2025 Proposed Fee Increases

Business owners and Managers, Contractors and Developers:

In 2025, Great Falls Fire Rescue (GFFR) and the City of Great Falls (COGF) will be making changes to the Safety Inspection Certificate (SIC) program. For years, the COGF has used the SIC instead of a Business License. GFFR has found that many of those looking to start businesses within the City are unaware of the need to obtain an SIC, as it is not called a Business License. Also, every year, GFFR has issues with large national corporations renewing their SIC, as they do not equate the SIC as their Business License for the City. With that, GFFR and the City of Great Falls are changing the name from SIC to Business License to clear up any confusion with licensing and operating a business within the City.

Along with the name change from SIC to Business License, GFFR will be looking to increase the fee for a new issuance and a renewal of a Business License. These fees were last adjusted in 2017. The proposed fee adjustment is based off of the Western Consumer Price Index (WCPI) at the end of 2023. This equates in a 3.6% increase to the Business License Fees. The proposed Business License fees are:

Outside of the Business License fees, GFFR will also be looking to adjust the rest of the fees listed on its fee schedule, along with the addition of new fees that are a cost recovery mechanism for services provided by GFFR’s staff for new and existing development. The established fees on the GFFR fee schedule are proposed to be adjusted by the same WCPI used for the proposed adjustment of the Business Licenses. The new fees proposed by GFFR as a cost recovery mechanism are:

• $75 Special event inspection ($75 per inspection)
• $75 Open burn permit review and inspection
• $75 Fire sprinkler acceptance (less than 100 heads)
• $100 Fire sprinkler acceptance (over 100 heads)
• $75 Fire alarm acceptance (under 25,000 SF)
• $100 Fire alarm acceptance (over 25,001 SF)
• $75 Kitchen hood acceptance
• $75 Fire suppression system acceptance
• $75 Fire pump acceptance
• $75 Standpipe acceptance
• $75 After hours’ inspection (minimum 1 hour)
• $200 Per instance of a contractor not being ready or a failed acceptance test
• $50 Open burning violation

The fees that are proposed by GFFR will be presented in future public hearings held during regularly scheduled City Commission meetings. During these public hearings, there will be the opportunity for public comment on GFFR’s proposed fees. On completion of the public hearings, the City Commission will move to adopt or deny GFFR’s proposed fee schedule. If the City Commission adopts the fee schedule, the new fees would begin upon adoption.

If you have any questions regarding the name change from SIC to Business License or about the new fees and adjustments proposed to the GFFR fee schedule, please feel free to contact me or Great Falls Fire Rescue at 406-727-8070.

Thank you,

Mike McIntosh

Great Falls Fire Rescue

Assistant Chief-Prevention