Cottage food rules
Alabama Cottage Food Law Course Online: What to Take
Which course Alabama accepts, how to take it online, and how long it lasts.
On this page
What to remember
- No license and no permit. The food safety course is the requirement.
- The Alabama Cooperative Extension System course is approved.
- You can take it live over Zoom or self paced online.
- The certificate is valid for three years.
- A Spanish language version is available too.
If you bake from your kitchen in Alabama and want to sell what you make, the paperwork is smaller than most people expect. There is no license and there is no permit. What there is, is a course. Here is which one to take, how to take it from your phone or laptop, and what to sort out afterwards. If you want the wider picture first, read how to apply for cottage food law.
What Alabama actually requires
Alabama does not require any type of license or permit to operate a cottage food business. The state does require that you complete an approved food safety training course, and cottage food operators also have to follow specific labeling rules on what they package. That is the whole list. Two things are worth getting right the first time: the course you choose, and your labels. If you are still weighing up whether selling from home is for you, license to sell baked goods from home walks through the basics.
The Alabama Cottage Food Law course, online
The Alabama Cooperative Extension System runs a Cottage Food Law course, and it is an approved course. The Extension service also offers a food safety course developed specifically for cottage food operations. The Zoom version of the Cottage Food Law course meets the food safety training requirement for people who want to sell certain non hazardous foods from their home. If you would rather work at your own pace, a self paced online course called Alabama Cottage Food Law was launched by the Food Safety and Quality Team for people interested in producing food for sale under the law.
If Spanish is easier for you, there is a Spanish language version taught by a native Spanish speaker. It provides information on the law and on the foods that can be produced at home and sold to consumers, so you are not piecing the rules together from a translation.
Getting the course done
Know what you plan to sell
The course meets the training requirement for people selling certain non hazardous foods made from home. Write down your list of bakes before you start.
Pick your format
Live over Zoom, or self paced online. Both come from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, so choose the one that fits your week.
Take the course and keep the certificate
The certificate you receive on completion is valid for three years.
Sort your labels before your first order
Cottage food operators follow specific labeling rules. Get your labels worked out before someone places an order, not the night before delivery.
What comes after the certificate
The training is the gate. The selling is the part that pays you. Brevl gives you a shop you can point people to, card payments through your own Stripe or Square account, plus Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and cash. Recipes come with real costing, ingredient inventory, and a weekly planner so you can see what a batch actually costs before you name a price. We set it up with you and move your old shop over, products, photos, reviews, and dates, and a real person answers, usually within minutes. If you are still working out what the setup costs beyond the course, how much is a home bakery license covers the money side.
Try the free bake pricing calculator
Free, no signup.
Common questions
Do I need a license to sell baked goods from home in Alabama?
No. Alabama does not require any type of license or permit to operate a cottage food business. The state does require that you complete an approved food safety training course.
How long is the Alabama Cottage Food Law certificate good for?
The certificate you receive on completion of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System course is valid for three years.
Can I take the course online instead of in person?
Yes. The Cottage Food Law course is offered over Zoom, and a self paced online course called Alabama Cottage Food Law was launched by the Food Safety and Quality Team.
Do I have to take the Extension course?
Not necessarily. The Alabama Department of Public Health notes that food safety courses other than the Extension course are also accepted. Confirm with the department before you pay for a different one.
Is the course available in Spanish?
Yes. A Spanish language version is taught by a native Spanish speaker and covers the law and the foods that can be produced at home and sold to consumers.
Sources
- Alabama Department of Public Health: Cottage Food
- Auburn University course catalog: Alabama Cottage Food Law
- Alabama Extension: Cottage Food Law Course via Zoom
- The LaFayette Sun: New online course launches for Alabama home food producers
- FoodSafePal: Alabama cottage food law
- Cakery Bakeries: Alabama cottage food laws
- Alabama Extension: Alabama Cottage Food Law course (Spanish)
This is general information about Alabama cottage food rules, not legal advice. Requirements can change, so confirm details with the Alabama Department of Public Health before you sell.