To start a cottage food business in Montana, you confirm your product, sell directly to the informed consumer, and that's essentially it — under the Local Food Choice Act there's no license, no permit, no registration, no inspection, and no sales cap, and you can even sell pickles and fermented foods. This is the step-by-step playbook; for the full legal detail, see our Montana cottage food law guide.
The short version: Under Montana's Local Food Choice Act (LFCA), homemade-food producers are exempt from state and local licensing, permitting, certification, packaging, labeling, testing, and inspection — and there's no sales cap. You sell directly to the informed end consumer. The allowed list is broad and includes pickles and high-acid fermented foods; the main exclusion is meat and meat products (regulated by the Department of Livestock). A label isn't required under the LFCA, but the state recommends one with the LFCA statement. Confirm your product and you can start today.
Montana is one of the cheapest states to start because nothing is required:
Most Montana sellers start for under $150.
You can legally start the same day — there's nothing to apply for:
Montana's list is broad: baked goods, jams, candies, dried foods, pickles, and high-acid fermented foods. Meat and meat products are excluded (regulated separately). The full details and labeling guidance are in our Montana cottage food law guide and cottage food labeling guide.
Montana is direct-to-the-informed-consumer:
Because Montana allows online ordering with local pickup and a broad list (including fermented foods), a real storefront makes selling far easier. Homegrown gives Montana cottage food sellers an online storefront with built-in payments and pickup for $10/month at 0% commission — you keep every dollar except standard card processing. Start a free trial and have a Montana-ready storefront live in about 15 minutes.
There's no cap — you can earn as much as demand allows. To get the most out of it:
Starting a cottage food business doesn't require an LLC, but it's worth understanding the basics: see whether you need an LLC to sell food from home and how cottage food taxes work on Schedule C. Montana has no statewide sales tax, which keeps things simple.
No. Under the Local Food Choice Act, there's no license, permit, registration, or inspection required to sell directly to the informed consumer.
Often under $150 — nothing is required, so your main costs are labels (recommended), packaging, and ingredients. An online storefront adds $10/month.
There's no revenue cap — you can sell an unlimited amount.
A broad list: baked goods, jams, candies, dried foods, pickles, and high-acid fermented foods. Meat and meat products are excluded.
A label isn't required under the LFCA, but the state recommends one with the LFCA statement, ingredients, and your contact info.
You can start the same day — there's nothing to apply for.
No. Most sellers start as sole proprietors. An LLC is optional and mainly about liability protection if you scale.
Montana's Local Food Choice Act is about as permissive as it gets — no license, no cap, and fermented foods on the list. Confirm your product, label it (recommended), and set up an easy way for customers to order and pay. Set up a Homegrown storefront to take Montana cottage food orders online, see the best platform to sell food from home, read the full Montana cottage food law, and compare other states on our cottage food laws by state hub.
*This guide is general information, not legal advice. Cottage food rules change — verify current requirements with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services before you start selling. Last verified: June 2026.*
