HomeIncentives by StateMontana
Montana moved to the 2024 energy code.
Montana's 2024 IECC took effect September 26, 2026, and cities and counties with their own building departments have 90 days to follow. It calls for dimming in offices on top of occupancy shutoff and garage controls. NorthWestern Energy lists luminaire-level lighting controls among the projects its custom incentives can cover. We design it, supply it and test it.
The 2024 code took effect September 26, 2026. Projects with a permit issued before then stay on the 2021 code. Sources
Who pays for controls in Montana.
NorthWestern Energy's commercial lighting program pays for lamps, fixtures and controls. Its standard form covers wall-switch occupancy sensors, and it lists luminaire-level lighting controls, a sensor in every fixture, among the custom projects its Business Partners Program can pay for. Custom projects are reviewed one at a time and approved before you buy. That proposal is the part we put together for you. As of October 2026.
Montana-Dakota Utilities runs a commercial lighting program with prescriptive and custom options. Co-ops that buy power from the Bonneville Power Administration, such as Missoula Electric and Flathead Electric, run BPA's lighting program. BPA's lighting calculator includes a luminaire-level controls measure for systems on the DesignLights Consortium's networked list, and each co-op sets what it pays, so we check yours.
What the 2024 code calls for.
Montana has one energy code statewide, the 2024 IECC with state amendments, in force since September 26, 2026. Cities and counties with their own building departments switch to it within 90 days of the state's notice, and state law doesn't let them adopt a stricter one. Offices, conference rooms and similar spaces need dimming to 10% or a locked high-end trim. Occupancy sensors turn lights off within 20 minutes, daylight zones dim near windows, and garages step down when a zone sits empty.
Relights count too. Under the 2024 code, altering the lighting in a space, or just its controls, brings that space under these rules. Swapping only lamps or ballasts is a repair.
A sensor in every fixture is the simplest way we know to meet those rules, and it's the setup NorthWestern Energy names for custom incentives.
See how a project runs- GaragesStep down when a zone sits empty, and dim near open sides in daylightCovered
- DimmingOffices dim to 10%, or run at a locked high-end trimCovered
- ShutoffLights off within 20 minutes of a room emptyingCovered
No local energy rules to track.
We found no building benchmarking or performance law in Montana, statewide or in its larger cities, and state law keeps cities and counties from adopting a building code stricter than the state's. In Montana, the state energy code is the rule that matters.
How we work in Montana.
Your building can be anywhere in the US. We design remotely and ship the kit set up and labeled by room. A local electrician installs it, and we test on site or remotely.
Questions owners ask.
Does NorthWestern Energy pay for networked lighting controls?
It lists luminaire-level lighting controls among the custom projects its Business Partners Program may pay for. Custom projects are reviewed case by case, approved before you buy, and paid when the savings justify it. Its standard rebate form covers wall-switch occupancy sensors. As of October 2026.
My building is on a co-op. Is there anything for controls?
Possibly. Co-ops that buy power from the Bonneville Power Administration run BPA's lighting program, and BPA's 2026-2027 lighting calculator includes a luminaire-level controls measure for systems on the DesignLights Consortium's networked list. Each co-op decides what it offers. At Missoula Electric, the project has to be approved before any equipment is ordered. Send us the address and we'll check yours.
Which code applies to my project?
The 2024 IECC, with Montana's amendments, for projects permitted from September 26, 2026. Projects with a permit issued before then stay on the 2021 code. If your city or county runs its own building department, confirm its start date with them.
Can my city require more than the state code?
No. Montana law bars cities, counties and towns from adopting a building code stricter than the state's. They can offer voluntary, incentive-based energy standards for new construction that builders choose to follow.
Who signs off on code compliance?
Your engineer of record and the building official. We test every room and hand over the records they rely on; we don't sign the compliance or inspect our own work.
Tell us about your building.
An address is enough. Your free Lighting Controls Assessment comes back within 48 hours.
Networked lighting controls, start to finish.