Why this matters
What Montana actually allows — and what it doesn't.
MCA § 50-50-117 (Traditional Cottage Food); Montana Local Food Choice Act (SB 199, 2021 - "Food Freedom")
Two-Path System:
Path 1: Traditional Cottage Food
$40 one-time registration fee with local health department
Annual revenue cap
Montana sets no cap on cottage food revenue.
Annual gross cap
Unlimited
Sales channels
Where you can sell in Montana — and where you can't.
Online ordering
YesYesShipping
NoFederal restriction on uninspected food crossing state lines.
Seller delivery
YesYesThird-party delivery (DoorDash, Uber Eats)
NoNoInterstate sales
NoNoWholesale to retail stores
NoNoRegistration & permits
Montana does not require state registration.
- Registration
Not required
Type: registration
- Registration cost
$40
- Timeline
About 30 days
- Labeling standard
Standard
- Inspection
None
- Food safety certification
Not required
- Address privacy
Not available
Food categories
What usually sits outside this cottage food lane.
- Tcs
- Meat
- Dairy
- Eggs
- Fish
- Shellfish
- Cut Produce
- Custard Meringue
- Certain Frostings
How to start
Steps to a legal first sale in Montana.
Confirm your products qualify
Compare your menu against Montana's cottage food lane. Temperature-controlled, meat, seafood, and low-acid canned items often require a different path; check the state-specific food categories above.
Label every product correctly
Every label must include your name (or registered ID), product name, ingredients, and allergens per Montana rules.
Start taking orders
Montana allows online orders, seller delivery. Route orders through your own channels — third-party couriers are not permitted here.
Frequently asked
Montana cottage food — your questions answered.
What are Montana's two home-food paths?
Montana has a unique two-track system. Traditional Cottage Food under MCA § 50-50-117 is a $40 one-time registration with your local health department, no inspection, no training, unlimited revenue, but limited to the approved cottage food list. The Montana Local Food Choice Act (SB 199, 2021 — "Food Freedom") requires no registration and no government involvement, allows almost any food including perishables and prepared meals, but restricts sales to home consumption or "traditional community social events" (farmers' markets, weddings, funerals, church events, potlucks).
Is there a revenue cap on either path?
No. Both Traditional Cottage Food and the Food Freedom path are unlimited.
Can I sell meat under the Food Freedom path?
Not commercial meat. The Food Freedom Act allows almost all foods EXCEPT meat — with one exception: home-raised poultry under 1,000 birds per year is allowed. Everything else — dairy, prepared meals, perishable foods — is fair game if you stay within the consumed-at-home or community-event restrictions.
Can I ship my products or sell online?
No. Both paths require in-person, face-to-face transactions. Online coordination is allowed — you can take orders or arrange pickup online — but no mail order, no shipping. Direct-to-consumer only; no wholesale to restaurants or stores. In-state only.
What makes Montana unusual?
The community-event restriction in the Food Freedom Act is distinctive. Most "food freedom" states let you sell at any direct-to-consumer venue, but Montana restricts it to home consumption or traditional community social events (farmers' markets, weddings, funerals, church events, potlucks). It's a cultural framing unique to Montana's rural community structure.
Montana cottage food laws: what is the short version?
Montana does not require state registration for the cottage food lane. There is no state revenue cap in the current data. Montana allows online orders, seller delivery for cottage food sellers in the current data.
Do I need a cottage food registration in Montana?
Not for the cottage food lane in the current data. Montana may still have label, food-category, local zoning, or other business rules, so check the official source before you sell.
What foods can I sell from home in Montana?
Montana's cottage food lane is mainly for foods that do not need time or temperature control for safety. Common no-go categories include tcs, meat, dairy, eggs, fish.