Montana Contractor License Requirements
Every figure below was read off the DLI or the statute, and the sentence it came from is listed at the bottom of this page. Where a figure could not be verified this page says so rather than showing a number.
What the state requires
- Licence
- Construction Contractor License (CCL) — replaced Construction Contractor Registration on 1 January 2026
- Issued by
- Montana Department of Labor & Industry (Business Standards Division), Construction Contractor Licensing ProgramMont. Code Ann. tit. 37, ch. 45 (construction contractors), created by 2025 House Bill 239 effective 1 January 2026; implementing rules at ARM 24.227
- Exam
- No exam
- Exam fee
- No verified figureARM 24.227.401 sets one figure for the whole programme: '(1) Application and renewal fee - $70'. The same $70 is charged on application and on each renewal; there is no separate initial licence fee, exam fee or class tier. Late renewal attracts the department-wide late penalty, which is 100 percent of the renewal fee (ARM 24.101.403).
- Application fee
- $70
- Initial licence fee
- $70
- Licence bond
- Required; amount variesNot established. The construction contractor programme rules adopted for the new licence (ARM 24.227.401, .403, .2301) impose no bond, but the governing statute text in MCA title 37 chapter 45 could not be read because legmt.gov and mca.legmt.gov are unreachable from this environment.
- General liability
- Required; no verified minimumNot established from a readable source. Montana's predecessor programme, construction contractor registration, existed specifically to confirm compliance with the Workers' Compensation Act, and the licence that replaced it sits in the same division; but the statutory text stating what proof of coverage the licence requires (MCA tit. 37 ch. 45) could not be fetched. Separately, a business owner with no employees who wants to be exempt from covering themselves takes an Independent Contractor Exemption Certificate: ARM 24.35.121 sets that at a nonrefundable $125 per application, reinstatement or renewal, issued for a two-year period, with a $10 reissuance fee.
- Workers compensation
- No verified rule
- Experience
- None requiredNo experience requirement appears in the programme rules; ARM 24.227.403 requires only 'a complete application form provided by the department, including all required fees and documentation.'
- Continuing education
- No continuing education requiredNo continuing education rule was adopted for the construction contractor licence in MAR Notice 2025-209.
- Renewal
- Every 2 years
- NASCLA exam
- Not acceptedMontana is not on NASCLA's participating-agency list; the Montana licence involves no trade examination for the NASCLA exam to replace.
What people get wrong
Montana changed on 1 January 2026 and most third-party pages are out of date. 2025 House Bill 239 repealed MCA 39-9-201 and 39-9-204 and moved construction contractors out of the workers' compensation title into the professional licensing title (MCA tit. 37 ch. 45); what used to be Construction Contractor Registration is now a Construction Contractor License administered by the Department of Labor & Industry's Business Standards Division under ARM 24.227, and the old registration rules (ARM 24.33.121, .135, .142, .151) were repealed at the same time. The fee stayed at $70 and it covers both application and renewal; renewal is biennial on the anniversary date of the licence. There is still no exam, no experience requirement and no scope classes — this is a compliance licence, not a competency licence — but it now carries licensing-style discipline: ARM 24.227.2301 makes it unprofessional conduct to fail to notify the department within 30 days of a change of ownership or business name, to violate any federal, state or local law relating to the occupation, or to engage a person to perform work for which that person is not licensed. Trade work (electrical, plumbing, elevator) still needs its own board licence. Caveat: erd.dli.mt.gov, boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov, dli.mt.gov, legmt.gov, mca.legmt.gov and archive.legmt.gov were all unreachable from this environment, so the statutory text of MCA 37-45-201 (who must be licensed, any dollar threshold, insurance and workers' compensation proof) could not be read and those fields are left null. Everything recorded above comes from the Administrative Rules of Montana and the Montana Administrative Register on rules.mt.gov.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a contractor licence in Montana?
- Yes. Montana issues a state general contractor licence — Construction Contractor License (CCL) — replaced Construction Contractor Registration on 1 January 2026 — through the Montana Department of Labor & Industry (Business Standards Division), Construction Contractor Licensing Program. Montana changed on 1 January 2026 and most third-party pages are out of date. 2025 House Bill 239 repealed MCA 39-9-201 and 39-9-204 and moved construction contractors out of the workers' compensation title into the professional licensing title (MCA tit. 37 ch. 45); what used to be Construction Contractor Registration is now a Construction Contractor License administered by the Department of Labor & Industry's Business Standards Division under ARM 24.227, and the old registration rules (ARM 24.33.121, .135, .142, .151) were repealed at the same time. The fee stayed at $70 and it covers both application and renewal; renewal is biennial on the anniversary date of the licence. There is still no exam, no experience requirement and no scope classes — this is a compliance licence, not a competency licence — but it now carries licensing-style discipline: ARM 24.227.2301 makes it unprofessional conduct to fail to notify the department within 30 days of a change of ownership or business name, to violate any federal, state or local law relating to the occupation, or to engage a person to perform work for which that person is not licensed. Trade work (electrical, plumbing, elevator) still needs its own board licence. Caveat: erd.dli.mt.gov, boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov, dli.mt.gov, legmt.gov, mca.legmt.gov and archive.legmt.gov were all unreachable from this environment, so the statutory text of MCA 37-45-201 (who must be licensed, any dollar threshold, insurance and workers' compensation proof) could not be read and those fields are left null. Everything recorded above comes from the Administrative Rules of Montana and the Montana Administrative Register on rules.mt.gov.
- Does Montana accept the NASCLA exam?
- No. Montana is not on NASCLA's participating-agency list; the Montana licence involves no trade examination for the NASCLA exam to replace.
Sources
“24.227.401 FEES (1) Application and renewal fee - $70 Authorizing statute(s): 37-45-103, MCA Implementing statute(s): 37-45-203, MCA History: NEW, 2025 MAR, Notice No. 2025-209, Eff. 1/1/26.”
https://rules.mt.gov/browse/collections/aec52c46-128e-4279-9068-8af5d5432d74/policies/772e4951-4682-4e28-9f3b-e968cf8095a5“24.227.403 APPLICATIONS (1) Applicants for licensure must submit a complete application form provided by the department, including all required fees and documentation.”
https://rules.mt.gov/browse/collections/aec52c46-128e-4279-9068-8af5d5432d74/policies/33b0e99f-6f2d-4643-9564-ed24468c81e5“For many years, construction contractor registration has required those engaged in construction to register with the Department of Labor and Industry (department). In 2025, House Bill (HB) 239 established licensure of construction contractors and placed the license within Title 37, MCA.”
https://rules.mt.gov/browse/collections/5e1173a6-33c7-4df8-b426-5e0077cfc430/policies/bf1c98cf-c0be-46d9-9965-5af0b01a791a“Final Rulemaking Action - Effective January 1, 2026 ADOPT AS PROPOSED The agency has adopted the following rules as proposed: NEW RULE 1 (24.227.401) FEES NEW RULE 2 (24.227.403) APPLICATIONS NEW RULE 3 (24.227.2301) UNPROFESSIONAL CONDUCT”
https://rules.mt.gov/browse/collections/5e1173a6-33c7-4df8-b426-5e0077cfc430/policies/e126340a-eca6-4767-8944-fe9fb7fa1bd5“Construction Contractor Construction Contractor Biennially Anniversary Date of License”
https://rules.mt.gov/browse/collections/aec52c46-128e-4279-9068-8af5d5432d74/policies/4565e7df-cfbf-4c65-a128-cafbc6402095“24.35.121 APPLICATION AND RENEWAL FEE FOR INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR EXEMPTION CERTIFICATE (1) A nonrefundable fee of $125 must be submitted with each initial application, each application for reinstatement of a revoked ICEC, and each renewal application. (2) ICECs are issued for a two-year period.”
https://rules.mt.gov/browse/collections/aec52c46-128e-4279-9068-8af5d5432d74/policies/479a31cf-f036-409d-8849-d6b7b8087d9b“All states listed below will accept the NASCLA Accredited Examination For Commercial General Building Contractors.”
https://www.nascla.org/nascla-commercial-exam-participating-state-agencies