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21 permits · verified 2026-09-12

What permits do you need to open a restaurant in Billings?

In short

A restaurant in Billings, MT has 7 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 14 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. 12 of the 21 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 restaurant in Billings

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Sign Permitonly if it applies to youCity/County Planning Division, City of Billings Planning & Community Services DepartmentA $2.50-per-square-foot Sign application fee plus a $1.50-per-square-foot Sign permit fee (FY26 rates, effective July 1, 2025).one-time, per sign — not stated in the published fee schedule2026-09-12
Food Establishment Plan Review Fee (Retail Food)RiverStone Health (Yellowstone City-County Health Department), Environmental Health Services$250.00 (small) or $350.00 (large) for a new fixed restaurant/retail food establishment plan review, or $150.00 for a minor remodel or change of ownership. A Food Manufacturing establishment plan review is separately priced at $250.00 (small) or $350.00 (large).one-time, prior to construction/remodeling2026-09-12
Temporary Food Service Plan Review & Permitonly if it applies to youRiverStone Health (Yellowstone City-County Health Department), Environmental Health ServicesA $50.00 Plan Review Application fee (once, and again only if the menu or operator changes significantly), plus a $25.00 Permit fee per event.valid for a specific event and/or location only, and is non-transferable2026-09-12
HACCP Plan Review / Variance Request Feeonly if it applies to youRiverStone Health (Yellowstone City-County Health Department), Environmental Health Services$150.00 for a HACCP Plan Review, plus a further $125.00 if a Variance Request from the standard Food Code is also sought.one-time, per plan submitted — RiverStone Health states at least 30 days for review2026-09-12
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
Retail Food Establishment License (administered locally by RiverStone Health)RiverStone Health (Yellowstone City-County Health Department), Environmental Health ServicesNo feeannual — every Montana food license expires December 31 (Montana state license)2026-09-12
Certified Food Protection Manageronly if it applies to youMontana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Environmental Health and Food Safety SectionNo feeset by the accrediting programme2026-09-04
Retail Food Establishment LicenseMontana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Environmental Health and Food Safety Section$150–$275 a year, banded by peak employee countannual — renew before 31 December2026-09-04

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
Sales Tax Registration — Montana Department of Revenue Positiononly if it applies to youMontana Department of Revenue, Business Tax UnitNo feenot applicable2026-09-04
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 restaurant in Billings?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 21 records listed for a restaurant in Billings, MT, 7 apply to every business of this type and 14 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

12 of the 21 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 6 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

Sign Permit: A $2.50-per-square-foot Sign application fee plus a $1.50-per-square-foot Sign permit fee (FY26 rates, effective July 1, 2025).

Food Establishment Plan Review Fee (Retail Food): $250.00 (small) or $350.00 (large) for a new fixed restaurant/retail food establishment plan review, or $150.00 for a minor remodel or change of ownership. A Food Manufacturing establishment plan review is separately priced at $250.00 (small) or $350.00 (large).

Temporary Food Service Plan Review & Permit: A $50.00 Plan Review Application fee (once, and again only if the menu or operator changes significantly), plus a $25.00 Permit fee per event.

HACCP Plan Review / Variance Request Fee: $150.00 for a HACCP Plan Review, plus a further $125.00 if a Variance Request from the standard Food Code is also sought.

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

Retail Food Establishment License: $150–$275 a year, banded by peak employee count

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 restaurant in Billings, MT come from 9 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), RiverStone Health (Yellowstone City-County Health Department), Environmental Health Services, Billings Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau, Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Environmental Health and Food Safety Section, Montana Secretary of State, Business Services Division, Montana Department of Revenue, Business Tax Unit. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.

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

Retail Food Establishment License (administered locally by RiverStone Health)

No fee applies here beyond the state's own Retail Food Establishment License fee, recorded at the Montana state layer ($150.00-$275.00, banded by peak employee count) — RiverStone Health, the Yellowstone City-County Health Department, not the state office directly, is the local point of contact verifying licensure and collecting that fee at the pre-opening inspection within Billings. RiverStone Health's own current fixed-establishment Plan Review Application (11/20/2025) correctly states this current $150.00-$275.00 figure, but its own still-posted mobile-establishment application (2023.01.01) has not been updated and states the old $85.00/$115.00 two-tier figure, now superseded by the current three-tier structure the state's 2025 law put in place — an inconsistency between two of RiverStone Health's own currently-published documents.

Retail Food Establishment License

This fee schedule is genuinely new, rebuilt by a 2025 law after sixteen years unchanged: $150 for a small establishment with no more than two employees at peak, $225 for a medium one with three to nine, and $275 for ten or more. A mobile food establishment follows a two-tier version of the same idea, $150 small and $225 large. A late fee of $25 applies on top if renewal is not paid before the current license expires. The state's own application form still circulating online has not caught up with this change and still quotes the old $85 and $115 figures — the current statute and the department's own fee notice control instead. Ninety per cent of the fee is passed through to fund local health department inspections, which is why many Montana counties handle the on-the-ground inspection even though the state issues the license.

Shared with other businesses in Billings

  • Sign Permit — City/County Planning Division, City of Billings Planning & Community Services Department, A $2.50-per-square-foot Sign application fee plus a $1.50-per-square-foot Sign permit fee (FY26 rates, effective July 1, 2025)., one-time, per sign — not stated in the published fee schedule. Also required for coffee shops, retail stores, salons and barbers, fitness studios, auto repair shops and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the veterinary clinics page.
  • Food Establishment Plan Review Fee (Retail Food) — RiverStone Health (Yellowstone City-County Health Department), Environmental Health Services, $250.00 (small) or $350.00 (large) for a new fixed restaurant/retail food establishment plan review, or $150.00 for a minor remodel or change of ownership. A Food Manufacturing establishment plan review is separately priced at $250.00 (small) or $350.00 (large)., one-time, prior to construction/remodeling. Also required for coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.
  • Temporary Food Service Plan Review & Permit — RiverStone Health (Yellowstone City-County Health Department), Environmental Health Services, A $50.00 Plan Review Application fee (once, and again only if the menu or operator changes significantly), plus a $25.00 Permit fee per event., valid for a specific event and/or location only, and is non-transferable. Also required for food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
  • HACCP Plan Review / Variance Request Fee — RiverStone Health (Yellowstone City-County Health Department), Environmental Health Services, $150.00 for a HACCP Plan Review, plus a further $125.00 if a Variance Request from the standard Food Code is also sought., one-time, per plan submitted — RiverStone Health states at least 30 days for review. Also required for food trucks; what it involves is set out on the food trucks page.
  • 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 coffee shops, retail stores, childcare centres and auto repair shops; what it involves is set out on the retail stores page.
  • Certified Food Protection Manager — Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Environmental Health and Food Safety Section, No fee, set by the accrediting programme. Also required for coffee shops and food trucks; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops 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 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across MT and are covered on the MT state page.

How does a restaurant compare with other businesses in Billings?

The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 6 of these permits. A restaurant also needs Temporary Food Service Plan Review & Permit and HACCP Plan Review / Variance Request Fee. A coffee shop needs nothing here that a restaurant does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Billings, MT, compared with a restaurant
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a restaurantOnly a restaurant needsOnly it needs
Coffee shops6620
Food trucks7532
Retail stores3261
Auto repair shops4262
Fitness studios2171
Childcare centres3172
Salons and barbers3172
Veterinary clinics3172
Contractors and trades4084

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 veterinary clinics page, coffee shops page, food trucks page and 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. Plan Review Application, Retail Food, Food Manufacturers and Food Wholesalers (version 11/20/2025) — RiverStone Health's own current fixed-establishment Plan Review Fees ($250.00/$350.00/$150.00; Manufacturing $250.00/$350.00) and the current, correct $150.00-$275.00 state Retail Food Establishment License figureRiverStone Health (Yellowstone City-County Health Department) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-12
  2. Plan Review Application for Mobile Food Establishments (version 2023.01.01) — RiverStone Health's own current mobile-establishment Plan Review Fees ($250.00/$350.00/$150.00) and its own (stale, pre-2025) $85.00/$115.00 state license figureRiverStone Health (Yellowstone City-County Health Department) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-12
  3. Montana DPHHS — notice of the new retail food fee structure under House Bill 853Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
  4. 50-50-205, Montana Code Annotated — retail food establishment license fees as amended by HB 853Montana Legislature · 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.