Montana business license guide
Last updated: August 21, 2026
Montana does not issue one general state business license that covers every business. Most owners must check several layers: state business registration, state tax or industry rules, county approvals, and city licensing or zoning. The right list depends on what you do and exactly where you do it.
Bottom line
Start with your exact business address and activity. Check your city first if you are inside city limits. Check the county if you are outside city limits or if health, septic, road, or planning rules may apply. Then check the Montana Secretary of State, Department of Revenue, Department of Labor & Industry, and any federal agency that regulates your work.
An LLC, assumed business name, EIN, city license, zoning approval, food license, and professional license are separate items. You may need more than one. Our guide to business licenses, LLCs, DBAs, and seller’s permits explains the difference.
Important Montana business updates for 2026
Business filings are running at record levels. The Montana Secretary of State reported more than 8,000 business applications in July 2026, up from 6,789 in July 2025. The Secretary of State website also currently shows more than 359,000 business registrations. These are state filing and registration figures, not a count of local licenses or proof that every registered business is actively operating.
Do not confuse April 15 with the final annual report deadline. The Secretary of State currently says the annual report filing fee is waived for reports filed from January 1 through April 15. After April 15 the fee is $35. Current instructions say foreign entities must file by November 1 and domestic entities by December 1.
Construction contractors moved to a licensing system in 2026. Montana DLI says the Construction Contractor License program took effect January 1, 2026. Contractors that had an active registration on December 31, 2025 were converted to the new license, and current applications and renewals are handled online. State law includes exemptions, including for some independent contractors with no employees, so check the current DLI rules for your situation.
Watch for fake compliance notices. In August 2026, the Secretary of State warned Montana businesses about fraudulent notices using a fake “Form 5102” for beneficial ownership reporting. FinCEN’s August 2026 final rule, effective August 14, 2026, exempts U.S.-created companies from federal BOI reporting; certain foreign companies registered in the United States may still have reporting duties.
Quick start: check these items in order
- Describe the business in one sentence. Write what you will sell or do, where the work happens, and whether customers visit you.
- Confirm the location. Find the city, county, and whether the address is inside city limits. Local rules may change at the city boundary.
- Ask the city or county about the location. Check business licensing, zoning, home occupation rules, building use, fire review, signs, parking, and health permits.
- Choose the legal structure. Decide whether you will be a sole proprietor, LLC, corporation, partnership, or another structure. Forming an entity is not the same as getting permission to operate.
- Register the name when needed. Montana calls a DBA an Assumed Business Name.
- Check state taxes and special licenses. Montana has no general-use sales tax, but business income, withholding, lodging, alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and other activity-specific rules may apply.
- Check professional, contractor, food, and employer rules. These can require separate state or county steps.
- Check federal rules. Get an EIN when required and check federal permits for regulated activities.
For a wider first-pass test, use our guide to whether you need a business license and then make your own address-specific list.
Montana business license facts
| Question | Montana answer |
|---|---|
| Is there one statewide general business license? | No. The Montana Small Business Development Center licensing page directs owners to local city and county offices for general business licensing and to state agencies for professional or regulated activities. |
| Where do LLCs and corporations file? | With Montana Secretary of State Business Services, usually through the online filing portal. |
| What is a DBA called? | Montana uses the term Assumed Business Name, often shortened to ABN. |
| Does Montana have a normal seller’s permit? | Montana has no general-use sales tax, so it does not use the normal statewide sales tax permit found in many states. Special taxes and resale paperwork can still apply. |
| Can cities require licenses? | Yes. Cities such as Billings, Missoula, Helena, Bozeman, and Great Falls use their own license, certificate, zoning, and inspection systems. |
| Can a home or online business need local approval? | Yes. Local zoning and licensing can apply even when customers never enter the home. |
Federal, state, county, and city requirements are separate
Montana owners often hear “business license” used as a catch-all term. That can lead to the wrong form or office. Think in layers instead. Our comparison of a city license, county license, and state registration gives more examples.
| Layer | What it may handle | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Federal | Federal tax ID and permits for federally regulated work | EIN, interstate motor carrier registration, alcohol production or wholesaling, firearms, aviation, broadcasting, and regulated food or drug work |
| Montana state | Entity filings, assumed names, state taxes, professional licenses, contractor rules, unemployment insurance, and eStop licenses | Secretary of State, Department of Revenue, Department of Labor & Industry, and professional boards |
| County | Health, sanitation, septic, planning, building, floodplain, road access, and rules outside city limits | Local health department or sanitarian, county planning, public works, and building offices |
| City or town | Business license, business tax, zoning, home occupation approval, building use, fire review, signs, mobile vending, and special local licenses | City finance, licensing, planning, building, fire, or clerk offices |
| Private rules | Lease, HOA, marketplace, payment processor, insurer, or platform requirements | These rules do not replace government licenses or permits |
Do not pay a private filing company until you know the official requirement. Montana’s Secretary of State has warned business owners about mailings and emails that look official but demand unnecessary or inflated payments. Use the official government portal and confirm the fee before paying.
Montana state registration and business names
LLCs, corporations, and other entities
If you choose an LLC, corporation, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, or similar structure, begin with the Montana Business Filing Portal. The portal lets you register a business, search records, file annual reports, and maintain an existing filing.
The current Secretary of State filing fee schedule lists a $35 filing fee for a domestic LLC’s Articles of Organization. A state entity filing creates or registers the legal business. It does not approve your address, local business activity, zoning, food operation, building, or profession.
Assumed Business Name
If a sole proprietor or entity uses a public name that is different from the owner’s legal name or registered entity name, check the Assumed Business Name filing. The Secretary of State’s current guidance for a Montana sole proprietor using an assumed name lists a $20 registration fee and says the name must be renewed every five years. The state fee schedule also lists a $20 renewal fee.
Example: Jordan Reed may work as a sole proprietor under “Jordan Reed.” If the public-facing name is “Big Sky Trail Repair,” Jordan should check the ABN filing. Registering that name does not create an LLC and does not replace a city license.
Annual reports
Montana LLCs and corporations must file annual reports to keep state records current. The current Secretary of State annual report instructions say the filing fee is waived for reports filed from January 1 through April 15. After April 15, the fee is $35. The same current instructions say foreign entities must file their annual report by November 1 and domestic entities by December 1. In other words, April 15 is the fee-waiver cutoff, not the final filing deadline.
Keep the state deadline separate from local renewals. A city license may renew on its own anniversary or on a city-set calendar. Filing the Montana annual report does not renew a Billings, Missoula, Helena, Great Falls, Bozeman, or Butte-Silver Bow license.
Montana taxes, resale documents, and employer accounts
No general-use sales tax
The Montana Department of Revenue sales tax guidance states that Montana does not have a general-use sales tax. A small retailer normally will not apply for a standard Montana seller’s permit just to collect a statewide general sales tax.
That does not mean every business is tax-free. The Department of Revenue’s business and income tax pages cover corporate and pass-through taxes, withholding, alcohol, lodging, cannabis, tobacco, natural resources, and other activity-specific taxes. Many accounts can be managed through the free Montana TransAction Portal.
Montana Business Registry Resale Certificate
A Montana business buying goods for resale from an out-of-state vendor may be asked for a resale document. The Department of Revenue provides a Montana Business Registry Resale Certificate. The state says the certificate is given to the vendor, not filed with the Department of Revenue, and the vendor decides whether to accept it.
This is different from a normal seller’s permit. Read our seller’s permit versus business license guide before using the terms as if they mean the same thing.
Hiring employees
Many employers need a federal EIN and separate state accounts. Apply for an EIN only through the IRS EIN service; the IRS says the application is free. Montana employers can use UI eServices for Employers to register for unemployment insurance, file quarterly reports, make payments, and review notices. Wage withholding may also require a Department of Revenue account.
For 2026, Montana DLI lists a $47,300 unemployment insurance taxable wage base in its 2026 UI rate sheet. New-employer UI rates vary by industry, and the rate sheet lists a separate Administrative Fund Tax. Montana’s minimum wage is $10.85 per hour in 2026. Employers must also report newly hired and rehired employees within 20 days of the hire or rehire date.
eStop, professional, contractor, and food licenses
eStop does not cover every business
The Montana eStop Business Licenses page says the program is now administered by the Department of Labor & Industry through its Citizen Portal. Covered categories include retail food, nursery retail sales, landscape service, sod farming, underground storage tanks, meters, scales, tobacco, vapor products, off-premise beer and wine, and lottery-related licenses.
An eStop license is a state license for a covered activity. It does not automatically replace a city license, county health approval, zoning review, building permit, fire approval, or federal permit.
Professional and occupational licenses
Regulated work may require a license from one of Montana’s Professional Boards and Licensing programs. The site covers fields such as plumbing, electrical work, real estate, cosmetology, health care, accounting, engineering, security, massage therapy, veterinary medicine, and other regulated occupations.
Check the exact board before advertising licensed services. A business entity may also need its own local license even when the individual worker holds a professional license.
Construction contractors
Montana moved from construction contractor registration to a Construction Contractor License program effective January 1, 2026. The current Montana DLI Construction Contractor License page says applications and renewals are completed online and that contractors with an active Montana registration as of December 31, 2025 were converted to the new license. DLI says construction contractors with employees must be licensed. State law also lists exemptions, including an exemption for some independent contractors with no employees, so verify the current rule before assuming you are exempt.
Retail food and mobile food businesses
Restaurants, food trucks, markets, caterers, and other retail food businesses should contact the local health department before buying equipment, signing a lease, or building a kitchen. The Montana retail food program tells new operators to contact local environmental health staff. The location may need plan review and inspection before a license is approved.
Food businesses may also need city licensing, zoning, fire, building, water, sewer, and mobile vending approval. The order matters: confirm that the location can legally support the food use before spending money on a build-out.
City, county, zoning, and home-based business rules
Check the city when you operate in city limits
A city may require a general business license, business tax, safety inspection certificate, special business license, home occupation approval, or another local registration. It may also review zoning, building use, fire safety, parking, signs, and customer access.
Do not assume a license from one Montana city works in another. A mobile contractor, vendor, food truck, photographer, or service business may need to check each city where it regularly works.
Check the county outside city limits
County rules can apply to unincorporated areas and to activities handled regionally. Ask about planning, building, septic, wells, road approaches, floodplain rules, health permits, and local taxes. A county health department may regulate a food business even when the location is inside a city.
Home and online businesses
A home-based business can still be a local business. Zoning rules may limit customer visits, employees, deliveries, signs, noise, outdoor storage, equipment, parking, or hazardous materials. A landlord, lease, HOA, or condo association can add private limits.
Use our guides to running a business from home, home occupation permits, and online business licensing to prepare the right questions for your local office.
What to say when you contact the city or county
Phone or email script
Hello. I plan to operate a [business type] at or from [address] in [city and county], Montana. The business will be [home-based / mobile / online / storefront / office / job-site based]. We will provide [products or services], and [customers will / will not] visit the location.
Can you tell me the exact local license, zoning, home occupation, building, fire, health, sign, or other approval we must obtain before opening? Please send me the official application page and current fee and renewal schedule.
Montana city examples
These examples show why your exact address matters. They are not substitutes for checking the local office.
Billings
The City of Billings business license page says a person conducting business in the city, or based in the city, must obtain a business license. Home businesses also need a license and must follow zoning. The city says licenses are valid for one year and owners should renew at least 30 days before expiration.
See our Billings business license guide for a city-focused checklist.
Missoula
The City of Missoula licensing page says most businesses located or operating in city limits need a license. City FAQs include home-based and web-based businesses. A business with less than $6,000 in annual gross receipts may submit an exemption affidavit, but the exemption must be approved.
Missoula posts a separate 2026 fee schedule page. Our Missoula business license guide explains the local layers.
Bozeman
Bozeman provides a city business license applications page and separate paths for activities such as mobile vending and marijuana businesses. Check zoning and building use before opening a physical location.
Great Falls
Great Falls uses the term Safety Inspection Certificate for many business-license situations. The city’s official licensing FAQ directs applicants to Great Falls Fire Rescue. Special business licenses or home occupation approvals may also apply.
Helena
Helena’s Civic Access portal accepts general business license and home-based business license applications along with planning, zoning, building, sign, and fire-related applications.
Butte-Silver Bow
The Butte-Silver Bow business license page says licenses are issued after Building and Code, Zoning, and Planning approval. Its current business information says local renewals are due January 1 through January 31 and that renewals received February 1 or later face a late fee equal to the original renewal fee.
Fees, timing, and renewals
There is no single Montana business license price. Your total can include an entity filing, assumed name, city license, zoning review, building or fire permit, health license, professional license, inspection, or activity-specific state fee.
| Item | Current verified detail | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Montana domestic LLC filing | $35 on the current Secretary of State fee schedule | Entity type, optional expedited processing, and any later amendments |
| Assumed Business Name | $20 to register; $20 to renew; renewal every five years | Exact owner name, public name, and expiration shown in the state record |
| LLC or corporation annual report | Fee waived January 1-April 15; $35 after April 15. Current SOS instructions say foreign entities file by November 1 and domestic entities by December 1. | Current-year fee policy, entity deadline, and business status in the filing portal |
| Local business license | Varies by city, business type, receipts, employees, or location | Application fee, license fee, review fee, renewal date, late fee, and transfer rules |
| Industry or professional license | Varies by board and activity | Application, exam, insurance, bond, education, inspection, and renewal rules |
The Secretary of State announced in August 2026 that it plans to permanently waive the initial domestic LLC and Assumed Business Name filing fees for qualifying U.S. veterans and active-duty military business owners. As of August 21, the Secretary of State’s administrative-rules page still lists that change as a proposed rule, so check the current fee page before relying on the waiver.
Do not sign a lease based only on a landlord’s promise. Ask the city or county whether your exact use is allowed at the address and whether a change of use, certificate of occupancy, fire review, parking upgrade, or building work is required.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Treating an LLC as a license. The LLC filing creates a legal entity. It does not approve the business activity or location.
- Skipping local government because Montana has no statewide general license. Local licensing is a major part of the Montana process.
- Looking for a normal sales tax permit. Montana has no general-use sales tax, but special tax accounts and resale documents may still matter.
- Using “DBA” on the wrong state form. Montana’s official term is Assumed Business Name.
- Opening a food business before local health review. The location and equipment may need approval before licensing.
- Assuming online or home-based work has no zoning rules. The home address can still be the regulated business location.
- Using an old contractor checklist. Montana’s contractor program is transitioning, so follow the current DLI page.
- Forgetting renewals. State annual reports, assumed names, city licenses, and professional licenses can have different dates.
- Paying a private notice without checking the official fee. Search the official state or local record first.
Federal checks for regulated businesses
The U.S. Small Business Administration license and permit guide explains that federal permits depend on the activity. For example, some alcohol producers, wholesalers, and importers must use the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau permit system. Interstate or regulated motor carriers should check the FMCSA USDOT number tool.
Federal BOI update: FinCEN’s August 2026 final rule, effective August 14, 2026, exempts companies created in the United States from beneficial ownership information reporting. Certain foreign companies registered to do business in the United States may still have reporting duties. Use the official FinCEN BOI page and ignore paid or threatening notices that do not match the current federal rule.
These federal registrations do not replace Montana or local approvals.
Related business license guides
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Frequently asked questions
Does Montana have a statewide general business license?
No. Montana does not issue one general state business license for every business. General licensing is often local, while the state handles entity filings, taxes, professional licenses, eStop licenses, contractor rules, and other regulated activities.
Is a Montana LLC the same as a business license?
No. An LLC filing creates a legal business entity. It does not automatically provide a city license, zoning approval, health permit, professional license, tax account, or federal permit.
What does Montana call a DBA?
Montana calls it an Assumed Business Name. The current state fee is $20, and the Secretary of State says the registration must be renewed every five years.
Does Montana have a seller’s permit?
Montana has no general-use sales tax, so it does not use the normal statewide seller’s permit found in many states. Special taxes, tax accounts, and the Montana Business Registry Resale Certificate may still apply to some businesses.
Do home-based businesses need a license in Montana?
They may. A city or county can require a business license, home occupation approval, or zoning review. Local rules may limit visits, employees, parking, signs, noise, storage, equipment, and deliveries.
Where do Montana businesses apply for an EIN?
Apply directly through the IRS. The IRS EIN application is free. An EIN is a federal tax ID, not permission to operate in a Montana city or county.
What is eStop in Montana?
eStop is a state licensing path for covered activities such as retail food, nursery sales, landscape service, tobacco, vapor products, scales, meters, underground storage tanks, off-premise beer and wine, and lottery-related licenses. It does not replace local or federal requirements.
When is the Montana annual report due?
The Montana Secretary of State currently waives the annual report filing fee for reports filed from January 1 through April 15. After April 15, the fee is $35. Current Secretary of State instructions say foreign entities must file by November 1 and domestic entities by December 1, so April 15 is the fee-waiver cutoff rather than the final filing deadline.
Update note
Last updated: August 21, 2026
Next review: November 21, 2026
For this update, we rechecked Montana Secretary of State filing fees and annual report timing, current business-registration statistics and scam warnings, the Assumed Business Name process, Montana’s no-general-sales-tax guidance, eStop, the 2026 Construction Contractor License program, unemployment insurance and minimum-wage figures, new-hire reporting, local licensing examples, and the current federal BOI rule.
Disclaimer
This article provides general information, not legal, tax, accounting, insurance, employment, zoning, or professional advice. A license or filing that works for one business may not work for another. Confirm current requirements with the official agency and, when needed, a qualified professional before you sign a lease, buy equipment, advertise regulated services, hire workers, or open to the public.