Pre-trip check · ID → MT
Driving from Idaho to Montana?
The law changes the moment you cross the line — what's legal to carry, light, or do in Idaho can be a violation in Montana. Every status below is live from LawLert's database, dated, and linked to its official source.
Laws change at the state line.The free LawLert iPhone app alerts you when you cross into a state where a law you track differs: firearms, cannabis, alcohol, fireworks and 9 more. No account.Get the appWhat changes for you (12)
In Montana, big game hunters must wear at least 400 sq in of hunter orange above the waist, visible from all sides; archery-season bowhunters are exempt.
Full Montana rule · Official source · verified Jun 18, 2026
Montana issues fire restrictions per land-management unit (county, national forest, BLM district, FWP site) — there is no single statewide Stage, and the Stage can differ between landowner classes inside the same…
Full Montana rule · Official source · verified Sep 30, 2026
Montana sports betting is legal only through the state-run "Sports Bet Montana" (Montana Lottery), and you must be 18+. Kiosks/terminals at licensed retailers; the app works only while physically on a licensed…
Full Montana rule · Official source · verified Jul 20, 2026
Montana requires no education card for adults; youths 13-14 may operate a motorboat/PWC over 10 hp only with a Montana motorboat operator's safety certificate or if accompanied by someone 18+.
Full Montana rule · Official source · verified Jul 7, 2026
Montana allows home cultivation for adults 21 and older: up to 2 mature plants and 2 seedlings per person, and no more than 4 mature plants and 4 seedlings per residence, kept locked and not publicly visible.
Full Montana rule · Official source · verified May 31, 2026
In Montana, last call is 2 a.m., and it is the same statewide.
Full Montana rule · Official source · verified Jun 5, 2026
Most consumer fireworks are sold at licensed Montana retailers during seasonal windows.
Full Montana rule · Official source · verified Jun 5, 2026
Montana has no general statewide sales or use tax; some tourist localities levy local resort/lodging taxes.
Full Montana rule · Official source · verified Jul 15, 2026
No drone-specific law; Montana's critical-infrastructure statute (82-1-602) punishes only physical trespass at such sites, not drone overflight; FAA applies.
Full Montana rule · Official source · verified Jul 7, 2026
Montana has no red-flag law (also called an Extreme Risk Protection Order, or ERPO), and no assault-weapon ban or restriction on magazines; state preemption of local gun laws is strong.
Full Montana rule · Official source · verified May 31, 2026
A 'concealed weapon' is defined as only a firearm, so carrying any knife concealed (any blade length) is not an offense in Montana (MCA 45-8-316).
Full Montana rule · Official source · verified Jul 7, 2026
Montana has no statewide handheld or texting ban for adult drivers — only local ordinances apply. SB 359 failed in 2025, and the Montana Department of Transportation confirms there is no statewide law.
Full Montana rule · Official source · verified Jun 18, 2026
Same status
Matching status ≠ identical law — details, limits and penalties can still differ.
Carrying with a permit? Whether Idaho permits are honored in Montana is its own map — check Montana concealed-carry reciprocity. And federal land (national parks, forests) plays by federal rules in both states — see the federal-land guide.
Also from Idaho: ID → NV · ID → OR · ID → UT · ID → WA · ID → WY · reverse (MT → ID)
Idaho to Montana: common questions
- Do the laws change when you drive from Idaho to Montana?
- Yes — 12 of the 13 categories LawLert tracks have a different status in Montana than in Idaho: hunting, burn bans, gambling, boating, cannabis, alcohol, fireworks, taxes, drones, firearms, knives, driving. Each is listed on this page with its current status, the official source it came from, and the date it was last verified.
- What are the hunting laws in Montana if I'm coming from Idaho?
- Montana: Restricted — In Montana, big game hunters must wear at least 400 sq in of hunter orange above the waist, visible from all sides; archery-season bowhunters are exempt. In Idaho the same category is Conditional.
- What are the burn bans laws in Montana if I'm coming from Idaho?
- Montana: Conditional — Montana issues fire restrictions per land-management unit (county, national forest, BLM district, FWP site) — there is no single statewide Stage, and the Stage can differ between landowner classes inside the same… In Idaho the same category is Info.
- What are the gambling laws in Montana if I'm coming from Idaho?
- Montana: Conditional — Montana sports betting is legal only through the state-run "Sports Bet Montana" (Montana Lottery), and you must be 18+. Kiosks/terminals at licensed retailers; the app works only while physically on a licensed… In Idaho the same category is Restricted.
- Is my Idaho concealed carry permit honored in Montana?
- Permit reciprocity is decided separately from the firearms status shown on this page, so it is not answered here. LawLert publishes Montana's recognition list, with the statute or agency page behind it, at lawlertapp.com/firearms/MT/reciprocity. Permitless carry, where a state allows it, is a different question again — it does not make an out-of-state permit valid.
- How current is this Idaho to Montana comparison?
- Every rule on this page stores the date it was last checked against its source; the oldest on this comparison is 2026-05-31. Every rule LawLert publishes carries a source URL, and every correction it has made is public at lawlertapp.com/how-we-verify. Laws change — confirm anything consequential against the linked source.