Holiday markets and bake sales are coming. If you want to sell treats from your home kitchen in Missoula County, here’s how to do it legally.

Everything below comes from Missoula Public Health’s cottage food page, checked Oct. 24.

What “cottage food” means

A cottage food vendor can sell low-risk homemade food to the public without a license or permit, but registration with Missoula Public Health is required. Sales must stay within Montana.

What you can sell

• Breads, rolls, biscuits, quick breads and muffins
• Cookies and bars, crackers, granola, nuts and snack mixes
• Most cakes and pies, but not ones that need refrigeration (see below)
• Jams, jellies, preserves and fruit butters made with standardized recipes
• Fudge and cooked candies that don’t need refrigeration, molded chocolate made with commercial melts, popcorn, cotton candy and honey
• Dried fruits, and dry herbs, seasonings, tea and spice blends

What you can’t sell

• Anything that needs refrigeration
• Custard-style pies, and pies or cakes topped with fresh fruit
• Cakes with cream cheese or dairy frosting
• Baked goods with chunks of chopped produce or lots of cheese

How to register

Fill out the Cottage Food Registration Application, with your recipes, ingredients, packaging, labels and cleaning plan, and pay a $40 review fee.

Include every recipe you plan to sell, because adding recipes later takes a new application and another fee. You can apply online, in person or by mail.

Once approved, you’ll get an approval letter by email and can start selling. Your certificate arrives by mail in one to three months. Apply early if you’re aiming for holiday sales.

Where you can sell

• Face to face anywhere in Montana, including farmers markets and events
• Booths at any time, with the landowner’s permission
• Pickup or delivery you arrange yourself, and you can offer samples

You can’t sell to grocery stores, restaurants or anyone reselling your food, use delivery apps like DoorDash, or mail food to customers. Everything must be made in the home kitchen listed on your application.

Another option

Montana’s Local Food Choice Act lets you sell homemade food without meat, with no department review, but only at events, farmers markets, farm stands, from your home or by arranged pickup or delivery (details).

Questions? Call Missoula Public Health at 406-258-4755 (301 W. Alder St., weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.).

Graphic: Missoula Eats & Treats

Sources

• Missoula Public Health, Cottage Food (checked Oct. 24, 2026): missoulapublichealth.org
• Missoula Public Health, Montana Local Food Choice Act: missoulapublichealth.org