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Quick answer
Montana issues a construction contractor license through the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Construction Contractor License (CCL) Program. The department says that since January 1, 2026, all construction contractors are required to hold it. State law says the chapter does not apply to an independent contractor who has no employees, or, with conditions, to casual, minor or inconsequential jobs under $2,500.
Montana · Contractor licenseVerified 2026-10-07
State license
Construction contractor license (no exam)
Montana law says an individual or business entity may not engage in business as a construction contractor without a current license from the department, and each applicant for a construction contractor license pays an application fee established by the department. The Department of Labor and Industry says that effective January 1, 2026, all construction contractors in Montana are required to be licensed with it, and that construction contractors with an active Montana registration as of December 31, 2025, were converted to the new license.
Construction contractor license (no exam). Montana law says an individual or business entity may not engage in business as a construction contractor without a current license from the department, and each applicant for a construction contractor license pays an application fee established by the department. The Department of Labor and Industry says that effective January 1, 2026, all construction contractors in Montana are required to be licensed with it, and that construction contractors with an active Montana registration as of December 31, 2025, were converted to the new license.
Threshold. The chapter does not apply to work or operation on one undertaking or project considered of a casual, minor, or inconsequential nature, by one or more contracts, whose aggregate contract price for labor and materials and all other items is less than $2,500 a job. The exemption does not apply when the work is only a part of a larger or major operation, whether undertaken by the same or a different construction contractor, or when the operation is divided into contracts of less than $2,500 a job for the purpose of evasion of the chapter or otherwise. The chapter also does not apply to an independent contractor who has no employees, though an independent contractor may voluntarily elect to register under the chapter.
An individual or business entity may not engage in business as a construction contractor without a current license from the department.
Mont. Code Ann. § 37-45-201(1) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-03
(1) Each applicant for a construction contractor license shall pay an application fee established by the department.
Mont. Code Ann. § 37-45-203(1) (MCA 2025) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-07
Effective January 1, 2026 All construction contractors in the state of Montana are required to be licensed with the Montana Department of Labor & Industry. Construction Contractors that had an active Montana registration as of December 31, 2025, have been converted to the new license.
As related to construction contractors, this chapter does not apply:
Mont. Code Ann. § 37-45-104 (MCA 2025) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-07
(8) to work or operation on one undertaking or project considered of a casual, minor, or inconsequential nature, by one or more contracts, the aggregate contract price of which, for labor and materials and all other items, is less than $2,500 a job. The exemption prescribed in this subsection does not apply when the work or construction is only a part of a larger or major operation, whether undertaken by the same or a different construction contractor, or in which a division of the operation is made into contracts of amounts of less than $2,500 a job for the purpose of evasion of this chapter or otherwise.
Mont. Code Ann. § 37-45-104(8) (MCA 2025) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-07
(24) to an independent contractor who has no employees. However, an independent contractor may voluntarily elect to register under this chapter.
Mont. Code Ann. § 37-45-104(24) (MCA 2025) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-07
License classes
Class
Scope
Source
Construction contractor license
A person, firm, or corporation that, in the pursuit of an independent business, offers to undertake, undertakes, or submits a bid to construct, alter, repair, add to, subtract from, improve, move, wreck, or demolish for another a building, highway, road, railroad, excavation, or other structure, project, development, or improvement attached to real estate, including the installation of carpeting or other floor covering, the erection of scaffolding or other structures or works, or the installation or repair of roofing or siding; or that, to do similar work on its own property, employs members of more than one trade on a single job or under a single building permit; the department says this specifically targets contractors with employees, as well as corporations and manager-managed LLCs, regardless of employee count
(1) "Construction contractor" means, except as provided in 37-45-104, a person, firm, or corporation that: (a) in the pursuit of an independent business, offers to undertake, undertakes, or submits a bid to construct, alter, repair, add to, subtract from, improve, move, wreck, or demolish for another a building, highway, road, railroad, excavation, or other structure, project, development, or improvement attached to real estate, including the installation of carpeting or other floor covering, the erection of scaffolding or other structures or works, or the installation or repair of roofing or siding; or (b) in order to do work similar to that described in subsection (1)(a) on the construction contractor's property, employs members of more than one trade on a single job or under a single building permit, except as otherwise provided.
Mont. Code Ann. § 37-45-102(1) (MCA 2025) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-07
This specifically targets contractors with employees, as well as corporations and manager-managed LLCs, regardless of employee count.
The department may issue a cease and desist order if it determines through the receipt of credible evidence that a person is acting, has acted, or is about to act related to a profession or occupation in Title 37 without the license required to practice the profession or occupation, and a penalty of not more than $1,000 a day may be assessed for each day such an order is violated. The construction contractor chapter says a fine collected from a construction contractor under that section must be deposited in the uninsured employers' fund.
(1) The department may issue a cease and desist order if the department determines through the receipt of credible evidence that a person is acting, has acted, or is about to act related to a profession or occupation in Title 37: (a) without the license required to practice the profession or occupation;
Mont. Code Ann. § 37-1-109(1) (MCA 2025) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-07
(3) The screening panel of a board or the department on behalf of a program may assess a penalty of not more than $1,000 a day for each day a cease and desist order issued under this section is violated.
Mont. Code Ann. § 37-1-109(3) (MCA 2025) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-07
(4) A fine collected from a construction contractor under 37-1-109 or 37-1-406 must be deposited in the uninsured employers' fund established in 39-71-503.
Mont. Code Ann. § 37-45-203(4) (MCA 2025) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-07
Montana's state credential is the construction contractor license, issued by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry through its Construction Contractor License (CCL) Program. State law bars an individual or business entity from engaging in business as a construction contractor unless it holds a current license from the department [1], and each applicant pays an application fee that the department sets [2].
The department says that effective January 1, 2026, all construction contractors in Montana are required to be licensed with it, and that contractors holding an active Montana registration as of December 31, 2025, were moved over to the new license [3].
Who the statute counts as a construction contractor
It reaches anyone who, as an independent business, bids on, offers or undertakes work for another person on structures and improvements attached to real estate, from buildings and highways to excavation, and it expressly includes floor covering, scaffolding, and roofing or siding work [5]. A second branch covers someone working on their own property who employs members of more than one trade on a single job or under one building permit [5]. In the department's FAQ, the focus falls on contractors with employees, and on corporations and manager-managed LLCs whatever their employee count [6].
Exemptions and their limits
The construction contractor chapter lists situations where it does not apply [4]. One concerns a single undertaking of a casual, minor or inconsequential nature whose aggregate contract price for labor, materials and all other items is under $2,500 a job [4]. That exemption carries conditions: it falls away when the work is only part of a larger or major operation, by the same contractor or a different one, or when an operation is split into contracts under $2,500 a job for the purpose of evading the chapter or otherwise [4].
A separate item excludes an independent contractor who has no employees, and the same item states that such a contractor may voluntarily elect to come under the chapter [4].
What the license asks for
The statute ties the license to workers' compensation: it lists proof that the contractor complies with workers' compensation laws [1].
Cost of applying and renewing
The department's FAQ points to an administrative rule for its fees. As of May 19, 2026, the application fee is $70 per application [6], and the same FAQ note also sets out a renewal fee [6].
When the department acts on unlicensed work
A general provision written for the professions and occupations in the same title of Montana law as the contractor chapter addresses unlicensed practice. When the department determines through credible evidence that a person is acting, has acted or is about to act in one of those occupations without the required license, it may issue a cease and desist order [7]. For each day that order is violated, the department may assess a penalty of not more than $1,000 [7]. The construction contractor chapter then directs that a fine collected from a construction contractor under that section goes into the uninsured employers' fund [2].
