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.
What changes for you (12)
Fully illegal for medical and recreational use. Narrow exceptions exist only for FDA-approved cannabis-derived drug products: CBD formulations with no more than 0.1% residual THC (Epidiolex), nabiximols, and…
Full Idaho rule · Official source · verified Jul 28, 2026
Only nonaerial common fireworks (ground spinners, fountains, sparklers, smoke devices, snakes) may be sold and used by the public. Firecrackers, bottle rockets and other aerials require a public-display permit. (Stands…
Full Idaho rule · Official source · verified May 31, 2026
Prohibited. No legal retail or online sports betting. Constitution bans gambling except lottery, pari-mutuel racing, and charitable bingo/raffles.
Full Idaho rule · Official source · verified Jul 16, 2026
Groceries taxed at the full 6% state rate — the highest state grocery tax — but residents can claim a grocery credit (up to $155/person).
Full Idaho rule · Official source · verified Jun 5, 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
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
Default last call for liquor by the drink is 1 a.m.; 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
Hunter orange (36+ sq in above waist) required only for permit-required pheasant hunts and sponsored hunts. 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
No state red-flag/ERPO law. No assault-weapon ban; no 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, fireworks, gambling, taxes, burn bans, 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 — Fully illegal for medical and recreational use. Narrow exceptions exist only for FDA-approved cannabis-derived drug products: CBD formulations with no more than 0.1% residual THC (Epidiolex), nabiximols, and… In Montana the same category is Permitted.
- What are the fireworks laws in Idaho if I'm coming from Montana?
- Idaho: Restricted — Only nonaerial common fireworks (ground spinners, fountains, sparklers, smoke devices, snakes) may be sold and used by the public. Firecrackers, bottle rockets and other aerials require a public-display permit. (Stands… In Montana the same category is Permitted.
- What are the gambling laws in Idaho if I'm coming from Montana?
- Idaho: Restricted — Prohibited. No legal retail or online sports betting. Constitution bans gambling except lottery, pari-mutuel racing, and charitable bingo/raffles. In Montana the same category is Conditional.
- 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. LawLert carries 6,693 rules, each with a source URL, and publishes a log of every correction it has made at lawlertapp.com/how-we-verify. Laws change — confirm anything consequential against the linked source.