Business license · Montana

Does Your LLC Need a Business License in Montana?

The short answer. Montana does not issue a general state business license. According to the Montana Department of Commerce, general business licenses are issued locally. A business in Montana may still need a license from its city or county, or from a state board if its trade is regulated.

Montana Business License at a Glance

General state business license	No general state license
City or county licenses	Local governments may require one (see Local licenses)
Trade and professional licenses	Montana Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division

Read from the government sources listed at the foot of this page, last checked September 30, 2026. See the sources.

Does Montana Require a State Business License?

Montana does not issue a general state business license. According to the Montana Department of Commerce, general business licenses are issued locally.

A business in Montana may still need a license from its city or county, or from a state board if its trade is regulated.

Montana's own guide to business licenses and permits is Montana Department of Commerce, Business Licensing.

City and County Business Licenses

Montana law gives a city or town council the power to license by ordinance all industries, pursuits, professions and occupations, and lets county commissioners grant the licenses state law provides for. Montana's Department of Commerce tells businesses to contact their city and county offices, because requirements vary by place.

Where Montana points businesses for local requirements.

Professional and Trade Licenses

Montana's Department of Labor and Industry licenses regulated professions and occupations through its Business Standards Division and the professional boards and programs it administers. Other state agencies license particular activities, such as the Department of Revenue for alcoholic beverages and cannabis and the Department of Justice for gambling. Look up Montana license requirements.

Our verified guides for specific trades in this state:

See trade and business license requirements by state for every trade we cover.

Worth Knowing in Montana

Some Montana state licenses for particular activities (for example retail food, tobacco products, scales and meters, and off-premises beer and wine) are issued through the state's eStop Business Licenses program. These depend on what the business does, not on its being in business.

Other Montana Registrations to Check

Montana articles of organization, the filing that creates the LLC itself.
Sales tax in Montana, for what a seller registers for in a state without a statewide sales tax.
Montana resale certificate, to buy inventory for resale without paying tax on it.
How to get an EIN, the federal tax ID most LLCs need to open a bank account or hire.

Frequently Asked Questions

: Montana does not issue a general state business license. According to the Montana Department of Commerce, general business licenses are issued locally. A business in Montana may still need a license from its city or county, or from a state board if its trade is regulated.
: Montana law gives a city or town council the power to license by ordinance all industries, pursuits, professions and occupations, and lets county commissioners grant the licenses state law provides for. Montana's Department of Commerce tells businesses to contact their city and county offices, because requirements vary by place.
: Montana's Department of Labor and Industry licenses regulated professions and occupations through its Business Standards Division and the professional boards and programs it administers. Other state agencies license particular activities, such as the Department of Revenue for alcoholic beverages and cannabis and the Department of Justice for gambling.

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. It reports what each state's law and agencies say about a general state business license, with the sources this page cites. It cannot tell you which licenses your own business needs: that turns on what the business does, where it operates, and what its city or county requires, and fees and exemptions change between our reviews. Confirm your own position with the state agency named on this page, the city or county where the business is located, and any state board that licenses your trade before you open.

Sources

Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified Montana sources, and each entry says what the document is. Some statutory text is read from an accurate mirror rather than from the state's own host, and those say so.

commerce.mt.gov/Business/Programs-and-Services/Small-Business-Development-Center/resources/Business-LicensingMontana Department of Commerce, SBDC Resources, Business Licensing
mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0070/chapter_0210/part_0410/section_0010/0070-0210-0410-0010.htmlMCA 7-21-4101, General licensing power of municipalities
mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0070/chapter_0210/part_0210/section_0010/0070-0210-0210-0010.htmlMCA 7-21-2101, General licensing power of counties
sosmt.gov/business/resources/Montana Secretary of State, Business Resources
boards.bsd.dli.mt.govMontana Department of Labor and Industry, Professional Boards & Licensing
revenue.mt.gov/online-services/estop-business-licensesMontana Department of Revenue, eStop Business Licenses

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Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC

Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.