Montana fire code
Montana uses the 2024 International Fire Code, put in place by the State Fire Marshal through rule ARM 23.12.601. If a building is yours to own or run, this code sets the standard your fire equipment and inspections are judged by.
Have questions about the fire equipment in your building or how the code affects you? Call now and you'll talk with a Montana-based fire protection contractor.
Code in force: 2024 IFC in ARM 23.12.601. Enforced by: Montana State Fire Marshal. Your local fire marshal can add rules, so check with that office too.
- state fire code in ARM 23.12.601 2024 International Fire Code
- effective date of the 2024 edition 9/26/26
- office in the Department of Justice Montana State Fire Marshal
- agency that issues fire protection licenses Department of Labor and Industry
Asking about a house? For a house or duplex, smoke alarm and sprinkler rules usually come from the residential building code (the IRC) instead, so ask your local building department.
State fire marshal
The State Fire Marshal adopts Montana's fire code. The Bureau of Building and Standards, which handles the other construction codes, does not. Plenty of owners assume a single office covers it all, so knowing about this divide helps before you begin.
Local governments like cities, counties, and towns can enforce their own building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical codes if they want. Those local programs need certification from the state Building Codes Program.
The State Fire Marshal's office sits within the Department of Justice in Helena, as its Fire Prevention & Investigation Section. You can find its contact details publicly.
Which code edition is in force?
The rule dates back to 1996. It was changed by Notice No. 2026-128, effective 9/26/26, which brought in the 2024 International Fire Code. Montana had been on the 2012 edition with modifications since December 27, 2013.
Local areas can often tweak a statewide code or adopt their own version, so long as it doesn't fall below the state's level of strictness. Not sure which rules apply to your building? Call now and a contractor can walk you through it.
Who must hold a Montana fire protection license?
Any business servicing fire extinguishers needs to be licensed by the Department of Labor and Industry. The same goes for businesses selling, servicing, or installing fire alarms, special agent suppression systems, or extinguishing systems. Special agent systems fight fires with gas, foam, or something else besides water. The law covering this is Section 50-39-101, MCA.
Every employee doing that work needs an endorsement too, apart from apprentices. An endorsement means the department has approved that person for a specific type of work. Work on portable fire extinguishers is the exception, with no individual endorsement needed.
A licensed electrician can install certain parts of fire protection equipment if it falls within their scope of practice. That installation still has to be inspected and approved by someone who is endorsed.
Doing this work knowingly or intentionally without the required license and endorsement counts as a misdemeanor.
Checking a contractor's license
Businesses have to display the license and endorsements at their premises. Whoever installs or services the equipment has to carry copies and present them on request.
- Request copies of the company's license and the technician's personal endorsement.
- Make sure the endorsement fits your equipment, whether that's alarms or extinguishing systems.
- Look the business up on the state's licensing website, EBIZ.MT.GOV/POL, or give the licensing program a call.
License fees and insurance
A business must have an employee with the proper endorsement for the work, portable extinguishers aside. The fees don't change by type, but the insurance minimums do.
| Requirement | Extinguisher servicing | Alarm, suppression, or extinguishing systems |
|---|---|---|
| Liability insurance required for each incident | $500,000 | $1,000,000 |
- Applying costs $300 in total: a one-time $100 processing fee plus a $200 endorsement fee
- Renewing each year costs $200, payable by May 31
- Renewing late, after May 31, costs $200
Sole proprietors without employees show an independent contractor exemption rather than workers' compensation. Licensees from other states who are in good standing may receive a temporary 21-day registration in limited situations. Anyone licensed or applying has 30 days to report a new mailing address.
Wondering if the contractor you use now follows these rules? Call now and you'll get a straight answer.