House built on Glacier creek failed to get permit

Zoë Buchli

A house verging on McDonald Creek in Glacier National Park has sparked public controversy for being built without adequate permitting, and now has to be deconstructed by the fall.

The Flathead Conservation District (FCD) received 17 complaints from members of the general public alleging a violation of the Natural Streambed and Land Preservation Act had taken place along McDonald Creek on a private in-holding property in the park, according to FCD Resource Conservationist Samantha Tappenbeck. The first complaint came in on Jan. 20.

It’s a residential property, and the builders have made substantial progress on its construction. Photos taken during an on-site inspection show the house currently stands at three stories, with two decks.

A look at the four lodges and four chalets of Glacier National Park. How many have you visited?

Montana’s streambed preservation act, known in shorthand as the “310 law,” requires any project on private land to have a permit for any construction with potential impact on the bed and banks of perennial flowing streams.

People are also reading…

“It’s a highly visible area which is within the park,” Tappenbeck said. “So you can

View Source