Cottage food rules
Baltimore County Cottage Food Laws for Home Bakers
What Baltimore County home bakers can sell, and where the state rules end.
On this page
What to remember
- Maryland lets cottage food businesses work from a home kitchen without a Department of Health license.
- Baltimore County follows the Maryland state baseline rather than a separate county rule.
- You may sell only cottage food products that are stored on your own premises.
- The 2025 state guidelines say you must still follow every county and city law that applies to you.
- The state rules cover what you can sell, permit and license questions, sales caps, and labels.
If you are already selling cakes and cookies to neighbors, the short version is that you are allowed to do it from your kitchen, and the county is not the place you go for a separate cottage food permit. The rules that matter to you come from the state. If you want to see how Maryland sits next to other states, states with the best cottage food laws puts the picture side by side.
What the Maryland rules cover
Under COMAR 10.15.03.27, a cottage food business may sell non potentially hazardous homemade foods made in a private home kitchen without a Maryland Department of Health license. The Maryland Department of Health publishes guidance on which foods are allowable, so the list of what you can bake and sell is a state list, not a county one. The state rules cover what you can legally sell, permit and license rules, sales caps, and labeling requirements.
Labeling is the part most home bakers get wrong on the first order, and it is worth reading the label rules before you print a single sticker. Our walk through Virginia cottage food label requirements shows the kind of detail labels usually need, and it is a useful checklist to compare against Maryland’s own rules.
Check your bakes against the state list
Before you take money for a new item, confirm it is on the Maryland Department of Health list of allowable cottage foods. A shelf stable bake that sits at room temperature is a very different thing from a cream filled one, and the allowable foods guidance is where that line is drawn.
Confirm the food is allowed
Read the Maryland Department of Health guidance for allowable foods that may be produced and sold by a Maryland cottage food business.
Keep it stored at home
A cottage food owner may sell only cottage food products stored on the premises of the business, which for you means your own kitchen.
Label every item
Maryland’s cottage food rules include labeling requirements, so build your label into how you package each order.
Follow county and city rules too
The state guidelines require you to comply with all applicable county and municipal laws, so check anything that touches your home address.
Ask before you guess
If a bake or a label question is unclear, call the Maryland Department of Health Office of Food Protection instead of assuming.
Who to call when you are not sure
The Maryland Department of Health Office of Food Protection is at 6 St. Paul Street, Suite 1301, Baltimore, MD 21202, and the phone number is (410) 767-8400. One call is usually faster than a week of second guessing, especially when you are about to add a new product to your menu. When you are ready to make it official, how to apply for a home bakery license explains what a license involves in other situations, so you can tell whether it applies to you at all.
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Common questions
Do I need a license to sell baked goods from my home in Baltimore County?
Maryland allows a cottage food business to operate from a residential kitchen without a Department of Health license, and under COMAR 10.15.03.27 a cottage food business may sell non potentially hazardous homemade foods made in a private home kitchen without that license.
Does Baltimore County have its own cottage food law?
Baltimore County follows the Maryland state baseline for cottage food rules. The 2025 state guidelines do say that cottage food businesses must comply with all applicable county and municipal laws, so other county rules can still reach you.
What can I sell as a cottage food business in Maryland?
The Maryland Department of Health provides guidance for allowable foods that may be produced and sold by a Maryland cottage food business. Check that list before you add an item to your menu.
Can I store my bakes somewhere else and sell them?
A cottage food business owner may sell only cottage food products stored on the premises of the business, so the food needs to be stored at your home kitchen.
What do Maryland cottage food rules cover?
They cover what you can legally sell, permit and license rules, sales caps, and labeling requirements. Labeling is the piece to sort out before your first paid order.
Who do I contact with a question about cottage food in Maryland?
The Maryland Department of Health Office of Food Protection is at 6 St. Paul Street, Suite 1301, Baltimore, MD 21202, and can be reached at (410) 767-8400.
Sources
- Cottage Food Law Library: Maryland
- City Rule Lookup: Cottage food, Baltimore County MD
- University of Maryland Extension: Cottage Food Business Law
- Baltimore County cottage food report
- Maryland Department of Health: Updated Cottage Food Guidelines 2025
- Cakery Bakeries: Maryland cottage food laws
- Maryland Department of Health: Cottage Foods
This is general information about cottage food rules, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm the current requirements with the Maryland Department of Health Office of Food Protection before you sell.