The essentials
Montana, at a glance
Montana has a registered cottage-food program, a separate Local Food Choice Act and a farmers-market-only exemption.
They have different product, disclosure and selling conditions. The registered route focuses on approved foods that do not need refrigeration for safety. Local Food Choice can cover a broader menu but still restricts transactions, meat and small dairies.
Choose the route that fits
- Registered cottage-food operation
- Approved nonpotentially hazardous products made in a registered home area and sold directly face to face in Montana.
- Montana Local Food Choice Act
- Separate exemption for eligible homemade food transactions directly with informed end consumers in Montana, with special meat and small-dairy restrictions.
- Farmers-market-only exemption
- Certain farmers-market-only sellers need no cottage registration; packaged foods outside Local Food Choice need similar cottage labels.
- Sales limits
Reviewed registered-cottage and Local Food Choice statutes do not state a general annual dollar cap; poultry-count and small-dairy limits are separate.
- Registration & permits
Registered cottage operations apply to the local health authority with kitchen address, ingredient-source description, product list and each label.
View official sources (5)
- 50-49-203 Local Food Choice Act conditions Montana Legislature
- 50-50-116 registered cottage-food conditions Montana Legislature
- 50-50-117 cottage registration Montana Legislature
- 50-50-121 farmers market requirements Montana Legislature
- Cottage Food Operation Guidance and Registration Montana DPHHS
One step at a time
Your first 2 steps
Register an approved cottage menu
For the registered route, send the local health authority your operation and kitchen details, ingredient sources, complete product list and labels.
The packet asks for exact recipes with ingredient weights, processing, packaging and cleaning procedures. Include each variation, such as a cookie with or without walnuts, rather than treating one recipe as approval for every version.
Set up the registered kitchen
Keep production and storage in the registered home area, with separate attention to cleaning and allergen cross-contact.
Restrict pet access during production and describe how equipment and utensils are sanitized. Apartments and a second kitchen within the primary residence can qualify, but check landlord and local business restrictions before committing to the location.
View official sources (4)
- 50-50-116 registered cottage-food conditions Montana Legislature
- 50-50-117 cottage registration Montana Legislature
- Cottage Food Frequently Asked Questions Montana DPHHS
- Cottage Food Operation Guidance and Registration Montana DPHHS
Make what you love
Can you sell what you make?
These are examples. Check the complete recipe, preparation method and sales route before offering a product.
A straightforward cottage-food start
Check the conditionsApproved shelf-stable cookies, dry mixes, popcorn or suitable traditional preserves are practical starting categories.
Refrigerated cream pies, cheesecake and freezer jam do not fit this registered program. If a frosting or unusual preserve is uncertain, the local authority may require a process-authority review and laboratory testing of that exact recipe.
A broader Local Food Choice menu
Check the conditionsDo not apply every registered-cottage exclusion to Local Food Choice.
It is a different statutory route for qualifying homemade transactions. At the same time, meat-containing foods remain restricted, poultry exceptions carry federal conditions, and small dairies have explicit testing and record duties. Check the product and transaction together before offering it.
View official sources (3)
- 50-49-203 Local Food Choice Act conditions Montana Legislature
- Cottage Food Frequently Asked Questions Montana DPHHS
- Cottage Food Operation Guidance and Registration Montana DPHHS
From your kitchen to your customers
Where and how you can sell
| Selling method | What matters |
|---|---|
| Registered cottage sales | Registered products are sold face to face directly to the customer in Montana. You can advertise or coordinate through social media, phone or the internet, but the FAQ excludes third-party delivery, shipping and remote marketplace transactions. Grocery-store, restaurant and consignment supply are not permitted cottage sales. Keep online ordering language consistent with that direct handover. |
| Local Food Choice delivery | The current delivery definition allows the producer or a designated agent to transfer a product at a home, office, farm, community event or another agreed location. The underlying transaction must remain directly with an informed end consumer, within Montana, for the specified consumption. The older guidance’s blanket home-or-event location summary misses this newer delivery language. |
| Farmers markets and retailers | Eligible foods sold only at farmers markets can use a separate registration exemption. Markets keep seller and product records, and packaged foods generally need cottage-style labels unless sold under Local Food Choice. Neither the ordinary cottage route nor Local Food Choice creates general permission to supply homemade prepared foods to grocery stores or restaurants. |
View official sources (4)
- 50-49-203 Local Food Choice Act conditions Montana Legislature
- 50-49-202 Local Food Choice definitions Montana Legislature
- 50-50-121 farmers market requirements Montana Legislature
- Cottage Food Frequently Asked Questions Montana DPHHS
Your label, explained
Every field has a purpose.
Use the example to understand the structure. Follow the Montana requirements below for your product and sales route.
Your product
name
Your product name and actual net quantity
Your complete recipe and supplier ingredients
Operation or producer name; full business address (see state notes)
The statement for your state, product and sales route
Registered cottage food
A guide to the fields, not a ready-to-print label. Use your actual product and business details.
Name it. Measure it.
Identify your product and its actual net quantity. Check the state’s formatting and unit requirements below.
Use your actual recipe.
Check every ingredient and supplier label. Use the applicable ingredient and allergen declarations for your product.
Identify your operation.
Operation or producer name; full business address (see state notes)
Use the wording for your route.
Requirements can differ by product and sales channel. Keep the disclosure, placement and type-size conditions together.
Registered cottage-food statement
Use: Made in a home kitchen that is not subject to retail food establishment regulations or inspections.
The statute requires at least 11-point type, clear contrast and conspicuous placement on the principal label. This exact warning belongs to the registered cottage route; it should not be described as a universal label requirement for every Montana homemade-food sale.
Complete the registered label
Include the operation name and full address, city, state and ZIP, product name, descending ingredients, net quantity and required allergen information.
Nutrition claims can add federal labeling obligations. Keep the artwork with the registered recipe so changes in ingredient brands, fillings or product size can be reviewed before the new version is sold.
Local Food Choice consumer disclosure
Local Food Choice requires an informed buyer: explain that the homemade food has not been licensed, permitted, certified, packaged, labeled or inspected under official regulations.
The statute does not prescribe one universal placard sentence or import the registered cottage label. A clear written disclosure is a useful way to make the information available consistently.
The wording for your label
Registered cottage food
Made in a home kitchen that is not subject to retail food establishment regulations or inspections.
View official sources (4)
- 50-49-203 Local Food Choice Act conditions Montana Legislature
- 50-50-116 registered cottage-food conditions Montana Legislature
- 50-50-117 cottage registration Montana Legislature
- Cottage Food Frequently Asked Questions Montana DPHHS
A useful head start
Your Montana label kit.
Editable template, example label and starting checklist.
Personalize it for your products and business.
Enter your email. Get the files immediately.
Before your first sale
A few details worth getting right.
An example
Adding walnuts to a registered cookie
Submit the walnut variation and revised label through the registration process rather than simply adding it to the menu.
DPHHS treats added recipes and labels as a re-registration event with another fee. The change also needs an accurate allergen declaration and cleaning practices that protect products made without those nuts.
An example
Delivering a large wedding cake
For a registered cake that cannot easily be packaged, the FAQ allows the complete label information on an invoice delivered with the cake directly to its purchaser.
That is a narrow practical exception. Ordinary cupcakes and packaged products still need their required package labels, and every recipe must qualify for the registered program.
Preserve substitutions can change safety
Replacing sugar with honey or changing the fruit in a registered preserve can alter safety and eligibility.
Use the approved formulation, and seek review when changing it. The agency says uncertain products may need testing; a familiar recipe book or a successful household batch does not automatically approve a commercial variation.
Dried fruit has specific processing conditions
The registration packet includes minimum heating conditions and packaging restrictions for approved dried fruit and herbs.
It specifies 160°F within 60 minutes of preparation and at least 135°F during drying, and excludes vacuum or reduced-oxygen packaging. Confirm the registered process before buying a dehydrator or switching package types.
View official sources (4)
- 50-50-116 registered cottage-food conditions Montana Legislature
- 50-50-117 cottage registration Montana Legislature
- Cottage Food Frequently Asked Questions Montana DPHHS
- Cottage Food Operation Guidance and Registration Montana DPHHS
A few more answers
Common questions
What does registration cost?
The current DPHHS FAQ states a one-time $40 registration fee for the registered cottage program. Moving the operation or adding recipes and labels requires re-registration and another fee. Local Food Choice is a separate food-permit exemption, so describing every Montana home-food business as having variable local cottage-registration fees is misleading.
View sources for this answer (2)
- 50-49-203 Local Food Choice Act conditions Montana Legislature
- Cottage Food Frequently Asked Questions Montana DPHHS
Will the kitchen be inspected?
Registered cottage operations do not receive routine inspections, but a complaint or illness investigation can trigger one. Keep the registered production and storage area compliant and your recipe documents accessible. Local Food Choice has its own exemption and special statutory conditions; do not use one route’s inspection summary for the other.
View sources for this answer (3)
- 50-49-203 Local Food Choice Act conditions Montana Legislature
- 50-50-116 registered cottage-food conditions Montana Legislature
- Cottage Food Frequently Asked Questions Montana DPHHS
Can a small dairy use Local Food Choice?
The statute defines a small dairy by lactating-animal numbers and imposes recurring milk-quality and brucellosis testing plus two-year records. It also prohibits donating milk to a traditional community event. This is a specialized route with explicit duties, not a general statement that any homemade dairy product is unregulated.
View sources for this answer (1)
- 50-49-203 Local Food Choice Act conditions Montana Legislature
Is there an annual revenue limit?
The reviewed cottage and Local Food Choice statutes do not state a general dollar cap. Product approvals, transaction limits and separate poultry or dairy thresholds still apply. Keep sales records and revisit the appropriate licensed route if you want to supply retailers, ship out of state or expand beyond the program conditions.
View sources for this answer (2)
- 50-49-203 Local Food Choice Act conditions Montana Legislature
- Cottage Food Frequently Asked Questions Montana DPHHS
Keep it handy
Your first-sale checklist
Use this free checklist to keep track of your next steps. The conditions in this guide still apply.
0 of 2 completed · Restoring progress…
Official guidance
Sources, updates & your next step
Start with the local registration office
For registered cottage products, contact your local Environmental Health office with the menu and recipes. DPHHS currently lists Sadie Overlie at sadie.overlie@mt.gov or 406-444-2823 for cottage-food and farmers-market questions. State which route you intend to use so advice about registration, testing and disclosures applies to the right business.
Official sources 8 references
- 50-49-203 Local Food Choice Act conditions →
Montana Legislature · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- 50-49-202 Local Food Choice definitions →
Montana Legislature · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- 50-50-116 registered cottage-food conditions →
Montana Legislature · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- 50-50-117 cottage registration →
Montana Legislature · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- 50-50-121 farmers market requirements →
Montana Legislature · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Cottage Food Frequently Asked Questions →
Montana DPHHS · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Cottage Food Operation Guidance and Registration →
Montana DPHHS · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Environmental Health and Food Safety contacts →
Montana DPHHS · Reviewed September 14, 2026
Guide updates September 14, 2026
Reviewed Montana’s product eligibility, sales routes, starting requirements and label guidance against the official sources below. Current conditions and any dated changes are explained in the relevant sections of this guide.
View sources for this update (4)
- 50-49-202 Local Food Choice definitions Montana Legislature
- 50-50-116 registered cottage-food conditions Montana Legislature
- 50-50-121 farmers market requirements Montana Legislature
- Cottage Food Frequently Asked Questions Montana DPHHS
This guide is a starting point. Confirm requirements for your products and location with the relevant authority. Examples are illustrative and are not a compliance approval.