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Committee hears bill to centralize permitting for state construction projects
Summary
Senate Bill 33 would move permitting for state-owned construction projects to the Department of Labor and Industry to reduce multi-month local permitting delays; supporters say it would speed projects and avoid duplicate fees, while local fire and rescue officials worry about loss of front-end local input on life-safety details.
Senators and state officials told the House State Administration Committee that Senate Bill 33 aims to speed delivery of state construction projects by routing building-permit reviews to Montana's Department of Labor and Industry (DLI).
Senator Greg Hertz, sponsor of SB33, said the change is intended to "get these jobs done as fast as possible" and reduce delays when local review slows project schedules. "This bill just allows a little speedier process," he said. The Department of Administration's Architecture and Engineering (A&E) division described a large portfolio of projects that they said strains a small staff.
Misty Ann Giles, director of the Department of Administration, told the committee A&E is managing a $1.45 billion active portfolio with additional projects in the pipeline and does that work with…
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