- Home occupation permit required:
- Conditional
- Details:
- Missoula County Zoning §5.17 governs home occupations. Key standards: operator must reside on property; max 1 non-resident employee/associate on-site; up to 3 clients/customers at one time on-site; all activities within enclosed building; no excessive noise/odors/traffic. NOTE: Section §5.17(D)(6) expressly prohibits 'eating or drinking establishments' as home occupations. This may require careful interpretation for cottage food (direct sales vs. eating establishment). Building Division may need to determine if change-of-use permit is required. Consult Missoula County Public Works Department Building Division.
- Home kitchen:
- Montana has two tracks: (1) Standard cottage food: requires registration with local health authority (Missoula City-County Health Department), non-PHF foods, no consignment; (2) Montana Local Food Choice Act: broad exemption for direct producer-to-consumer including PHF foods, no licensing/inspection. Home occupation also governed by Missoula County Zoning §5.17.
Last verified 2026-05-05. Not legal advice.
