Motorcycle Endorsement in Montana
Verified against Montana Department of Justice, Motor Vehicle Division ·
Compiled and verified against primary state DMV/DPS/BMV sources by GetMotorcycleLicense Research Team — cite-or-deny, with no invented figures. How we source & verify →
Montana adds a motorcycle endorsement to an existing driver's licence rather than issuing a separate motorcycle licence. An applicant passes a knowledge and a riding test, though Montana Motorcycle Rider Safety's Basic RiderCourse waives the riding test. Montana requires protective headgear only of a rider or passenger under 18; from 18 a helmet is optional.
Montana's motorcycle endorsement requirements — including a training course completion that can waive the skills test — are verified against Montana Department of Justice, Motor Vehicle Division (see Mont. Code Ann. § 61-5-111 (fees for licences, permits and endorsements; expiration)), current as of 2026-07-28.
Montana Motorcycle Endorsement Requirements at a Glance
| Permit | Motorcycle Learner License |
|---|---|
| Permit minimum age | 16 |
| Permit fee | — |
| Permit validity | 365 days |
| Minimum age (unrestricted) | — |
| Endorsement fee | — |
| Renewal | — / Up to 12 years, tied to the licensee's birthday; a licence issued to an applicant under 21 expires on the 21st birthday regardless of the general term, and one issued at 75 or older expires after 4 years |
| Knowledge test | Required |
| Skills test | Required |
The motorcycle endorsement itself costs 50 cents for each year or fraction of a year of the driver's licence term to which it is added, on top of the $5-per-year driver's licence fee; there is no flat, term-independent endorsement price to cite. Montana issues no motorcycle licence separate from the endorsement, so no distinct initial-licence fee exists.
Completing Montana's motorcycle safety course waives the state's motorcycle skills test. See Montana’s motorcycle safety course.
Montana helmet law
Required for some riders
A rider is exempt only if all of the following are true:
- the rider is 18 or older
An operator and a passenger under 18 years of age on a motorcycle, moped, motorised scooter or quadricycle must wear protective headgear meeting standards the Department of Justice establishes. The requirement does not reach an operator or passenger of a fully enclosed autocycle with a windshield, non-removable doors and a roof. A violation carries the penalty set in § 61-9-518.
Mont. Code Ann. § 61-9-417 · verified 2026-07-28
Source Notes
Where a source is stale, conflicting, or required a judgment call, we document it here rather than presenting a single confident-sounding number. See our methodology for how these calls are made.
- Endorsement rules, permits, fees and tests come from the Montana Code Annotated and the Motor Vehicle Division's own Motorcycle Supplement. Training facts come from Montana Motorcycle Rider Safety, operated by Helena College as the state's motorcycle safety training provider. Helmet rules come from the Montana Code Annotated.
- The Motor Vehicle Division's website blocks automated access with a security check; this page relies on the Division's own PDF manual and the current Montana Code Annotated where the two could be cross-checked, and notes where a figure rests on the manual alone.
- Montana Motorcycle Rider Safety's course waives only the state riding-skills test; the written knowledge test is required of every applicant regardless of training.
means no primary source publishes that figure — left blank on purpose rather than estimated or copied from an unverified aggregator.
Sources
- Mont. Code Ann. § 61-5-111 (fees for licences, permits and endorsements; expiration)
- Mont. Code Ann. § 61-5-106 (learner licenses; motorcycle supervision rules)
- Mont. Code Ann. § 61-5-107 (application for licence or motorcycle endorsement)
- Montana Motor Vehicle Division — Montana Motorcycle Supplement (Motorcycle Operator Manual)
Data last verified: 2026-07-28 (verified by: agent) | Source: Mont. Code Ann. § 61-5-111 (fees for licences, permits and endorsements; expiration)