Billings, Montana: door-to-door solicitor permit

• The answer: No separate solicitor permit was found in the city code. Door-to-door sales are covered by the city's business tax instead: every person carrying on "transient vending, or door-to-door sales within the city" pays the annual tax and gets a tax receipt, which the city calls a business license (13-423, 13-425). The code defines door-to-door salespersons as people "representing themselves or other businesses" (13-421).
• Where it comes from: The City of Billings Finance Department. The city's Business License Information page sends applicants to its online CityView portal.
• Fee: The basic annual tax, general category, runs by gross revenue: $55.00 for 0 to 100,000, then $90.00, $140.00 and $215.00 for the three higher brackets, with an addition per employee or contractor over 5 full time equivalents (13-424). The code sets no separate per-rep fee.
• Hours you may knock: The code sets none. No knocking hours appear in the business tax division, in Chapter 7 (Businesses) or in Chapter 18 (Offenses); the only solicitation article there is aggressive solicitation.
• What the rep carries: The city receipt "or a facsimile of the employer's receipt," carried on the person and produced on request (13-425).
• What takes the time: Not much, per the city: once the application is complete and paid, a receipt for a temporary license is issued, and the permanent license is mailed in two to four weeks. The license runs one year from the month it is obtained.
• Code: Billings, Montana City Code, Chapter 13, Article 13-400, Division 3 — Business, Occupation and Profession Tax (13-421 to 13-438). Municode shows the code as codified through Ordinance No. 26-5929 passed May 11, 2026 (Supp. No. 66).
• Worth knowing: A business run on more than one site pays a separate tax for each site (13-433). The tax is due again each year on or before the anniversary of the first payment (13-434).
• Read it yourself: Billings City Code, Division 3 — Business, Occupation and Profession Tax (13-421 to 13-438) · City of Billings — Business License Information · Billings City Code, Chapter 18 — Offenses, Miscellaneous Provisions · checked 19 September 2026

Ask the clerk, and write the answer down:

• Whether one company license covers every rep on the team, each carrying a copy of the receipt
• Whether an out-of-town company with no Billings site pays the general category by its Billings revenue or its total revenue
• Whether any police registration or knocking hours apply that the code does not show

Clerk’s name ______________ Direct line ______________ Date called ______________