Pre-trip check · MT → ID
Driving from Montana to Idaho?
The law changes the moment you cross the line — what's legal to carry, light, or do in Montana can be a violation in Idaho. 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)
Home cultivation is illegal in Idaho, and it is a felony.
Full Idaho rule · Official source · verified May 31, 2026
Outside city limits, any open burning (yard/land debris, crop residue) during Closed Fire Season (May 10–Oct 20) requires a free burn permit from the Idaho Dept of Lands via burnpermits.idaho.gov; crop-residue burning…
Full Idaho rule · Official source · verified Jun 18, 2026
In Idaho only nonaerial common fireworks — ground spinners, fountains, sparklers, smoke devices and snakes — may be sold and used by the public. Firecrackers, bottle rockets and other aerials require a public-display…
Full Idaho rule · Official source · verified May 31, 2026
Idaho has no legal retail or online sports betting. Idaho's constitution bans gambling except lottery, pari-mutuel racing, and charitable bingo/raffles.
Full Idaho rule · Official source · verified Jul 16, 2026
Groceries are taxed at the full 6% state sales tax rate, but Idaho residents can claim a food tax credit — $155 per person standard, or up to $250 per person with receipts.
Full Idaho rule · Official source · verified Aug 27, 2026
Idaho (eff. July 1, 2026) makes it a misdemeanor to fly a drone in the restricted airspace (surface to 400 ft) of a state correctional facility (Idaho Code 20-251).
Full Idaho rule · Official source · verified Jul 7, 2026
Idaho bans handheld use of a mobile electronic device for all drivers and requires hands-free use instead (Idaho Code 49-1401A).
Full Idaho rule · Official source · verified Jun 18, 2026
Idaho's default last call for liquor by the drink is 1 a.m., and a city or county may extend it to 2 a.m. by ordinance. Patrons get 30 minutes after last call to finish drinks.
Full Idaho rule · Official source · verified Jul 23, 2026
Idaho requires hunter orange (36+ sq in above waist) only for permit-required pheasant hunts and sponsored hunts; it is not required for big game.
Full Idaho rule · Official source · verified Jun 18, 2026
Common knives (blade 6 in or less) may be carried concealed without a license; a concealed dirk, bowie knife or dagger needs a license unless an exception applies (Idaho Code 18-3302).
Full Idaho rule · Official source · verified Jul 7, 2026
Idaho has no mandatory boater-education requirement and no statewide minimum age to operate a vessel; education is encouraged but not required.
Full Idaho rule · Official source · verified Jul 7, 2026
Idaho has no state red-flag law (also called an Extreme Risk Protection Order, or ERPO), no assault-weapon ban, and no firearm registry.
Full Idaho rule · Official source · verified May 31, 2026
Same status
Matching status ≠ identical law — details, limits and penalties can still differ.
Carrying with a permit? Whether Montana permits are honored in Idaho is its own map — check Idaho concealed-carry reciprocity. And federal land (national parks, forests) plays by federal rules in both states — see the federal-land guide.
Also from Montana: MT → ND · MT → SD · MT → WY · reverse (ID → MT)
Montana to Idaho: common questions
- Do the laws change when you drive from Montana to Idaho?
- Yes — 12 of the 13 categories LawLert tracks have a different status in Idaho than in Montana: cannabis, burn bans, fireworks, gambling, taxes, drones, driving, alcohol, hunting, knives, boating, firearms. 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 cannabis laws in Idaho if I'm coming from Montana?
- Idaho: Restricted — Home cultivation is illegal in Idaho, and it is a felony. In Montana the same category is Permitted.
- What are the burn bans laws in Idaho if I'm coming from Montana?
- Idaho: Restricted — Outside city limits, any open burning (yard/land debris, crop residue) during Closed Fire Season (May 10–Oct 20) requires a free burn permit from the Idaho Dept of Lands via burnpermits.idaho.gov; crop-residue burning… In Montana the same category is Conditional.
- What are the fireworks laws in Idaho if I'm coming from Montana?
- Idaho: Restricted — In Idaho only nonaerial common fireworks — ground spinners, fountains, sparklers, smoke devices and snakes — may be sold and used by the public. Firecrackers, bottle rockets and other aerials require a public-display… In Montana the same category is Permitted.
- Is my Montana concealed carry permit honored in Idaho?
- Permit reciprocity is decided separately from the firearms status shown on this page, so it is not answered here. LawLert publishes Idaho's recognition list, with the statute or agency page behind it, at lawlertapp.com/firearms/ID/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 Montana to Idaho 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.