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How do masons in Montana get more customers from Google and AI search?
Short answer: Masons in Montana get found online with a website that shows their license number, names the towns they serve such as Billings, Missoula and Great Falls, and collects real local reviews. Licensing runs through the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Construction Contractor License program. The state had 114 businesses with staff in this Census category in 2022.
- Licensing body: Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Construction Contractor License program.
- 114 businesses with staff in 2022, 36th of 50 states; 89% have fewer than 10 staff.
- Largest cities: Billings, Missoula and Great Falls.
- Common words in local searches: “reviews”.
- Coldest month January (about 21°F), warmest July (about 67°F), statewide average.
- Code edition: 2021 International Residential Code (IRC).
Do masons need a license in Montana?
In Montana, the licensing body for this work is Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Construction Contractor License program.
License or registration types named by the state: Construction Contractor license.
- Since January 1, 2026 Montana runs a construction contractor license program (HB 239). It replaced the old registration, and active registrations were converted.
- The page names roofing, siding, flooring and scaffolding as contractor work. It also covers a business that uses more than one trade on one job or permit.
Homeowners can check a license on the state lookup page. Put your number where they will look for it.
Montana moved from registration to licensing on January 1, 2026 (HB 239). Old registrations were converted. A sole operator with no employees is generally exempt but needs an Independent Contractor Exemption Certificate or workers comp. LLCs register with the Secretary of State first. Unknowns: exam, insurance, ad rules, tree licensing, handyman dollar limit.
What do homeowners in Montana’s biggest cities search for?
Google autocomplete for mason searches in each city (job-seeker searches removed):
Billings
- anna mason billings mt
- bailey masonry billings mt
- billings brick and masonry
- billings masonic center
- billings masonic lodge
- billings masonic temple
- derek mason billings mt
- harper masonry billings mt
Missoula
- anderson masonry missoula
- autumn mason missoula mt
- jacks masonry missoula mt
- lolo mason missoula
- mason clements missoula
- mason shanks missoula
- masonry center missoula montana
- masonry missoula mt
Great Falls
- great falls masonic lodge
- great falls masonic temple
- great falls montana masonic lodge
- john long masonry great falls mt
- mason walker great falls mt
- masonic lodge great falls
- masonic lodge great falls photos
- masonic lodge great falls reviews
Bozeman
- bozeman masonic lodge 18
- bozeman masonic lodge 18 photos
- bozeman masonic temple
- bozeman montana masonic lodge
- emily mason bozeman
- free mason bozeman
- how do you become a masonry
- how to become a masonry
Across these cities, the words that come up most are “reviews”.
Source: Google autocomplete suggestions, checked November 9, 2026. Suggestions change over time.
What does a year of mason work look like in Montana?
Publish each seasonal page four to six weeks ahead.
| Month | Avg temp | Jobs to plan for (our suggestion) |
|---|---|---|
| January | 21°F | chimney inspections and indoor repairs, booking spring work |
| February | 24°F | chimney inspections and indoor repairs, booking spring work |
| March | 32°F | tuckpointing and brick repair after freeze-thaw |
| April | 41°F | tuckpointing and brick repair after freeze-thaw |
| May | 50°F | tuckpointing and brick repair after freeze-thaw |
| June | 59°F | retaining walls, stone veneer, patios |
| July | 67°F | retaining walls, stone veneer, patios |
| August | 65°F | retaining walls, stone veneer, patios |
| September | 56°F | retaining walls, stone veneer, patios |
| October | 43°F | tuckpointing and brick repair after freeze-thaw |
| November | 31°F | chimney inspections and indoor repairs, booking spring work |
| December | 22°F | chimney inspections and indoor repairs, booking spring work |
Temperatures: NOAA NCEI nClimDiv statewide data. Job column: our planning suggestion, not survey data.
How many masonry contractors compete in Montana’s main cities?
| City | County | Businesses with staff | Residents per business |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billings | Yellowstone County | 10 | 17,084 |
| Missoula | Missoula County | 8 | 15,231 |
| Great Falls | Cascade County | 5 | 16,980 |
| Bozeman | Gallatin County | 32 | 3,950 |
Competition is tightest around Bozeman (Gallatin County), with one business for every 3,950 residents, and loosest around Billings, at one per 17,084.
Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2022 and County Population Estimates 2023. Counts businesses with paid employees only.
How many masonry contractors are in Montana?
The Census Bureau counted 114 businesses with employees in Montana in 2022, in the category “Masonry contractors”. That ranks Montana 36th of 50 states, one of the smaller markets, and 1% of the US total. 89% of them have fewer than 10 staff, and 4 have 20 or more.
Together they employ 514 people, with an average yearly payroll of $259,211 per business. The three busiest counties hold 59% of them, so competition is packed into a few places.
With 1,132,812 residents (Census, July 2023), that is one business for every 9,937 people, against 18,092 nationally: fewer residents per business than the US average, so more competition for each job.
Montana next to its neighbors
| State | Businesses | Residents per business | Under 10 staff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montana | 114 | 9,937 | 89% |
| Idaho | 224 | 8,771 | 87% |
| North Dakota | 45 | 17,421 | 89% |
| South Dakota | 64 | 14,364 | 77% |
| Wyoming | 56 | 10,430 | 82% |
Counties with the most masonry contractors
| County | Businesses | Residents per business |
|---|---|---|
| Gallatin County | 32 | 3,950 |
| Flathead County | 25 | 4,547 |
| Yellowstone County | 10 | 17,084 |
| Missoula County | 8 | 15,231 |
| Ravalli County | 8 | 5,967 |
| Cascade County | 5 | 16,980 |
| Lewis and Clark County | 4 | 18,753 |
| Lake County | 3 | 11,113 |
| Park County | 3 | 5,968 |
9 of Montana’s counties have at least one. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2022.
How big are they?
Businesses by number of employees, 2022: 84 with 1-4 staff, 17 with 5-9 staff, 8 with 10-19 staff, 4 with 20-49 staff.
Where Montana is growing
New homes and new owners bring new work. Montana's population changed +4.2% from July 2020 to July 2023. The fastest-growing counties with 50,000 or more people:
- Flathead County: 113,679 people, +8.4% since 2020, 25 masonry contractors
- Gallatin County: 126,409 people, +5.7% since 2020, 32 masonry contractors
- Lewis and Clark County: 75,011 people, +5.4% since 2020, 4 masonry contractors
- Yellowstone County: 170,843 people, +3.4% since 2020, 10 masonry contractors
- Missoula County: 121,849 people, +3.0% since 2020, 8 masonry contractors
Source: US Census Bureau, County Population Estimates, Vintage 2023.
Which code applies in Montana?
Montana uses the 2021 edition of the International Residential Code (IRC) (Statewide 2021 IRC with amendments, effective 2022-06-11). Homeowners rarely ask about code editions, but inspectors do, and a line on your service pages saying your work meets the current 2021 code answers the question before it comes up.
What should a Montana mason website show?
- Your license or registration number where people can see it, even where the state does not require it in ads.
- A service area list that names real counties and towns, for example Gallatin County, Flathead County and Yellowstone County.
- Seasonal pages published before May, so they are found when demand starts.
- Real reviews from local jobs, with the town named, and photos of your own work.
Montana questions
Who licenses masons in Montana?
Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Construction Contractor License program. Since January 1, 2026 Montana runs a construction contractor license program (HB 239). It replaced the old registration, and active registrations were converted. The page names roofing, siding, flooring and scaffolding as contractor work. It also covers a business that uses more than one trade on one job or permit.
How many masonry contractors are there in Montana?
The US Census Bureau counted 114 businesses with employees in Montana in 2022 in the category Masonry contractors, and 89% of them have fewer than 10 staff.
Which county in Montana has the most masonry contractors?
Gallatin County, with 32 businesses with employees in 2022 (Census County Business Patterns).
Which edition of the International Residential Code (IRC) does Montana use?
The 2021 edition. Statewide 2021 IRC with amendments, effective 2022-06-11.
What do people in Billings search for when they need a mason?
Google autocomplete for Billings shows searches such as “anna mason billings mt”, “bailey masonry billings mt”, “billings brick and masonry” and “billings masonic center”.
When is the busiest season for masons in Montana?
Montana’s statewide average runs from about 21°F in January to about 67°F in July (NOAA, 1991 to 2020).
Sources
- US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2022 (state and county files)
- US Census Bureau, City, Town and County Population Estimates, Vintage 2023
- NOAA NCEI, nClimDiv statewide temperature and degree days, 1991 to 2020
- Google autocomplete suggestions for the cities named, checked November 2026
- https://boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov/construction-contractor/
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