How to provide funeral services in Montana

Requirements for Montana Funeral Service Provider Licenses

Do I need a license to provide funeral services in Montana?

Yes, mortuaries, morticians, crematories, crematory operators and technicians and privately owned, for profit cemeteries must be licensed by the Montana Board of Funeral Services (MBFS).

What are the requirements to become a licensed funeral service provider in Montana?

Morticians prepare for and arrange funerals. They must complete 60 semester or 90 quarter hours at an accredited college or university, graduate from a school of mortuary science, serve a one year internship and pass national and Montana exams. The Montana Jurisprudence Exam can be taken upon approval of a complete application.
Crematory operators are required to have a high school diploma or equivalent.
There are no education requirements for crematory technicians.

How do I apply for a Montana funeral service license?

To get your Montana mortician license, submit the application, fee, official transcripts, and verification of exam passage to the MBFS.
To apply for your crematory operator license, submit the application, fee, proof of education and age, and two letters of reference to the MBFS.
If you want to apply for your Montana crematory technician license, submit the application, fee, name of facility where you will be employed, name of your supervising crematory operator, and summary of training to be completed by the applicant.

How much do the funeral service provider licenses cost?

Mortician application fee: $250
Annual renewal fee: $200

Crematory operator application fee $200
Annual renewal fee $100

Crematory technician application fee $200
Annual renewal fee $100

Are there continuing education requirements for funeral service providers in Montana?

Morticians must complete twelve hours of continuing education every two years.

Are there other requirements if I want to operate a Montana funeral services business?

If you operate a funeral service business in Montana, you must obtain a separate mortuary, crematory, or cemetery license from the MBFS.

How do I get a Montana funeral service business license?

There is one application for the various business types.  Complete and submit the application and fees to the MBFS.  If you are operating a cemetery, you must include various zoning and inspection documents.

How much does the Montana funeral service business license cost?

The application fee for cemeteries (five year license) costs $1,250.00 plus and initial inspection fee of $200.00. 
All other applications will cost $250.00 plus an inspection fee of $200.00.

Does a Montana mortuary need to be a certain type of business entity??

In addition to becoming a Montana licensed funeral service provider, you may want to start your own business.  Registering your Montana business entity with the Secretary of State offers many benefits and protections for funeral service providers. Montana allows funeral service providers to choose the entity that best suits their needs.  They may form standard partnerships, corporations, limited liability companies, etc.  Funeral service providers may also create professional corporations (PC) and professional limited liability companies (PLLC). These professional entities allow licensed individuals to form a corporation or LLC for the purpose of practicing their profession.  Shareholders must also be licensed to render the service as must half of the officers and directors. Montana does not require entities to include a description of the service (such as the word “mortuary”) in the business name.  If you choose to form a PC in Montana, you are required to file the articles of incorporation with the licensing authority, in this case, the Montana Board of Funeral Service.

Once you have chosen the type of entity you want to form, we can file the appropriate documents with the Montana Secretary of State for you or provide all the information you need to do it yourself.  We provide business formation services and ongoing business compliance services by acting as your registered agent for just $100.00.  You get your Montana Funeral Services Provider License and we will properly form your Montana funeral service business.  And for just $49 per year, we will provide ongoing business compliance services by acting as your Montana Registered Agent.

MBFS forms:

SOS forms: