Searching for a dispensary in Billings, MT turns up dozens of results, and almost all of them carry a Billings address. The catch is that the City of Billings prohibits adult-use cannabis sales inside its limits. The recreational shops serving Montana's largest city sit just outside the line, in Lockwood to the east and in other unincorporated pockets of Yellowstone County, along with a handful in Laurel and Shepherd. For adults 21+, the shopping is easy once the map makes sense.
Why the shops sit where they do
Montana legalized adult-use cannabis by statewide initiative in 2020, then left room for local governments to opt out. Two votes shaped Billings:
- November 2021: Billings voters rejected recreational storefronts inside city limits. The city's licensing page puts it plainly: adult-use dispensaries are permanently prohibited, and licensed medical dispensaries may not sell adult-use cannabis within the city.
- June 2022: Yellowstone County put the question back on the ballot countywide, and voters chose 58% to 42% to keep adult-use sales legal in the county.
The result is a city that bans recreational storefronts surrounded by a county that allows them. The city's ordinance does allow up to eight medical dispensaries inside city limits, and those serve registered Montana medical cardholders only.
What the state list shows
The Department of Revenue's licensed dispensary list for October 2026 shows 78 locations listed under Billings, every one carrying an adult-use license. A Billings mailing address isn't the same as Billings city limits. Many of those addresses are in unincorporated county territory, Lockwood above all, where adult-use sales are legal. Inside the city, the local ban still governs what a shop can sell.
The same list shows six licensed locations in Laurel, west along I-90, and two in Shepherd, northeast of the city.
The names searchers look for are on it. Montana Advanced Caregivers, known as MAC, has operated in Billings since 2009 and holds several licensed locations. Hometree and Lionheart Cannabis both hold Billings-listed licenses. Frosteez lists its Lockwood shop at 3205 N Frontage Road on its own website, and holds a Laurel license as well. Being on the list means licensed; it says nothing about which shop suits you.
A note for Montana cardholders
Montana residents with a state medical card have options visitors don't. The up-to-eight medical dispensaries inside city limits serve them, and medical purchases carry a 4% state tax instead of the 20% adult-use rate. Cardholders also aren't held to the adult-use package potency caps, since state law lets dispensaries sell higher-potency products to registered cardholders. Everyone else shops at the adult-use counters outside the city.
How to check a shop before you drive
- Find it on the dispensary directory or the state's licensed list at revenue.mt.gov.
- Look at the address. A Lockwood or county address is outside city limits; a central Billings address may not be.
- Call and ask whether the location sells adult-use. It's a ten-second question, and it saves a trip to a medical-only counter.
- Check hours. They vary by shop and by day.
The Billings town hub gathers what else is around the city.
What adults 21+ can buy
The adult-use rules are statewide:
- 1 ounce in total, with no more than 8 grams of concentrate and 800 mg of THC in edibles within it
- Edibles capped at 5 mg per serving and 100 mg per package since July 1, 2026. Start low, go slow.
- A 20% state tax, plus a local-option tax of up to 3% where a county adopted one
- Valid government ID at every purchase
Montana issues medical cards only to residents and makes no provision for honoring other states' cards, so visitors buy under adult-use rules. That matters more in Billings than anywhere: the medical-only counters inside the city can't serve a visitor at all.
Around Billings
The rule, plainly: Montana state law prohibits cannabis consumption in public places, and federal law prohibits marijuana possession and use on all federal lands and waters. What it means around Billings:
- The Rims and the riverside trails are public. No use there.
- Pompeys Pillar is federal. The sandstone butte about 25 miles east of Billings, where William Clark carved his name on July 25, 1806, is a national monument run by the Bureau of Land Management. Nothing goes in.
- Vehicles are out. Drivers can't consume, passengers can't smoke or consume in an enclosed moving vehicle, and driving under the influence is illegal. The I-90 run between Lockwood and Laurel is a commute, not a cruise.
- Hotel rooms are out for smoking unless the room is a designated smoking room rented to you.
Events at MetraPark and across the region are on the events hub, and none of those venues is a place for consumption.
FAQ
Are there recreational dispensaries in Billings, MT?
Not inside city limits. Billings bans adult-use sales in the city, so the recreational shops serving Billings are just outside it, in Lockwood and other parts of Yellowstone County, plus Laurel and Shepherd.
Why are there no recreational dispensaries in Billings city limits?
Billings voters rejected recreational storefronts in November 2021. Yellowstone County voters kept adult-use sales legal countywide in June 2022, which is why shops cluster just outside the city.
Where is Lockwood, MT?
Lockwood is an unincorporated community a few miles east of Billings in Yellowstone County. Several licensed adult-use dispensaries operate there with Billings mailing addresses.
Can I use an out-of-state medical card in Billings?
No. Montana issues medical cards only to residents, and the medical-only dispensaries inside Billings serve Montana cardholders. Visitors 21+ buy at adult-use shops outside the city.
