Building permits, zoning and land rules in Valley County, Montana

Valley County does not issue a countywide building permit¹. Montana nevertheless applies a uniform state building code to residential and commercial buildings, subject to statutory exemptions, and areas without a certified local enforcement program fall under the Montana Building Codes Program^5,6. Farm and ranch buildings, residential buildings with fewer than five dwelling units unless serving transient guests, and qualifying private garages or storage buildings are among the state-permit exemptions². When a state building permit is required, obtain it before the related plumbing, mechanical or electrical permits and work, and arrange the required inspections². Inside Glasgow, the city issues building permits for new residential and commercial structures, subject to its own exemptions³. Where no county permit is required, an owner may build a home, but state trade licensing may still apply¹.

Valley County does not issue a countywide building permit¹. For required state building permits in unincorporated Valley County, contact the Montana Building Codes Program at (406) 841-2056 or buildingcodes@mt.gov⁵. Inside Glasgow, the city issues building permits; septic permits for houses without public wastewater connections still come from the Valley County Sanitation Department^1,3. Reach the Sanitarian at 406-228-6264; the Sanitation Department also houses the Floodplain Administrator^1,7. A house outside a platted subdivision needs an Access Encroachment Permit through the County Commissioners, reachable at 406-228-6219^8,10.

Unincorporated Valley County appears to have no countywide zoning, but subdivision rules still apply^1,11. Inside Glasgow, the city sets zoning; Fort Peck and Nashua zoning questions go to their town offices^1,4. Septic permits for houses without public wastewater connections remain with the Valley County Sanitation Department¹. Valley County may require a 25-foot landscape buffer for a subdivision to mitigate public-health and safety impacts; when required, the buffer must appear as a setback on the final plat, landscaping must be installed before final approval, and a maintenance agreement must be filed¹¹. Published minor-subdivision fees include $100 for the preliminary application and meeting, $200 plus $30 per lot for preliminary plat review, and $100 plus $10 per lot for final plat review¹¹. Application fees must be paid before action, and outside review costs may be added; confirm current fees with the County Clerk and Recorder¹¹. We could not confirm general setbacks, minimum dwelling size, lot coverage or building height for ordinary unincorporated parcels; ask the County Commissioners about the proposed site plan¹⁰.

A Valley County house that will not connect to public wastewater needs a septic permit from the Valley County Sanitation Department, so an off-grid plan does not bypass sanitation review^1,7. The Sanitarian issues septic permits and inspects installations for compliance with state and local rules⁷. A subdivision approval certificate does not replace Montana's separate drainfield permit¹². Only 8.6% of Valley County soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional drain field, making early site evaluation especially useful¹³. Property in a designated flood hazard area also needs floodplain review, with the county Floodplain Administrator housed in the Sanitation Department; the permit covers fill, roads, excavation, manufactured-home placement and new construction or substantial improvements to buildings^1,8,14. For groundwater, use at or below 35 gallons per minute and 10 acre-feet per year can qualify for the state permit exception, but a Notice of Intent must be filed before use begins⁹. In a subdivision, land the county finds subject to flooding cannot be platted for building, and an engineering study may be required to mark a no-build zone¹¹.

We could not confirm long-term RV or tiny-home occupancy on private unincorporated land in Valley County; ask the County Commissioners and Sanitarian before placing or occupying a unit^7,10. Valley County subdivision rules cover developments providing 2 or more RV spaces for rent or lease; 5 or fewer spaces receive minor-subdivision review, while more than 5 receive major-subdivision review¹¹. In covered RV parks, vehicles, including attached awnings, must be at least 20 feet apart, 25 feet from a boundary abutting a public street or highway right-of-way, and 15 feet from other park boundaries¹¹. Each space needs parking at least 9 by 18 feet, set back at least 4 feet from the street; additional parking and storage areas follow the RV-space setbacks¹¹. These park standards do not establish permission to occupy a single RV on an existing parcel¹¹. A house using onsite wastewater still needs a county septic permit¹. Glasgow limits residential-district RV parking on public rights-of-way to loading and unloading for less than 48 hours in any seven-day period; that rule does not authorize private-property occupancy¹⁵.

1. Locate the parcel precisely. Glasgow has its own building-code program, and Glasgow, Fort Peck and Nashua handle municipal zoning^1,16.
2. For state jurisdiction, determine whether the project is exempt; farm and ranch buildings and residential buildings with fewer than five dwelling units not serving transient guests are among the published exemptions².
3. Apply to Montana's Building Codes Program before starting non-exempt work, then arrange each required inspection with the state inspector^5,17.
4. Apply to the Valley County Sanitation Department if the house will not connect to public wastewater^1,7.
5. Ask the Floodplain Administrator about land in a designated flood hazard area^1,14.
6. For a house outside a platted subdivision, obtain the county Access Encroachment Permit^8,10.
7. Before using groundwater, determine whether the 35-gallon-per-minute and 10-acre-foot annual exception applies and file the required Notice of Intent⁹.

This is dry, open country: Valley County gets only 13.8 inches of precipitation a year and spends 17.9% of years in severe drought, with just 1% of the county wooded, so plan your water strategy around a dry climate rather than a forested one¹³. Federal land covers 39.2% of the county, so confirm your parcel's boundaries against adjacent public land before you buy¹³. Soils for a conventional septic drain field are limited: only 8.6% of the county's soils are free of severe limits, so get a Sanitarian site evaluation before you count on a standard system¹³. The terrain itself is manageable, with 76.4% of the county at 15% slope or less¹³. If your driveway will cross a state highway rather than a county or town road, Montana requires a separate approach permit or right-of-way agreement from the MDT district office, and a change in how you use an existing approach also triggers a new permit¹⁸. Property taxes run an effective rate of 1.1%, with a median bill of $2,185 a year, against a typical home value around $198,940¹³.