Selling dried sourdough starter in Montana
What Montana official sources actually say about selling dried sourdough starter under cottage food law — dry mix / non-tcs list supports — confirm. Last verified 2026-10-15.
If you keep a jar going in Montana, selling dried sourdough starter is a different cottage-food question than selling bread. The product is flour and water that you fermented, then dried. Official pages almost never use the words “dried starter.” This post only repeats what the current statute, agency page, or extension guide actually says — and where that source is silent.
Dried starter is not automatically a baked good
A loaf is baked. Dried starter is a dry culture. Some states publish a closed allowed-foods list (baked goods, jams, dried herbs). Some allow non-TCS / non-potentially-hazardous foods as a class. A few name baking mixes, dry mixtures, or — in Kansas — dehydrated sourdough starter. We do not stretch a baked-goods line into a dry-culture line unless a source supports that read.
The quick facts
- Law
- Montana Code Annotated Title 50, Chapter 50, Part 1 — Retail Food Establishments: Cottage Food Operations; and Title 50, Chapter 49 — Montana Local Food Choice Act
- Statute
- Mont. Code §50-50-116 and §50-50-117 (cottage food); Mont. Code §§50-49-201 et seq. (Local Food Choice Act)
- Agency
- Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services
- Dried-starter read
- Dry mix / non-TCS list supports — confirm
- Annual sales cap
- No annual sales cap published in the statute row
- Registration / permit
- Registration required (statute row): Yes.
- Kitchen inspection
- Kitchen inspection (statute row): Upon-complaint.
- Food-handler training
- Food-handler training (statute row): No.
- Last verified
- 2026-10-15
Where in-state sales usually go
Sales cap, registration, allowed foods, and every county — free on Crosodo.
From the Crosodo statute row: Consignment sales at retail food establishments or through wholesale establishments are explicitly prohibited under §50-50-116(3). The Montana Local Food Choice Act also requires direct producer-to-informed-end-consumer transactions only; retail locations require a wholesale food license.
County zoning, market manager rules, and home-occupation permits still apply on top of the state food rule. Start with the Montana state guide and your county page.
Labeling
Labels must include: name, address, city, state, zip of operation; product name; ingredients in descending order by weight; net quantity; allergen labeling per federal/state law; and a conspicuous statement in at least 11-point font: 'Made in a home kitchen that is not subject to retail food establishment regulations or inspections.' Under the MLFCA, producers must inform consumers that the food has not been licensed, permitted, certified, packaged, labeled, or inspected.
Walk the fields in the Montana cottage food labeling guide. Do not copy another state's disclaimer.
Interstate / shipping across state lines
Cottage-food / homemade-food exemptions are in-state instruments. They do not, by themselves, authorize interstate commerce. Confirm manufactured-food licensing with the state agency and FDA facility registration for your facts. We do not invent a permit name or a fee.
Cottage-food exemptions are state instruments. They do not replace federal rules that apply when food enters interstate commerce. If you want to ship out of state, ask the state manufactured-food program and confirm FDA facility registration for your situation. We do not invent a license name or a fee here.
Official sources
Every number and product claim on this page is tied to a source opened on 2026-10-15, plus the Crosodo statute row and — where we have them — the regulations library notes for Maryland, Colorado, and Virginia.
- Montana DPHHS cottage foods — last verified 2026-10-15
- Mont. Code §50-50-116 and §50-50-117 (cottage food); Mont. Code §§50-49-201 et seq. (Local Food Choice Act)
- Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services
- Montana extension
- Montana cottage food state guide
- Selling cottage food in Montana
- Montana labeling guide
- All 50 states — dried starter hub
Montana dried starter FAQ
Can I sell dried sourdough starter in Montana?
Montana cottage-food approved processes include recombining and packaging dry herbs, seasonings, or mixtures. Dried starter is not named. Confirm with DPHHS whether a homemade dried culture is that process or something else.
What is the Montana cottage-food sales cap?
No annual sales cap published in the statute row
Can I ship dried sourdough starter out of Montana under cottage food law?
Cottage-food / homemade-food exemptions are in-state instruments. They do not, by themselves, authorize interstate commerce. Confirm manufactured-food licensing with the state agency and FDA facility registration for your facts. We do not invent a permit name or a fee.
Crosodo Journal entries are recipe, craft, and cottage-food notes for home bakers. Recipes assume an active starter and basic equipment. Cottage food sales are governed by your state's law — start with the free state directory, check a product with Can I sell this?, or grab a label template. Not legal advice.
