · new-application property posting: 60 days before public hearing (Does not apply to renewals.) · new-application newspaper notice: 2 consecutive weeks before hearing (Does not apply to renewals.)

  “All short-term rentals within Virginia City require an STR Business Permit, which must be obtained annually.”

• Permit processPartial

  Town zoning-permit process inside Virginia City town limits.

  • The accessible official code index identifies a Construction Permit chapter and a Zoning Map; Application Process & Forms chapter, but does not supply the operative process text.

  “Chapter 5: Construction Permit [...] Chapter 6: Zoning Map; Application Process & Forms”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Virginia City or Madison County directly.

• Building permit — Residential construction inside Virginia City town limits.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders inside Virginia City town limits.
• Building code adopted — Building-code adoption for construction inside Virginia City town limits.
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Virginia City town limits.
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of new or altered buildings inside Virginia City town 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.