The Guiding Principle of the Brands Enforcement Division is to protect the livestock industry from theft and predatory animals.  The Brands Enforcement Division Goal is to provide the livestock industry with professional law enforcement and investigative work in the tracking of livestock ownership and in the deterrence and/or resolution of related criminal activities.

The Brands Enforcement Division is comprised of:

District Investigators:

• Maintain POST certified law enforcement officers with full arrest authority.
• Work cooperatively with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.
• With support from Local Inspectors, inspect the brands of all livestock crossing county and state lines and/or changing ownership. This includes all livestock coming into and going out of the 12 Montana livestock markets.
• Click to read the Brand Enforcement Division 2021 Biennium Goals and Objectives

The following link can be used to find the District Investigator or local brand inspector in your area: Find-A-Brand-Inspector

Brand Office:

• Maintains and manages information and records relating to the issuing of new, assignment of, transfer of, and rerecording of 50,704 Montana Livestock Brands.
• Maintain mortgage/lien information and records of filings against livestock brands.

The following link can be used to help you find information and forms regarding new brands, brand transfers, how to update your brand information and to learn more about Montana Livestock Brands:  Livestock-Brands

Cattle & Horse Inspection Compliance:

• Oversees cattle and horse inspections - data entry, compliance, and quality control of approximately 80,000 inspections annually.
• Maintain internal and public access contact information of over 550 local livestock inspectors.
• Prepares annual audits of more than 550 local inspectors making sure that inspections and permits are written in compliance with laws, regulations, policy, and procedure.

The following link can be used to help you find information about Brand Inspection Requirements as well as information on Cattle/Horse, Sheep or Bison Transportation Permits, Grazing Permits, and associated fees:  Inspection-Requirements

Montana Livestock Markets:

• Responsible for compiling and analyzing animal sale data from the 12 Montana livestock markets;
• Manages all data and compliance of documentation associated with hundreds of thousands of transactions conducted annually at licensed Montana livestock markets, inspections at licensed slaughter facilities, and special livestock sales.

The following link can be used to help you find information about the 12 Montana Brand Offices and Livestock Markets, including sale days, contact information and Market website information:  Livestock-Markets

Montana Dealer Licenses and Market Audits:

• License the 12 livestock markets and the 410 livestock dealers; regulate livestock markets on all matters affecting the relationship between the livestock market and owners of livestock, and between the livestock market and the purchasers of livestock.
• Monitor the financial condition of the livestock markets; livestock dealers; and where the department is trustee the trust fund agreements, certificates of deposit, and letters of credit.

The following link can be used to help you find additional information about Livestock Dealer Licensing:  Dealer-Licensing

Contact us:

For additional information or if you have questions regarding the Dept of Livestock, Brand Enforcement Division, please feel free to contact us anytime:  Contact-Information