2026 reference
Montana Cottage Food Law
Montana's cottage food law sets no statewide revenue cap and producers must register with the state before the first sale. Montana has two paths, both in-state only. A registered cottage food operation sells face to face to the consumer — the sale "may not be by consignment or involve shipping or internet sales" (MCA 50-50-102(6)), so online advertising is fine but the hand-off must be in person, and sales to restaurants, stores, or wholesalers are prohibited. Under the Local Food Choice Act, sales must be directly between the producer and an informed end consumer, only for home consumption or a traditional community social event, and the food may not be sold to or used by a retail food establishment (MCA 50-49-203(2), (4)).
Watch for: Pick your path before you print labels. Registered cottage food operations must use the full label, including a fixed home-kitchen statement in 11-point type, and DPHHS does not allow fermented foods. Local Food Choice Act sales need no label but must be face to face with an informed consumer in Montana, cannot go to restaurants or stores, and may not use meat processed at a licensed plant (MCA 50-49-203(7)).
Key facts
Where you can sell
Montana has two paths, both in-state only. A registered cottage food operation sells face to face to the consumer — the sale "may not be by consignment or involve shipping or internet sales" (MCA 50-50-102(6)), so online advertising is fine but the hand-off must be in person, and sales to restaurants, stores, or wholesalers are prohibited. Under the Local Food Choice Act, sales must be directly between the producer and an informed end consumer, only for home consumption or a traditional community social event, and the food may not be sold to or used by a retail food establishment (MCA 50-49-203(2), (4)).
- Direct (in-person)
- Farmers markets
What's required before your first sale
Registered cottage food operations register with the county local health authority, submitting product lists and a copy of every label; DPHHS lists a one-time $40 fee, paid again after a move or when adding recipes and labels (MCA 50-50-117). No license or routine inspection. Local Food Choice Act producers do not register, and agencies may not require licensing, labeling, or inspection (MCA 50-49-203(1)).
Label requirements
- Registered cottage food operations (MCA 50-50-116(2)(b)): name, address, city, state, and zip code of the operation
- Name of the product
- Ingredients in descending order of predominance by weight (DPHHS: sub-ingredients in parentheses)
- Net quantity, weight, count, or volume
- Allergen labeling as specified by federal and state labeling requirements
- A nutrition label if a nutritional claim is made and federal law requires one
- This statement, in at least 11-point type in a contrasting color, conspicuously on the principal label: "Made in a home kitchen that is not subject to retail food establishment regulations or inspections."
- Local Food Choice Act producers have no label requirement but must inform the end consumer that the food "has not been licensed, permitted, certified, packaged, labeled, or inspected per any official regulations" (MCA 50-49-203(3))
Generate your Montana disclosure label in one click
Ardent Seller assembles a print-ready cottage food label for Montana from data you already track — the state's required disclosure statement rendered verbatim (and sized to meet the state's minimum type size where one applies), your operator info, ingredients in descending order by weight, the federal "Contains:" allergen line, net weight, and lot code. A validation checklist flags anything Montana requires that's missing before you print. Included on every plan.
Adjacent programs
Local Food Choice Act (MCA 50-49-201 to -203)
An alternative to registering: homemade food sold directly to an informed end consumer in Montana, for home consumption or a traditional community social event, with no license, label, or inspection. The producer must tell the consumer the food "has not been licensed, permitted, certified, packaged, labeled, or inspected per any official regulations." Meat processed at a state-licensed or federally approved establishment may not be used (small poultry producers under 1,000 birds a year excepted), and small dairies have testing duties.
Sources
- Montana DPHHS — Cottage Food and Farmers Markets
- Montana DPHHS — Cottage Food Operation Guidance and Registration (March 2020)
- Forrager — cottage food law database
- MCA § 50-50-102 — Definitions (cottage food operation; direct sale)
- MCA § 50-50-116 — Conditions for cottage food operation exemption (labeling)
- MCA § 50-50-117 — Registration of cottage food operations
- MCA § 50-49-203 (Local Food Choice Act; amended 2023 and 2025)
Reference content only — not legal advice. State laws change frequently. Verify against the official source before launching.
Tools that work with Montana
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