Cottage food rules
Can I Sell Home Baked Goods Online? State Rules (2026)
Which states let you sell online, what Texas and California require, and the checks to run before your first order.
On this page
What to remember
- Your state sets the rules, not the site you sell on.
- Texas allows online cottage food sales when the buyer orders from you online.
- California cottage food labels need a home kitchen disclosure.
- Texas has a registration step for some sellers as of September 1, 2025.
The honest way to answer can I sell home baked goods online is to start with your state, not with a website. An app or a website does not change your cottage food rules. Here is what Texas and California require, plus the checks that apply anywhere.
Who decides whether you can sell online
Cottage food rules come from your state health department or agriculture department, so two bakers with the same oven can face different answers. A listing page will happily take your cake photo before anyone has asked whether your kitchen is allowed to sell it. That order of events is backwards.
Start with the paperwork question. Our guide on whether you need a license to sell baked goods online walks through the difference between a license, a permit, and a registration, because states use those words loosely.
What Texas says about online cottage food sales
The Texas DSHS says food from a cottage food production operation may be sold online when the consumer purchased the food online from the operator. Read that twice, because the wording matters. The order has to start with your customer buying from you. That is the sale the state describes.
Texas also added a registration step. According to The Craft Map, as of September 1, 2025, cottage food operators must register online with DSHS if they sell refrigerated or frozen TCS foods, or if they resell cottage foods as a vendor. If either case sounds like your business, plan for that registration before your first order.
If your menu is mostly bread, read the bread rules before anything else. Our guide to selling bread from home in Texas covers the 2026 rules for that product.
What California requires on your label
California’s cottage food law, AB 1616, includes a required home kitchen disclosure on cottage food labels, according to QuicklyCottage. That line is not decoration on the box. It tells the buyer the food came from a home kitchen, and it has to be on the label before the food leaves your hands.
If you sell online in California, treat the label as part of the product. Order labels with the disclosure printed, or leave space for it on every sticker. Rebuilding labels after your first ten orders costs money you already spent.
Before you take your first online order
Find your state's cottage food page
Search your state health department site for cottage food. Read the sales section, not only the list of allowed foods.
Match each item to the allowed list
Write out every product you plan to sell and check it one by one. Drop anything that is not covered before you photograph it.
Sort out registration or a permit
Ask whether your state wants a registration, a permit, or something else for your products. Confirm which one applies and save the reply.
Build the label
Put your business name, contact details, and any required disclosure on every label. California sellers need the home kitchen line.
Set up ordering and payment
Decide where orders land and how you accept cards, cash, and payment apps. Test one order with a friend before you announce.
The mistakes that cost home bakers money
The expensive mistakes on this page are not about baking. They are about selling before checking, and about assuming a website counts as permission.
A worked example with one online cake order
Say a customer orders a two layer cake from your online listing. Ingredients cost $12, the board and box cost $3, and the cake takes 2.5 hours at $18 an hour, which is $45 for your time. Card fees and the drop off trip add $5 of overhead. Your full cost is $65. Price the cake at $95 and your margin is $30, about 32 percent of the price. Price it at $70 and you earned $5 for 2.5 hours. The state rules decide whether you may sell. The math decides whether selling is worth your Saturday.
Try the free bake pricing calculator
Free, no signup.
When you are ready to file, use our guide on getting a permit to sell baked goods from home or the one on a license to sell baked goods from home. Pick whichever matches what your state calls the paperwork.
Common questions
Can I sell home baked goods online in every state?
No. Cottage food rules are written state by state, so the answer depends on where your kitchen is. A product that is allowed in one state may be limited or excluded in another. Find your own state's cottage food page and read the sales section before you list anything.
Does Texas allow cottage food sales online?
Yes, with a condition. The Texas DSHS says cottage food may be sold online when the consumer purchased the food online from the operator. The order needs to come from your customer to you. Keep records that show who ordered, what they bought, and when they paid.
What has to be on a California cottage food label?
California's AB 1616 includes a required home kitchen disclosure on cottage food labels, according to QuicklyCottage. Order labels that carry the disclosure, or size your sticker so the line fits legibly. The label has to be ready before the first order goes out, not after.
Do I need a website to sell baked goods online?
You need a place where customers can order from you, and the state rule looks at who the buyer is, not which site you use. A simple order form, a message thread, or a shop page can all work. Pick one you can update from your phone.
What if my state has no clear online sales rule?
Then the safe move is to ask. Contact your state health department and describe exactly what you plan to sell and how the order arrives. Keep the reply. A written answer from the agency is worth more than a forum post from a baker three states away.
Sources
This is general information about cottage food rules in Texas and California, not legal or tax advice. Rules change, so confirm your own state's requirements before you sell.