Billings, MT Business License Guide

City of Billings business license

Billings uses the term business license. The city says a person conducting business in Billings, or based in Billings, must get a business license on or before the date the business starts. The license applies to business activity in the city even if the business is located outside city limits or has a license from another city.

The city’s Doing Business page points new owners to the city licensing process. The Finance Department handles city business licenses. The city page lists the Finance office at 316 North 26th Street and the mailing path through the Finance Department, but readers should confirm current contact details on the official page before mailing payment.

Billings also says a separate license is required for each business type and each location. If you change the business address, stop doing business, sell the business, or change the type of activity, tell the city. Do not assume the license cancels itself.

Costs you can plan for

Do not guess your total cost from a blog or old fee list. Billings posts a Business Tax Fee Schedule. The schedule lists city business tax categories, including a general basic tax, home occupation tax, employee-based amounts over five full-time equivalent workers or contractors, health inspection items, and beer or wine items. Your exact amount depends on your business category and facts.

Keep copies of receipts, licenses, approvals, and agency emails. They help when you renew, move, sell, or apply for a loan, lease, insurance, or platform account.

Zoning, home businesses, buildings, fire, signs, and short-term rentals

Zoning is one of the first things to check in Billings. The Planning Division handles zoning permits and applications, including zoning compliance, temporary use, signs, temporary signs, short-term rentals, and related reviews through Zoning Permits and Applications. A use that worked for a past tenant may not work for your business.

Home-based businesses need special care. Billings says businesses operated from a home must have a business license and must comply with the zoning ordinance. City FAQ material also warns that home occupations have limits, including limits on employees meeting at the home and business vehicle storage. For more context, see our home occupation permit guide.

Building and fire checks may apply if you build, remodel, change the use of a space, add equipment, or open a place where customers enter. The Building Division handles permits through the city portal. The city’s certificate of occupancy page explains that the certificate shows required inspections were done and the structure complies with adopted building codes.

Signs are separate. Billings tells business owners to contact Planning for sign permits and regulations on the city Signs page. Short-term rentals inside city limits also need a city short-term rental permit and a city business license. Always check the current city page before listing a unit.

Yellowstone County and RiverStone Health checks

Billings sits in Yellowstone County, but city and county rules are not the same. If the business site is outside city limits, ask which county zoning, road, floodplain, or health rules apply. Yellowstone County says county permits are required for work in county public right-of-way, including access that connects to a county or dedicated road. The county’s Public Works permits page also says Yellowstone County does not issue building permits or certificates of occupancy for structures outside the City of Billings.

Health rules are a major county-level check. RiverStone Health serves as the Yellowstone City-County Health Department for inspections and permits. Its inspections and permits page covers food, temporary food, mobile food, body art, pools and spas, septic, hotels, childcare, trailer courts, and other public health areas.

For restaurants and mobile food units, RiverStone says a new operator should complete plan review steps, contact local agencies for building, zoning, and fire code requirements, and get written approval before construction or remodeling. Mobile food sellers should also read the RiverStone mobile food page. If you are starting a truck or cart, our food truck license guide can help you list the common permit layers.

Montana state registrations and licenses

Montana does not use one single statewide general business license for every business. State agencies handle business entity filings, tax accounts, professional licenses, and certain industry licenses. Local city and county offices handle many local license and permit issues.

If you form an LLC, corporation, nonprofit, or other registered entity, check the Montana Secretary of State Business Services page. If a sole proprietor uses a business name that is not the owner’s surname, the Secretary of State says the owner must register an assumed business name. The online filing path is the Montana Online Business Services portal.

Some state license types are handled through Montana eStop Business Licenses, such as retail food, tobacco, nursery, weighing devices, underground tanks, lottery, and certain beer and wine items. The Montana Department of Revenue also explains on its sales tax page that Montana does not have a general sales tax, but that does not remove city licensing, income tax, employer, lodging, alcohol, cannabis, or out-of-state sales tax questions.

Employers may need Montana unemployment insurance registration, workers’ compensation coverage, and new hire reporting. Contractors, licensed professionals, liquor businesses, cannabis businesses, childcare providers, and other regulated industries should check the agency that handles their field before opening.

Federal steps that may apply

Many Billings businesses need an EIN from the IRS, especially if they hire employees, operate as a partnership or corporation, or meet other IRS rules. Apply only through the official IRS EIN page. The IRS says getting an EIN directly from the IRS is free.

Federal licenses are activity-based. The SBA’s licenses and permits page lists federal areas such as alcohol, aviation, firearms, fish and wildlife, agriculture, broadcasting, and transportation. Check the specific federal agency if your work falls into one of those areas.

FinCEN beneficial ownership reporting rules changed in 2025. The current FinCEN BOI page says U.S.-created companies and U.S. persons are exempt under the interim final rule, while certain foreign reporting companies may still have filing duties. Confirm the current rule if your entity is foreign or has unusual ownership.

What does this mean for me?

If you are opening a normal local service business in Billings, your first two checks are usually the city business license and zoning. If customers visit your location, food is served, a sign is installed, workers are hired, or a home is used for work, more checks may follow.

If you are mobile or online, do not skip Billings. The city says business activity in Billings can still require a city license even if the business is based somewhere else. Ask Finance and Planning how your exact activity is treated.

Real-world examples

A compact compliance checklist

• Write down your exact business activity in plain words.
• Confirm whether the address is inside Billings city limits.
• Ask Planning if the use is allowed at the site.
• Ask whether the business creates a change in use.
• Apply for the City of Billings business license.
• Check home occupation, sign, short-term rental, building, fire, and certificate of occupancy rules if relevant.
• Contact RiverStone Health before opening a food, mobile food, body art, pool, lodging, septic, or care-related business.
• File Montana Secretary of State, tax, employer, and industry license items if needed.
• Get an EIN from the IRS if your structure or hiring plans require one.
• Save copies of licenses, permits, receipts, inspection approvals, and agency emails.

What to do if this doesn’t work

If the portal does not load, the fee category is unclear, or one office sends you to another office, do not guess. Email the office that handles the issue and ask for the next step in writing. Include your business activity, address, customer visits, food or alcohol, signs, employees, and planned start date.

If city and county answers seem to conflict, ask which jurisdiction controls the exact address. If a state agency says a license is needed, ask whether that approval must come before the city license.

About BusinessLicenseGuide.com

BusinessLicenseGuide.com is a plain-English guide for small-business owners. We are not a government agency, law firm, CPA firm, or filing service. Our goal is to help you see which office to ask, which rules may apply, and what to verify before you spend money or open your doors.