Zoning, building permits and septic rules in East Helena, Montana

East Helena’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  All land inside East Helena city limits

  • Zoning regulations are the city's own zoning ordinance and zoning maps, adopted by the East Helena city council after Zoning Commission review.
  • Zoning map and text amendments require Zoning Commission hearing and City Council approval.

  “in 2009 non-interim zoning was approved and adopted by the east helena city council.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Residential zoning district (Zoning Ordinance section 3.2.03), single-household and two-household dwellings inside East Helena city limits

  • Minimums assume a lack of development constraints; the section states these lot areas are cumulative.
  • Two-household dwelling in an attached single-household townhouse configuration: 3,500 square feet per lot.
  • Three or more dwellings: 3,500 square feet per dwelling unit.
  • Other uses: 7,500 square feet.

  minimum lot area, single-household and two-household dwelling: >= 7500 square feet (townhouse configuration and three-or-more-dwelling rules listed in conditions)

  “b. lot area. these lot areas are cumulative, and these minimums assume a lack of development constraints. 1. single-household and two-household dwelling shall have a minimum lot area of 7,500 square feet. 2. two-household dwelling in an attached single-household townhouse configuration shall have a minimum lot area of 3,500 square feet per lot. 3. three- or more dwellings shall have a minimum lot area of 3,500 square feet per dwelling unit.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Residential zoning district (Zoning Ordinance section 3.2.03), single-household and two-household dwellings inside East Helena city limits

  • Front setback is 25 feet adjacent to arterial streets as designated in the East Helena growth policy.
  • In neighborhoods created before 2016, the front setback may be in line with existing structures on adjacent lots.
  • Side setback is 0 feet for interior walls of townhouses.
  • Garage vehicle entrances must be no closer than 20 feet to a property line unless otherwise authorized (this text was read in the commercial/other district section and is not confirmed for the residential district).

  front yard setback, local street: 15 feet · front yard setback, arterial street: 25 feet · rear yard setback: 15 feet · side yard setback, interior lot line: 10 feet · side yard setback, adjacent to street right-of-way: 5 feet

  “d. yards. 1. front yard setback: a. adjacent to arterial streets as designated in the east helena growth policy - 25 feet b. adjacent to local streets - 15 feet c. in neighborhoods that were created before 2016 the front setback may be in line with existing structures on adjacent lots. 2. rear yard setback: d. 15 feet 3. side yard setback: e. 10 feet along interior lot lines and 5 feet adjacent to street rights-of-way. f. 0 feet for interior walls of townhouses”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Residential zoning district (Zoning Ordinance section 3.2.03), single-household and two-household dwellings inside East Helena city limits

  • Limit applies to principal and accessory buildings combined.

  maximum lot coverage by principal and accessory buildings: <= 40 percent of lot area

  “a. lot coverage. 1. maximum lot coverage by principal and accessory buildings shall be not more than 40 percent of the lot area.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Residential zoning district (Zoning Ordinance section 3.2.03), single-household and two-household dwellings inside East Helena city limits

  • Commercial, downtown commercial and industrial districts in the same ordinance allow 50 feet; those are not residential limits.

  maximum building height: <= 30 feet

  “e. building height. 1. maximum building height shall be 30 feet.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Division of land inside East Helena city limits

  • Growth policy and subdivision regulations are adopted by the city council after planning board review.
  • The subdivision regulations PDF (easthelenamt.us/subREGS.pdf, June 6, 2018 per search snippet) was not opened; its review criteria and fees are not verified here.

  “documents such as the city’s growth policy and subdivision regulations are reviewed and updated by the city’s planning board”

• Permit feesPublished

  Zoning and development applications inside East Helena city limits

  • The fee schedule is a separate linked document; its amounts were not opened.
  • Building permit fees follow a formula per a secondary search snippet and were not verified on an opened page.

  “the east helena zoning regulations, which includes the zoning ordinance and zoning maps, as well as the various types of zoning applications and fee schedule are available below.”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning development review applications submitted to East Helena City Hall

  • Applications go to City Hall (306 East Main, administration department, 406-227-5321) with the applicable fee.
  • Checklists are linked per application type: sketch plan, site plan, conditional use permit, zoning variance, zoning amendments and administrative appeals, and development review application.
  • Building permit intake, inspection sequence and electrical permit routing were not confirmed on an opened page.

  “the completed development review application should be submitted with all associated drawings and documentation to city hall with the applicable fee.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask East Helena or Lewis and Clark County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit eligibility inside East Helena city limits
• Building code adopted — Building construction inside East Helena city limits
• Inspections — Building construction inside East Helena city limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of new buildings inside East Helena city limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-household dwellings inside East Helena city limits

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in East Helena means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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