16 permits · verified 2026-09-12
What permits do you need to open a salon or barber in Billings?
In short
A salon or barber in Billings, MT has 5 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 11 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 16 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 salon or barber in Billings
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | 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 | 2026-09-12 |
| Industry-Specific Municipal License (not found beyond the general Business License)only if it applies to you | City of Billings, Department of Finance (Business License Division) | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-12 |
| Salon or Shop License | Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists | $275 to open, being a $125 license and a $150 one-time inspection fee; renewal is $125 a year | annual — the renewal window runs 3 May to 1 July | 2026-09-04 |
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
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoning Clarification (Zoning Verification)only if it applies to you | City/County Planning Division, City of Billings Planning & Community Services Department | Varies — formula on the Billings page | one-time, per request — not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-09-12 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Billings, Building Division | Varies — formula on the Billings page | one-time, per project — not stated in the published fee schedule | 2026-09-12 |
| Zoning Variance (City Board of Adjustment)only if it applies to you | City of Billings, City Board of Adjustment | Varies — formula on the Billings page | one-time, per application | 2026-09-12 |
| City of Billings Business License | City of Billings, Department of Finance (Business License Division) | Varies — formula on the Billings page | annual — one year from the month the license is obtained | 2026-09-12 |
| Certificate of Occupancy | City of Billings, Building Division | No fee | one-time — issued after required inspections confirm code compliance | 2026-09-12 |
| Zone Changeonly if it applies to you | City/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 application | 2026-09-12 |
| Fire Prevention Business Inspection (City fee not published) | Billings Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-12 |
| Fire System Permit (Installation, Repair, or Replacement of Fire Protection/Alarm Systems)only if it applies to you | Billings Fire Department, Fire Prevention Bureau | Varies — formula on the Billings page | one-time, per system installation, repair, or replacement | 2026-09-12 |
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
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Montana Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $35 one-time filing | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Montana Secretary of State, Business Services Division | $35 one-time filing | perpetual, but an annual report is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | Montana Secretary of State, Business Services Division | Varies — formula on the MT page | annual — due between 1 January and 15 April | 2026-09-04 |
| Sales Tax Registration — Montana Department of Revenue Positiononly if it applies to you | Montana Department of Revenue, Business Tax Unit | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-04 |
| General Business License — Montana Secretary of State Guidanceonly if it applies to you | Montana Secretary of State, Business Services Division | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-04 |
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 salon or barber in Billings?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 16 records listed for a salon or barber in Billings, MT, 5 apply to every business of this type and 11 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
Of the 5 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $275.00. That is a floor, not a total. 7 of the 16 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:
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).
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 salon or barber in Billings, MT come from 8 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 Secretary of State, Business Services Division, Montana Department of Revenue, Business Tax Unit, Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- City/County Planning Division, City of Billings Planning & Community Services DepartmentIssues 3 permits on this page: Sign Permit, Zoning Clarification (Zoning Verification), Zone Change2825 3rd Avenue North, Billings, MT 59101 · (406) 657-8247www.billingsmt.gov/103/Planning-Community-Services
- City of Billings, Building DivisionIssues 2 permits on this page: Commercial Building Permit, Certificate of Occupancy316 North 26th Street, Billings, MT 59101 · (406) 657-8270www.billingsmt.gov/67/Building
- City of Billings, City Board of AdjustmentIssues 1 permit on this page: Zoning Variance (City Board of Adjustment)2825 3rd Avenue North, Billings, MT 59101 · (406) 657-8247www.billingsmt.gov/73/City-Board-of-Adjustment
- City of Billings, Department of Finance (Business License Division)Issues 2 permits on this page: Industry-Specific Municipal License (not found beyond the general Business License), City of Billings Business License316 North 26th Street, Billings, MT 59101 (P.O. Box 1178, Billings, MT 59103) · (406) 657-8364www.billingsmt.gov/981/Business-License-Information
- Billings Fire Department, Fire Prevention BureauIssues 2 permits on this page: Fire Prevention Business Inspection (City fee not published), Fire System Permit (Installation, Repair, or Replacement of Fire Protection/Alarm Systems)2305 8th Avenue North, Billings, MT 59101 · (406) 657-8422www.billingsmt.gov/453/Fire-Prevention-Bureau
- Montana Secretary of State, Business Services DivisionIssues 4 permits on this page: Articles of Incorporation, Articles of Organization (LLC), Annual Report, General Business License — Montana Secretary of State Guidance1301 6th Avenue, Room 260, Helena, MT 59620 · (406) 444-3665sosmt.gov/business
- Montana Department of Revenue, Business Tax UnitIssues 1 permit on this page: Sales Tax Registration — Montana Department of Revenue Position(406) 444-6900revenue.mt.gov/taxes/general-sales-tax
- Montana Board of Barbers and CosmetologistsIssues 1 permit on this page: Salon or Shop License301 South Park Avenue, 4th Floor, Helena, MT 59620 · (406) 444-6880boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov/barber-and-cosmetologists
What does a salon or barber need in Billings that other businesses do not?
1 of the 3 permits particular to a salon or barber here applies to no other business type we cover in Billings: Salon or Shop License.
Salon or Shop License
A hundred and twenty-five dollars for the license itself, plus a separate $150 on-site inspection fee charged once at opening, for $275 to get started; renewal afterward is $125 a year, with no further inspection fee unless something changes. Relocating the salon or changing more than half its ownership requires a brand-new license rather than a simple renewal or transfer. All fees are stated as non-refundable.
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 restaurants, coffee shops, retail stores, fitness studios, auto repair shops and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the veterinary clinics page.
- Industry-Specific Municipal License (not found beyond the general Business License) — City of Billings, Department of Finance (Business License Division), No fee, not applicable. Also required for retail stores, auto repair shops, veterinary clinics and fitness studios; what it involves is set out on the fitness studios 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 salon or barber compare with other businesses in Billings?
The closest match is a fitness studio, which shares 2 of these permits. A salon or barber also needs Salon or Shop License. A fitness studio needs nothing here that a salon or barber does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a salon or barber | Only a salon or barber needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitness studios | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Retail stores | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Veterinary clinics | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Auto repair shops | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Coffee shops | 6 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Restaurants | 8 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| Childcare centres | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Contractors and trades | 4 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Food trucks | 7 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
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 and fitness studios 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.
- Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists — salon and shop license feesMontana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists · 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.