County seat: Virginia City
Building in Madison County
How zoning works here
This county administers zoning across the unincorporated county.
Madison County has no countywide zoning; only limited citizen-initiated or voluntary zoning districts exist in specific areas — the vast majority of unincorporated Madison County is unzoned.
Building permits
Building permit authority is not verified for this county
Madison County does NOT have a certified county building department for building code enforcement. Non-exempt building permits for unincorporated Madison County are issued by the Montana State Building Codes Bureau (DLI). The Madison County Sanitarian issues Construction/Demolition permits (Ordinance 2-2006) that are separate from state building code permits and relate to environmental health and sanitation compliance. Within incorporated cities and towns, local regulations may apply.
Who to call
Building permits
Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Program (state authority for unincorporated Madison County)
Floodplain administrator
Madison County Planning Department (Floodplain Development Permits)
State building codes
Montana Department of Labor and Industry, Building Codes Bureau
Cities with their own jurisdiction
Inside these limits the municipality, not the county, is generally the planning and permitting authority: Virginia City, Ennis, Sheridan, Twin Bridges.
Check a specific parcel in Madison County
County rules are only part of the picture. Terrain, soils, septic feasibility, flood, wetlands and access are parcel-specific.
County authority details researched from primary county sources and verified 2026-08-14. County rules change and this page is a starting point, not a determination. Confirm anything you intend to rely on directly with the office that administers it. Sources: madisoncountymt.gov, madisoncountymt.gov, madisoncountymt.gov, www.madisoncountymt.gov