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15 permits · verified 2026-09-12

What permits do you need to open a childcare centre in Billings?

In short

A childcare centre in Billings, MT has 5 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 10 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City/County Planning Division, City of Billings Planning & Community Services Department charges $1,719 one-time, per application (FY26 rate, effective July 1, 2025, plus postage) for the zone change. 7 of the 15 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-12 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a childcare centre in Billings

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Family/Group Day-Care Home Zoning — Permitted Use under 76-2-412 MCA (Billings)only if it applies to youCity/County Planning Division, City of Billings Planning & Community Services DepartmentNo feenot applicable2026-09-12
Special Review (functional Conditional Use Permit)only if it applies to youCity/County Planning Division, City of Billings Planning & Community Services Department$1,299–$1,776 one-time, per application: $1,299.00 (residential) or $1,776.00 (commercial), FY26 rates effective July 1, 2025, plus postageone-time, per application; an approval expires one year after issuance unless substantial work has commenced, or once the use has ceased for more than six months (BMCC Sec. 27-1623.H)2026-09-12
Child Care LicenseMontana DPHHS, Early Childhood and Family Support Division, Child Care Licensing ProgramNo feeup to 3 years2026-09-04

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

Local permits that apply to every type of business in Billings

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Zoning Clarification (Zoning Verification)only if it applies to youCity/County Planning Division, City of Billings Planning & Community Services DepartmentVaries — formula on the Billings pageone-time, per request — not stated in the published fee schedule2026-09-12
Commercial Building PermitCity of Billings, Building DivisionVaries — formula on the Billings pageone-time, per project — not stated in the published fee schedule2026-09-12
Zoning Variance (City Board of Adjustment)only if it applies to youCity of Billings, City Board of AdjustmentVaries — formula on the Billings pageone-time, per application2026-09-12
City of Billings Business LicenseCity of Billings, Department of Finance (Business License Division)Varies — formula on the Billings pageannual — one year from the month the license is obtained2026-09-12
Certificate of OccupancyCity of Billings, Building DivisionNo feeone-time — issued after required inspections confirm code compliance2026-09-12
Zone Changeonly if it applies to youCity/County Planning Division, City of Billings Planning & Community Services Department$1,719 one-time, per application (FY26 rate, effective July 1, 2025, plus postage)one-time, per application2026-09-12
Fire Prevention Business Inspection (City fee not published)Billings Fire Department, Fire Prevention BureauNo feenot applicable2026-09-12
Fire System Permit (Installation, Repair, or Replacement of Fire Protection/Alarm Systems)only if it applies to youBillings Fire Department, Fire Prevention BureauVaries — formula on the Billings pageone-time, per system installation, repair, or replacement2026-09-12

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

MT registrations that apply to every type of business

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youMontana Secretary of State, Business Services Division$35 one-time filingperpetual, but an annual report is due every year2026-09-04
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youMontana Secretary of State, Business Services Division$35 one-time filingperpetual, but an annual report is due every year2026-09-04
Annual Reportonly if it applies to youMontana Secretary of State, Business Services DivisionVaries — formula on the MT pageannual — due between 1 January and 15 April2026-09-04
General Business License — Montana Secretary of State Guidanceonly if it applies to youMontana Secretary of State, Business Services DivisionNo feenot applicable2026-09-04

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

How much does it actually cost to permit a childcare centre in Billings?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 15 records listed for a childcare centre in Billings, MT, 5 apply to every business of this type and 10 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

7 of the 15 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 5 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Special Review (functional Conditional Use Permit): $1,299–$1,776 one-time, per application: $1,299.00 (residential) or $1,776.00 (commercial), FY26 rates effective July 1, 2025, plus postage

The other 6 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Billings permits page and the MT state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Billings?

Permits for a childcare centre in Billings, MT come from 7 separate offices: City/County Planning Division, City of Billings Planning & Community Services Department, City of Billings, Building Division, City of Billings, City Board of Adjustment, City of Billings, Department of Finance (Business License Division), Billings Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau, Montana DPHHS, Early Childhood and Family Support Division, Child Care Licensing Program, Montana Secretary of State, Business Services Division. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.

What does a childcare centre need in Billings that other businesses do not?

2 of the 3 permits particular to a childcare centre here apply to no other business type we cover in Billings: Family/Group Day-Care Home Zoning — Permitted Use under 76-2-412 MCA (Billings) and Child Care License.

Family/Group Day-Care Home Zoning — Permitted Use under 76-2-412 MCA (Billings)

Under Montana's statewide statute, 76-2-412 MCA, a state-licensed family or group day-care home is 'a permitted use in all residential zones, including but not limited to residential zones for single-family dwellings,' and 'A city or county may not require a conditional use permit in order to maintain a day-care home.' Under that statute, no Billings Special Review or conditional use permit applies to such a home in a residential zone, so no fee applies at the zoning stage. This is separate from Montana DPHHS's own state Child Care License, recorded at the Montana state layer. A stand-alone commercial day-care center is not named in this exemption and instead follows the same ordinary Building Permit, Certificate of Occupancy, Zoning Clarification, and Special Review path recorded in the other Billings records for any other commercial use of comparable size.

Child Care License

No fee is recorded here because the complete governing rulebook was checked in full and contains no fee, application charge or registration cost anywhere in its text. A child care centre caring for a larger number of children must be licensed; a family or group child care home is instead registered, a related but distinct certificate covering a smaller home-based operation. Either way the certificate runs for up to three years, and renewal must be applied for at least thirty days before it expires.

Shared with other businesses in Billings

  • Special Review (functional Conditional Use Permit) — City/County Planning Division, City of Billings Planning & Community Services Department, $1,299–$1,776 one-time, per application: $1,299.00 (residential) or $1,776.00 (commercial), FY26 rates effective July 1, 2025, plus postage, one-time, per application; an approval expires one year after issuance unless substantial work has commenced, or once the use has ceased for more than six months (BMCC Sec. 27-1623.H). Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, retail stores and auto repair shops; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.

The other 8 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Billings, MT; what each one involves is set out on the Billings permits page. The 4 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across MT and are covered on the MT state page.

How does a childcare centre compare with other businesses in Billings?

The closest match is a retail store, which shares 1 of these permits. A childcare centre also needs Family/Group Day-Care Home Zoning — Permitted Use under 76-2-412 MCA (Billings) and Child Care License. A retail store needs Sign Permit and Industry-Specific Municipal License (not found beyond the general Business License), which a childcare centre does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Billings, MT, compared with a childcare centre
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a childcare centreOnly a childcare centre needsOnly it needs
Retail stores3122
Auto repair shops4123
Coffee shops6125
Restaurants8127
Contractors and trades4034
Fitness studios2032
Food trucks7037
Salons and barbers3033
Veterinary clinics3033

Sources

Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits shared with other businesses are listed with their explanations on the retail stores page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Billings permits page and the MT state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. 76-2-412, Montana Code Annotated (Relationship of foster homes...and day-care homes to zoning) — the statewide preemption making a licensed day-care home a permitted use in every residential zoneMontana Legislature · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-12
  2. Montana DPHHS — licensing requirements for child care centres, ARM title 37, chapter 95Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04

Related

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.