Building permits, zoning and land rules in Glasgow, Montana

At a glance

Building permits

City building permits required for new homes and covered alterations¹

Zoning

Glasgow has district zoning²

Sewer and septic

City sewer tapping needs a permit; Montana drainfield installation also needs a permit⁴⁵

Small sheds

Detached sheds of 120 square feet or less need no building permit¹

Lot size

A Residence District: at least 3,000 square feet per family⁷

Accessory dwellings

Montana municipal law requires an ADU by right on a lot with a single-family dwelling, subject to applicable rules⁸

Owner-builder

State contractor-license exemption has conditions and does not waive building permits⁹

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 11, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Glasgow, MT?

Glasgow issues building permits for new residential and commercial structures and covered alterations or additions inside city limits.¹ Glasgow exempts detached accessory buildings or sheds of 120 square feet or less, painting and trim work, and siding, window or door replacement that does not alter framing.¹ Structural roof-member replacement requires a building permit, even though re-roofing over an existing roof system is listed as exempt.¹ Glasgow has adopted the 2021 International Building Code and International Residential Code with Montana amendments; ask Public Works which current amendments apply to your plans.¹⁰

Who issues building permits in Glasgow, and where do you apply?

The Glasgow Public Works / Building Codes Department processes city building applications; submit the application and plans to the department at the address listed below, or use the packet’s electronic-submission email.³¹¹ Glasgow’s application instructions call for a plot or site plan, floor plan, elevations and typical cross sections or wall sections.¹¹ Incomplete Glasgow building applications are returned for additional preparation.³ Glasgow electrical permits come from the Montana Business Standards Division, separately from the city building permit.¹ Ask Public Works to identify the plumbing and mechanical approvals your project needs before submitting the application.¹¹

Does Glasgow have zoning, lot-size rules and setbacks?

Glasgow has district zoning, so identify the parcel’s district with the Code Compliance Office before choosing a house layout.²¹² In Glasgow’s A Residence District, buildings must provide at least 3,000 square feet of lot area per family, and buildings may not exceed 40 feet or three stories.⁷¹³ Lot area per family is a land requirement, not a minimum house floor area.⁷ Glasgow’s building instructions direct applicants to Public Works for the actual district setbacks and require the building inspector to witness marked property pins before issuing a building permit for covered projects.¹¹

How do sewer connections and septic permits work in Glasgow?

Connecting property inside Glasgow to city sewer mains requires a sewer-tapping permit, owner and building information, and a plan showing the drain’s course from the sewer connection to its terminus within the building line.⁴ Glasgow sets the sewer-tapping fee by resolution; ask Public Works for the current amount and connection requirements for the address.⁴ Montana requires a drainfield permit even when a property already has a Certificate of Subdivision Approval.⁵ The Valley County Sanitarian issues septic permits and inspects installations, but we could not confirm administration specifically inside Glasgow; ask that office before planning an onsite system.⁶

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Glasgow?

We could not confirm whether Glasgow allows living in an RV on a private residential lot or what minimum floor area applies to a tiny home; ask the Glasgow Code Compliance Office about the proposed address and use.¹² A small shed’s building-permit exemption does not establish approval to use the shed as a dwelling.¹ Montana municipal law requires an accessory dwelling unit by right on a parcel containing a single-family dwelling, with applicable building, fire and health rules still applying.⁸ Detached or attached ADUs are capped at the lesser of 75% of the primary dwelling’s gross floor area or 1,000 square feet.⁸

Building a home in Glasgow: what are the steps?

1. Ask Glasgow Code Compliance to identify the zoning district and Public Works to confirm the setbacks before finalizing the site layout.²¹¹¹²
2. Establish the property pins required for the city building inspector’s review, then prepare the site plan, floor plan, elevations and wall sections.¹¹
3. Submit a complete building application to Glasgow Public Works and arrange the separate state electrical permit.³¹
4. Arrange the city sewer-tapping permit if connecting to city sewer, or confirm septic administration with the Valley County Sanitarian if proposing a drainfield.⁴⁵⁶
5. Ask Public Works about inspections and final occupancy approval; we could not confirm Glasgow’s complete residential occupancy workflow.³

What should you check before buying land in Glasgow?

Glasgow projects within the designated 500 feet critical zone of the Glasgow, Cherry Creek, Milk River levee require United States Army Corps of Engineers review in addition to city building review; ask Public Works whether the parcel lies in that zone.¹¹ New development in a designated Special Flood Hazard Area also needs review with the local floodplain administrator.¹⁴ For a proposed private well, Montana’s small-groundwater permit exception is conditional, and beginning in 2026 requires a Notice of Intent before using water.¹⁵ For property outside Glasgow city limits, use the Valley County guide for the county building-permit answer rather than assuming city rules apply.¹⁶

Watch-outs

• Glasgow’s small-shed building-permit exemption is not a dwelling-occupancy approval.¹
• Montana’s owner-builder contractor-license exemption does not waive applicable building or trade permits; we could not confirm a Glasgow owner-builder building-permit exemption.⁹
• Glasgow’s E Unrestricted District still makes mobile or modular homes a conditional use with planning-board review; the district name does not mean automatic approval.¹⁷

Sources

1. General Information for Building Permit Applications (Glasgow), quoted and re-checked
2. Code of Ordinances, Chapter 42, Zoning, Sec. 42-1 (Glasgow), quoted and re-checked
3. General Information for Building Permit Applications (Glasgow), quoted and re-checked
4. Code of Ordinances, Sec. 40-113, Sewer Connection Permit (Glasgow), quoted and re-checked
5. Engineering Infrastructure & Subdivisions (Montana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
6. Valley County Sanitarian (valleycountymt.gov)
7. Code of Ordinances, Sec. 42-85, A Residence District (Glasgow), quoted and re-checked
8. 76-2-345. Accessory dwelling units -- regulations -- restrictions, MCA (Montana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
9. Montana Code Annotated, Title 37, Chapter 45, Construction Contractors (Montana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
10. Code of Ordinances, Sec. 8-23, Adoption of International Building Code (Glasgow), quoted and re-checked
11. Glasgow Public Works / Building Codes Department (cityofglasgowmt.com)
12. Glasgow Code Compliance Office (cityofglasgowmt.com)
13. Code of Ordinances, Sec. 42-85, A Residence District (Glasgow), quoted and re-checked
14. Stream Permitting, City or County Floodplain Development Permit (Glasgow), quoted and re-checked
15. Exempt Well Updates and Information (Montana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
16. Building Permits (2026 county census)
17. Code of Ordinances, Sec. 42-89, E Unrestricted District (Glasgow), quoted and re-checked

Written October 11, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.