Search for new dispensaries in Montana in 2026 and the answer is short: there aren't any, not in the sense of a brand-new license opening a brand-new store. Montana's dispensary licenses are frozen, and in 2026 the map got smaller, not bigger. What looks like a new storefront in Bozeman or Kalispell this year is an existing license that moved, changed its name, or changed hands.
For adults 21+ shopping in the state's larger towns, here is what changed, what didn't, and how to tell a licensed store from a sign on a building.
The freeze, plainly
The Department of Revenue's summary of the 2025 legislative session says the moratorium on new marijuana licenses runs until June 30, 2027. Until then, applications are limited to those tied to an existing premises, and an existing premises may move or transfer its location. On July 1, 2027, the moratorium on additional licenses ends.
What it means for your search: any "new" dispensary that opens in Montana before mid-2027 is a license that already existed somewhere else. That can mean a move across town or a transfer from another city.
The 2026 count: down, not up
The department publishes a statutory list of licensed dispensary locations every month. Its May 2026 list carried 559 locations. The November 2026 list carries 550: 542 that can sell adult-use and 8 that are medical only.
The changes are uneven across the larger markets, going by the city each entry lists:
- Bozeman: 74 entries in May, 67 in November. The Bozeman town guide covers the shops that remain and how buying works in Gallatin County.
- Missoula: 54 in May, 51 in November. See the Missoula town guide.
- Kalispell: 30 in May, 32 in November, the only one of the six to grow. See the Kalispell town guide.
- Helena: 27 in both months, with some names on the list changing between them. See the Helena town guide.
- Butte: 22 in both months. See the Butte town guide.
- Great Falls: 22 in both months. See the Great Falls town guide.
The department's list gives a licensee, a city, a location name and a phone number, not a street address or an opening date. A name that appears in one month and not the last can be a relocation, a rebrand or a new owner on an old license. Read any "grand opening" in 2026 as one of those three.
Missoula's own rules
Missoula layered city limits on top of the state's. The city's cannabis page says it cannot issue a new or additional adult-use dispensary license through August 5, 2028, while an existing licensed dispensary may relocate if its current location closes as a dispensary. In January 2026, the city council approved widening the required spacing between dispensaries from 500 to 1,000 feet, with a new 250-foot buffer from residentially zoned parcels, according to Montana Free Press. A council member put the city's count at around 50 stores, down from close to 60, and described the decline through attrition as a slow game.
The net effect: Missoula's count can fall but not grow until the city limit lapses, and any shop that moves has fewer places it can legally land.
Billings, still outside the lines
Billings bans adult-use sales inside city limits, so its recreational shops sit just outside them. Nothing in 2026 changed that. The Billings town guide maps where the stores are.
How to check a shop is licensed
The Department of Revenue's Licensed Dispensary Locations list, updated monthly at revenue.mt.gov/card/cannabis, is the source of truth. It also says which stores can sell to adults 21+ and which are medical only: adult-use dispensaries may sell to registered cardholders, adults over 21, or both, and medical-only stores serve registered cardholders alone. Inside the store, the license certificate has to be displayed where customers can see it.
The rules don't change with the address. Adult-use purchases require ID showing the buyer is 21 or older, and consuming marijuana in a public place is prohibited by Montana law. Consumption on any licensed dispensary premises is prohibited too.
For every licensed store we track across the state, start at the dispensary directory. For what's on this season, see events.
FAQ
Are there any new dispensaries in Montana in 2026?
Not new licenses. Montana's moratorium on additional dispensary licenses runs until June 30, 2027. Storefronts that opened in 2026 are existing licenses that relocated, rebranded or changed ownership.
When can new dispensaries open in Montana?
The state moratorium on additional licenses ends July 1, 2027, per the Department of Revenue. Missoula's own limit on new or additional adult-use dispensary licenses runs through August 5, 2028.
How many dispensaries are in Montana?
The Department of Revenue's November 2026 list carries 550 licensed dispensary locations, 542 of them able to sell adult-use, down from 559 in May 2026.
Can a Montana dispensary move to a new location?
Yes. Under the state moratorium an existing premises may move or transfer its location. In Missoula, the city also requires that the old location close as a dispensary.
Do I need to be 21 to buy at a Montana dispensary?
Yes, for adult-use purchases. Adults 21+ need valid ID. Registered medical cardholders follow the program's own rules.
