Montana microblading and permanent makeup rules
Do you need a license to do microblading in Montana?
Not stated at the state level. Montana licenses the establishment, not the individual: the person operating the studio must hold the yearly license, and the official pages we read name no separate license for the artist. Ask the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services before you start. Below: the studio license, the agency that issues them, local rules and what Montana says about microblading itself, each answered from Montana's own statutes, rules or agency pages, read on October 24, 2026.
- Artist license
- Not stated
- Studio license
- License needed
- Studio fee
- $185
- Local rules
- County or city too
Licensed by Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Environmental Health and Food Safety Section.The agency's page The state's own words
The artist
Do you need a license to do permanent makeup in Montana?
Not stated at the state level. Montana licenses the establishment, not the individual: the person operating the studio must hold the yearly license, and the official pages we read name no separate license for the artist. Ask the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services before you start.
- License needed
- Not stated
The studio
Does a microblading studio need a license in Montana?
Yes. A studio or establishment that performs tattooing, including permanent cosmetics and microblading, must hold a DPHHS tattoo license, $185 per the 2025 rule, unless it is in Yellowstone or Gallatin County, which run their own program.
- License needed
- License needed
- License name
- Tattoo license
- State fee
- $185
Microblading by name
Is microblading considered tattooing in Montana?
Yes, by name. DPHHS names microblading in its body art page and in the 2025 administrative rule, which treats it as a form of permanent cosmetics and therefore as tattooing.
Local rules
Do counties or cities license permanent makeup in Montana?
Yes. Yellowstone County and Gallatin County license body art locally in place of the state program; all other counties use the State of Montana license.
Good to know
What else Montana asks of permanent makeup artists
- Operators and body artists must complete formal training in general sanitation, first aid, and universal precautions for blood-borne pathogens before licensure. The rule sets no hour count.
- The applicant and all body artists working in the establishment must be at least 18 years old at the time of application.
- A license is valid for only one location, and tattooing or piercing is not allowed in a client's home.
Sources
What Montana's official pages say
Each answer above, in the words of Montana's own statutes, rules or agency pages, read on October 24, 2026. Rules change, and counties can add their own: confirm with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services before you start.
- The studio's license
“No person shall operate an establishment without a license issued by the department.”
dphhs.mt.gov “The term includes imparting permanent makeup on the skin such as permanent lip coloring and permanent eyeliner.”
archive.legmt.gov “the license fee is $185 each for a tattoo license and body piercing license.”
dphhs.mt.gov - Who issues it
“Body art includes tattooing, body piercing, cosmetic tattooing, and microblading.”
dphhs.mt.gov - Local rules
“Yellowstone County and Gallatin County have their own licensing program, in place of the state’s program.”
dphhs.mt.gov - Also good to know
“Operators and body artists must complete formal training in at least general sanitation, first aid, and universal precautions for preventing the transmission of blood-borne pathogens before licensure.”
dphhs.mt.gov - Also good to know
“The applicant for licensure and all body artists working in the proposed establishment shall be at least 18 years of age at the time of application.”
dphhs.mt.gov - Also good to know
“A license is valid for only one location.”
dphhs.mt.gov
Questions
Montana microblading licenses, answered
Do you need a license to do microblading in Montana?
Is microblading considered tattooing or permanent makeup in Montana?
Does a permanent makeup studio need a license in Montana?
Who licenses permanent makeup artists in Montana?
Does a cosmetology or esthetician license cover microblading in Montana?
Plan the rest
Licensed and ready to book clients
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- What Montana requires to open a salon or studio
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- Renting a room or a chair? Start from a booth rental agreement
Microblading rules in other states
Ready when you are
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