Opening a Convenience Store in Montana: Licenses & Permits

Montana makes beer and wine easy: the convenience store license isn't quota-limited and costs $400 a year for both. Spirits are a different matter, sold only through agency liquor stores. The slow step is fuel: a new site needs a DEQ construction permit with environmental review and public comment. Below is who issues what, and how each rule shapes the store you design.

Licenses and permits at a glance

Fuel tanks: DEQ

The Department of Environmental Quality's UST Leak Prevention Program regulates tanks:

• Construction permit: DEQ must issue one before installation. A new facility also needs an environmental review under the Montana Environmental Policy Act, and the application is posted for public comment for at least 10 days. It must map every well and surface water within 1,000 feet. DEQ gives no fixed timeline.
• Construction: tanks and piping installed after November 26, 2009 must be double-walled with continuous interstitial monitoring, liquid-tight sumps with sensors, and containment under the dispensers. A licensed UST installer must do the work.
• Operating permit: no fuel can go into a tank without a DEQ operating permit. Permits run three years and are issued after an inspection by a licensed private inspector.
• Operators: Class A and B operators train through DEQ's free online course, and Class C operators are trained before taking on duties.
• Fund: the Petroleum Tank Release Cleanup Fund pays up to $982,500 per release after the owner pays 50% of the first $35,000. It pays nothing while its balance is under $1.5 million. From 2026 it also reimburses up to $2,000 for some prevention and compliance costs.

Beer and wine: the Department of Revenue

The Department of Revenue's Cannabis and Alcohol Regulation Division (CARD) issues an off-premises beer and table wine license for grocery and convenience stores. It isn't part of the quota system.

• Fees: $200 for beer, $200 for wine or $400 for both each year, plus a one-time $200 processing fee and fingerprints for owners of 15% or more.
• Groceries: at least $3,000 of grocery inventory across categories such as meat, produce, bakery, dairy and household goods.
• Floor plan: submit a floor plan showing alcohol storage areas. Stock is stored on site, and remodels need CARD approval first. The store must be physically separated from any business under another owner or license.
• No spirits: spirits are sold only by agency liquor stores, state franchises awarded by bid. An off-premises licensee may not own any interest in one.
• Hours: 8 a.m. to 2 a.m., and cities may restrict them further.
• Distance: the 600-foot church and school rule doesn't apply to off-premises beer and wine.
• Training: sellers and their supervisors need state-approved Responsible Alcohol Sales and Service training within 60 days of hire, renewed every three years.
• Timing: about 45 days on average, after local building, health and fire inspections. A temporary operating authority is available for online applications.

Tobacco and vapes

The Department of Revenue licenses each location: a tobacco retail license is $50 a year, and an alternative nicotine and vapor product license is separate.

• Age: federal law sets the minimum age at 21 nationwide. Montana's own statute still says 18.
• Vending machines are allowed only where alcohol is served on site, in staff's line of sight.
• Indoors: since 2025, vaping is banned in enclosed public places, with a no-smoking sign at every public entrance.

Food service: DPHHS and the county

The Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) issues retail food licenses, and county sanitarians inspect and submit the application; DPHHS won't take one directly from the owner. Fees depend on staff at peak hours: $150 for up to two, $225 for three to nine and $275 for ten or more, under fees raised in 2025. Ask the county sanitarian about plan review before you start construction.

Taxes, fuel pumps and lottery

• No general sales tax: Montana doesn't have one, but designated resort areas may charge up to 3% on items including luxuries.
• Fuel pumps: the Department of Labor and Industry's Weights and Measures program licenses each meter every year, priced by flow rate, and tests them annually. A registered repair agency files a placed-in-service report before the license is issued.
• Lottery: the Montana Lottery charges a one-time $50 fee per license type per location and pays a 5% commission. Sports wagering needs a separate license.

What this means for your store design

• Build months of permitting into the fuel schedule. Environmental review and public comment come before the construction permit. See choosing a location.
• Plan the cooler wall for beer and wine. That's what a convenience store can sell. See the cooler wall planner and beer cave cost.
• Show alcohol storage on the floor plan. CARD reviews it, and any remodel needs approval first.
• Stock $3,000 of groceries across categories. See convenience store sizes.
• Separate any bar or gaming area under another license, physically.

Local approvals

Your city or county also controls zoning, building permits, fire inspections and signs, and can set alcohol zones. Our construction checklist covers the local steps.

For Montana store design, see convenience store design in Montana and walk-in cooler services in Montana.

Sources

• Montana DEQ, UST program, new facility permit application (July 2024) and compliance assistance; ARM 17.56.204; MCA 75-11-307, 75-11-505 and 75-11-509; Petroleum Tank Release Compensation Board.
• MCA 16-2-101, 16-3-304, 16-3-306, 16-3-309 and 16-4-115; Department of Revenue, off-premises beer and table wine license and licensee booklet.
• MCA 16-11-122 and 16-11-305; Department of Revenue, tobacco and nicotine licenses; DPHHS, Montana Clean Indoor Air Act.
• MCA 50-50-205; DPHHS, food and consumer safety.
• Department of Revenue, general sales tax and local resort tax; Department of Labor and Industry, scales and meters.
• Montana Lottery, become an agent.

This page summarizes official sources as of October 2026. It is not legal advice. Fees and rules change, so confirm each one with the agency before you apply.