Where to look for Billings permits
The City of Billings Building Division permits work inside city limits. Laurel, unincorporated Yellowstone County and the other towns run their own permit offices.
| Tool | Search by | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| CityView Portal | Application Search; Search for a Property (fields not listed) | Applications, permits and inspections since March 2026 |
| Citizen Access (Accela) | Per record | Permits from the system the City used before CityView |
| Permit Status layer (City GIS, behind the Building Permit Interactive Map) | Any field, including address, permit number and contractor | Permit type, work type, contractor, issue and expiration dates; our source |
| Building Division, permits@billingsmt.gov, 406-657-8270 | Address, permit number | Answers on a specific permit |
How to look up the permits on a Billings address
- Open the CityView Portal and choose Application Search under Building Department, or Search for a Property.
- Search for the address or the permit number on your paperwork. Billings permit numbers look like BP-24-00595.
- For a job before March 2026, try Citizen Access as well.
- Open each permit on the property. A house job can need separate building, mechanical, plumbing and electrical permits.
- Check that the contractor on the permit matches the one on your contract, and that a final inspection is recorded. If in doubt, email permits@billingsmt.gov.
What the statuses mean
The City's permit map layer uses Closed (55% of all its rows), Expired (44%) and a few Finaled, but its status stopped updating when the City moved to CityView in spring 2026, and it has no final inspection date. So we show no finished share for Billings, and an Expired status in the layer is not proof that a job was left unfinished. Read the current status in the City's portal.
What our Billings pages add
Our Billings page counts the permits in the City's permit map layer, March 2024 to February 2026:
| Kind of work | Permits (Mar 2024–Feb 2026) | Share | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Remodels and repairs | 2,831 | 46% | 100% |
| HVAC | 799 | 13% | 92% |
| Solar | 589 | 10% | 100% |
| New homes | 465 | 8% | 100% |
| Plumbing | 309 | 5% | 97% |
| Additions | 111 | 2% | 100% |
| Electrical | 110 | 2% | 88% |
Residential exterior remodel permits cover roofs, siding, windows and fences together, which is why remodels lead. 95% of the permits name a contractor we can show, and the Billings page lists the firms named on the most, by count only. ZIP 59102 had the most permits, 2,068 (33%); see Billings permits by ZIP code. The permit statistics page has year and month counts, and browse permits lists the rows. To check a contractor's state registration, use the Montana Department of Labor & Industry's Construction Contractor Registration.
What this does not tell you
The layer appears to list only permits pulled by a licensed contractor, so permits homeowners pull themselves are missing. It has no job value, and it ends in February 2026, the last full month before the switch to CityView. We have not matched contractor names to state registration records, so the firm list is volume, not a rating.
How we know this
The portal wording and search options are from the City of Billings CityView Portal home page, the contacts from its Building Division page, and the Citizen Access site was checked to load, all on 24 October 2026. Our counts are the City's Permit Status map layer, read 20 October 2026: permits issued March 2024 to February 2026.
Numbers come from public permit records in 57 cities, data through October 20, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- How do I find out if a permit was pulled on my house in Billings?
Use Application Search under Building Department in the City's CityView Portal (cityview.billingsmt.gov/Portal) for permits since the March 2026 switch, and the older Citizen Access site for earlier ones. For a definite answer, email permits@billingsmt.gov or call 406-657-8270.
- Can I see which contractor pulled a Billings permit?
Yes, for most permits. In the City's permit map layer, 95% of the 6,199 permits issued March 2024 to February 2026 name a contractor we can show, and our Billings page lists the firms named on the most permits.
- Why does my Billings permit say Expired?
The City's permit map layer stopped updating its status when the City moved to CityView in spring 2026, and most permits in it read Expired with no final inspection date. Check the permit in the City's portal or ask the Building Division for the current status.
- How many building permits does Billings issue?
About 3,100 a year in the City's permit map layer: 6,199 permits issued March 2024 to February 2026. The layer appears to leave out permits homeowners pull themselves, so the true total is higher.
- Does the City of Billings permit Laurel or the rest of Yellowstone County?
No. The City permits work inside city limits. Laurel, unincorporated Yellowstone County and the other towns run their own permit offices.
Build your own list
Pick your city and the kind of work. Every firm with a permit on record, sorted by what you value.
Related guides
- Adams County, CO building permit search: the e-Permit Center, statuses and CORA
- Alachua County building permit search: Citizenserve, statuses and old records
- Anaheim building permit search: Anaheim NEXT and the Building Permit Report
- Arlington, VA building permit search: Permit Arlington lookups and FOIA requests
- Cedar Rapids building permit search: where to look up permits in Cedar Rapids, IA
- Centennial building permit search: the Self-Service Portal, statuses and records
- Building Division — City of Billings (2026-10-24)
- City of Billings Web Portal (CityView) (2026-10-24)
- City of Billings Citizen Access (Accela) (2026-10-24)
- BuildingPermits_CodeViolations_EXT, Permit Status layer — City of Billings GIS (2026-10-20)