Permit Processes and Policies

Before you begin, determine your application method: online portal or fillable paper form.  These instructions apply only if you submit through the online portal.

1. Become an Accela Permit and License Portal registered user. Head to the Accela Portal and register with your email address. Once you have created a login, you're ready for step 3! 
2. Already have an account? Log into your account. You can check the status of your existing permits or move to step 3 to start a new application.
3. Gather and prepare your application information, plans, documents, and other project-related materials. Staff will review your materials to ensure the application contains the necessary information for your project to be reviewed or your permit issued. The project planning page should help you prepare and ensure you have all the required documentation. 
4. Submit your application or permit. Once you are signed in, click on the tab (Building, Engineering, Planning) that corresponds with your permit type. Select Apply for Permit and follow the prompts to submit your application.
5. Pay applicable fees for your application.You may be required to pay fees at time of application or once intake is complete (documents are accepted) before review starts. You can pay by:
   • Visa or MasterCard, online through the Citizen Portal. If you pay online, email coordinators@ci.missoula.mt.us to request issuance of the permit(s)
   • Visa or MasterCard, over the phone at 406-552-6060 between 10am and 2pm
   • Check. Make check out to City of Missoula and drop off or mail to Community, Planning, Development and Innovation at 435 Ryman St, Missoula, MT 59802. Please include the permit number in the check memo line.
6. Respond to comments and collaborate with staff. You may receive emails or notifications through the Accela portal. Projects that require site plans to be attached, including residential and commercial building permits, PWI Projects, or Excavation permits, will use a review cycle and resubmittal process to provide comments, marked-up plans, request resubmissions, and other activities related to the review of your application. We encourage you to collaborate with staff via email, review and abide by the electronic plan review process (below), and check the status of your permit using the portal.
7. Pay and have permits issued. Once departments have completed review, your permit will have their comments 'consolidated' into an approved plan set. You will receive an email with instructions on the final steps to pay and have your permit(s) issued. 

Fillable Forms

Before you begin, determine your application method: online portal or fillable paper form.  These instructions apply only if you submit a fillable paper form.

Fillable forms are PDFs that are available in electronic format, allowing the applicant to fill in the required fields directly from their computer or phone. Only the fields required at the time of submission are available to be filled in electronically. Additional information will be collected at processing.  

Note, some browsers like Firefox may not support the fillable format - and that you may need to download a free Adobe App to facilitate using your phone to complete fillable forms (Adobe app instructions found here).

Steps

1. Gather and prepare your application information, plans, documents, and other project-related materials. Staff will review your materials to ensure the application contains the necessary information for your project to be reviewed or your permit issued. The project planning page will help you prepare. 
2. Submit the paper application. Email completed PDF application to coordinators@ci.missoula.mt.us. You may also print out the permit and mail it or drop it off at Community Planning, Development, and Innovation in City Hall. 
3. Respond to comments and collaborate with staff. You may receive emails during the intake or review process of your permit. We encourage you to be responsive to these emails and always include the permit or project number (or address, if permit number is unknown)  when corresponding with staff.
4. Pay applicable fees for your application. You will be notified when your permit or project is ready for payment. You can pay by:
   • Visa or MasterCard, online through the Citizen Portal. If you pay online, email coordinators@ci.missoula.mt.us to requestissuance of the permit(s)
   • Visa or MasterCard, over the phone at 406-552-6060 between 10am and 2pm
   • Check. Make check out to City of Missoula and drop off or mail to Community, Planning, Development and Innovation at 435 Ryman St, Missoula, MT 59802. Please include the permit number in the check memo line.

Do I need an online account if I submit a paper application?

The Accela Permit and License Portal supports status tracking on all types of permits, regardless of how they are submitted. Most permits allow you to make payment online. 

Registered users can be linked to Contractor business licenses or specific projects for easy online permit management. Email coordinators@ci.missoula.mt.us if you have a login and need to be linked to a license or project.

Become an Accela Permit and License Portal registered user. Head to the Accela Portal and register with your email address.  

Already have an account?Log into your account. You can check the status of your existing permits. Email coordinators@ci.missoula.mt.us if you have a login and need to be linked to a license or project.

Document Specification Requirements

The digital plan review process requires certain file specification be met. If your permit or project is applied for online, then all documentation including, but not limited to, applications, plans, supporting documents, and revisions are to be submitted through the portal. Below are the current lists of specifications for the respective document types. Strict adherence to these specifications is required to prevent rejection of the plans.

Initial Plans Submittal

• The filename must follow the <permit number> PLANS INITIAL.pdf naming convention. Example: 2018-MSS-COM-00001 PLANS INITIAL.pdf . 
• Only PDF files will be accepted. Any other document types will be immediately deleted for security purposes.
• All pages must be in a single PDF file; individual files for each page will not be accepted.
• The first page must be blank with title block. This will be the stamp page for department approval stamps and general review comments. This page must be the first page in the document. Do not place any page, including cover sheet, before the blank page.
• If your project requires MCCHD review, provide a second blank page with title block. 
• Must be created using vector output from drafting software. Raster images or scanned blueprints will not be accepted. Vector output is the standard for nearly all CAD programs.
• Each page within the PDF file must have a valid, working, bookmark. Broken or missing bookmarks will result in rejection of the file by our plan reviewers.
• Ensure "plans" is chosen in the document type dropdown menu (Done after the file selection and upload process).

Plan Resubmittal

In addition to the "Initial Plans Submittal" requirements, revision submittals must comply with the following requirements.

• Resubmittals must follow the <permit number> PLANS REV<revision number>.pdf naming convention, where <revision number> is an incrementing number beginning with 1. Examples: 2018-MSS-COM-00001 PLANS REV1.pdf or 2018-MSS-COM-00001 PLANS REV2.pdf
• If additional sheets are added to the plan set, these additional sheets must be appended to the end of the pdf file.

Supplemental Documents

• Only PDF files will be accepted. Any other document types will be immediately deleted for security purposes.
• Documents must be printed to pdf, no scanned documents allowed without prior approval
• Document name must provide a clear indication as to the contents of the document.
• Each individual document must be in a single PDF file. Example: ComCheck.pdf, SpecBook1.pdf, CommisioningPlan.pdf  
• Documents over 10 pages must have a table of contents and valid/working bookmarks to each section of the table of contents.
• Ensure "supplemental" is chosen in the document type dropdown menu.

All permit applications should be 100% complete when submitted. Incomplete applications result in multiple review cycles. Each additional review cycle impacts the applicant, reviewers, design teams, and other applicants in the queue.  Multiple reviews result in delayed permits and potential added costs to the applicant’s project as well as others waiting in the queue. 

It is common for a project to go through one or two review cycles. One resubmittal, which starts the second review cycle, is commonly needed to address questions, provide clarification, and make corrections necessary for permit approval.  

Additional plan review fees, known as resubmittal fees, may apply when three or more review cycles are required due to incomplete, deferred, or modified drawings.  Resubmittal fees do not apply to the first resubmittal for a second review cycle. We will inform applicants if resubmittal fees are being assessed at the end of each review cycle.  

Criteria that may result in resubmittal fees include, but are not limited to:  

• Failure to address each comment from previous review cycle(s) 
• A change in the scope of work or original intent of the project that was not done in response to a reviewer’s comments 
• Incomplete plans that prevent comprehensive review by each department or discipline (e.g., fixture calculations, water supply or waste lines in drawings) 
• Failure to provide or incomplete supplemental documents. These documents are typically identified on the application checklist, and applicants must submit the checklist with all required documents at the time of permit application.  
• Basic standards are missing from plans. These are typically identified on the application checklist or during the first review cycle.  
• Some examples of residential (single dwelling or duplex) standards are that setbacks are clearly shown and measured, building height is clearly shown and measured, off-street parking, etc.  
• Some examples of commercial and multi-dwelling permit are landscaping calculations, activity area calculations and areas shown on the site plan, parking calculations, bike parking requirements, etc. 
• Failure to address items and or issues documented by previous department reviews, Project Review Team (PRT), Design Review Team (DRT), and Design Excellence Reviews (DER) which made an applicant aware of a standard

All resubmittal fees will be approved by the Director, Deputy Director, or other senior leadership of the department or discipline applying the fee. 

Last updated October 2023

Are you trying to check the status of your permit or license application? 

You can view the status of your permit(s) and license(s) on the portal. Visit this site and sign in to view “My Records” or select Search Permits under the appropriate permit type (building, engineering, licenses, or planning). You can search by the record (permit) number or address. If the permit is found, you should be able to select the Record number from the list. 

1. This should display the details of the record. 
2. Choose the drop down labeled Record Info 
3. Then click Processing Status. 
4. This will display complete (green checkbox) and pending (hour glass) steps of your permit. If there is not an icon next to that step, it may not apply, or it has not become active in the workflow of the permit process.  

Once accepted, building permits requiring plan review and business license review cycles typically take between 8-12 weeks. Building permits that due not require plan review typically take between 2-3 business days. The review time is dependent on the number of items in the review queue and the complexity and completeness of your application. City staff are not able to expedite, provide review calendar estimates, or guarantee that your permit or license will be approved by a certain date.