Montana Handyman License Requirements
Montana's small-job figure is $2,500. The exact wording below decides whether a job fits.
37-45-104(8): exempt is '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.' That means UNDER $2,500, not 'at or below'. The exemption does not apply when the job is part of a larger operation or is split into contracts under $2,500 to evade the law. Separate and broader: 37-45-104(24) exempts 'an independent contractor who has no employees' (who may register voluntarily).
What counts toward it: labor+materials
"the aggregate contract price of which, for labor and materials and all other items, is less than $2,500 a job."
Source: mca.legmt.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Who regulates this
Montana Department of Labor and Industry. The CCL program is run by the Business Standards Division (boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov). Before 2026 it was Construction Contractor Registration under the Employment Relations Division (Work Comp Regulations). Trades: State Electrical Board; Board of Plumbers (both DLI Business Standards Division).
Source: boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Registration
CCL (effective 1/1/2026): application fee $70 (non-refundable), renewal $70, late renewal fee $70 on top of renewal, no CE. The application requires proof of compliance with workers' compensation laws, EIN if any, and owner/officer/member names (37-45-201). No state bond or liability-insurance amount for the CCL was found in Title 37 ch. 45. A sole operator without employees is exempt (37-45-104(24)). Workers' comp: hiring someone as an independent contractor who lacks an Independent Contractor Exemption Certificate (ICEC) where 39-71-417 requires one is unprofessional conduct (37-45-301). ICEC details not verified this pass.
Source: esd.dli.mt.gov · boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Insurance and bond
No state liability insurance or bond amount found for the CCL. Proof of workers' compensation compliance is required. 37-45-204 refers to 'a bond with the state of Montana named as obligee,' but no bond amount appears in the current chapter
Source: esd.dli.mt.gov · checked November 2, 2026
City and county rules
37-45-204: for contractors covered by the state license, cities and counties may not require or issue their own registrations, licenses or bonds 'for the same or a similar purpose.' They may still charge a general business license fee that applies to all businesses, and they keep authority over contractors who are not required to register (for example, no-employee operators). Building permits are local.
Source: esd.dli.mt.gov · checked November 2, 2026
What a handyman should charge in Montana
Statewide planning estimate: $70 to $97 an hour. It's an estimate from public data, not the market rate. City pages use local wages when we can match them.
| Step | Low end | High end |
|---|---|---|
| Your pay (employee wage for this work in Montana) | $46,870 median | $58,280 top quarter starts here |
| Overhead ($33,148 national, adjusted to local prices at 94.6) | $31,373 | $31,373 |
| Profit 15% + PTO 10% + warranty 3% + business taxes 12% | +40% | +40% |
| Yearly total to cover | $109,540 | $125,514 |
| Billed hours a year (hours on the job × 52) | 30 × 52 = 1,560 | 25 × 52 = 1,300 |
| Hourly rate | $70 | $97 |
- Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation 49-9071 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General, Montana (statewide figure, because we could not match a metro for this place). The top-quarter figure is in the BLS data file.
- Local prices: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, Montana, all items index 94.6 (US = 100).
- Overhead, hours and percentages: median answers from members using our hourly rate calculator, the same formula that tool uses. National, not local.
Montana places we cover (16)
Rules change. This page shows what official sources said on the dates above. It is not legal advice.