Montana LLC Business License: What You Actually Need

The three places a license can come from

State-level (activity-based). There is no blanket license, but particular activities — regulated professions, certain regulated goods or services — require a specific state permit or registration. Note that Montana has no general sales tax, so there is no statewide sales-tax permit to obtain.

Local (city/county). Some Montana cities and counties require a local business or operating permit. With no physical Montana location, this often will not apply to you.

Federal. Only certain regulated industries — alcohol, firearms, transport and similar — require a federal license.

What this means for most non-resident founders

If you run an online business, agency, SaaS, e-commerce or consulting company with no physical footprint in Montana, you typically need no Montana business license — just your LLC, a registered agent, an EIN and the annual report. Always confirm against your specific activity.

When you likely DO need something

• You operate in a regulated profession (legal, medical, financial, real estate, etc.).
• You hold a physical premises in a Montana city that runs its own permit scheme.
• Your activity falls under a federally regulated industry.