Cottage food rules
Cottage Food Law for Your Home Baking Business
A plain way to understand cottage food rules before you sell from your home kitchen.
On this page
What to remember
- Cottage food rules cover low risk foods, not every kind of food you might want to sell.
- Registration, inspection, training, sales caps, and online selling rules vary by state.
- Check your state and local rules before you take your first paid order.
- Keep simple sales records so you can stay under any yearly cap.
Start with the big picture, then narrow it down to your own kitchen. Our guide to cottage food law for home bakers walks through what to check, and the cottage food law application helps you get the paperwork in order.
What cottage food law covers
Cottage food laws let you sell low risk homemade foods like bread, cookies, jam, and candy from your home kitchen without a commercial kitchen, and every state has some version of these rules. The rules tell you which low risk foods you can make at home without a commercial kitchen. For a baking business, that boundary matters because it tells you what belongs on your menu.
Cottage food laws for all 50 states plus DC can be compared in a single table covering registration, inspection, training, the annual sales cap, the allowed foods model, and online selling. That list is a good checklist for your own state. If you plan to sell at a market, take custom orders, or sell online, check each item before you bake.
What changes from state to state
Washington state shows how a permit can work. A Cottage Food Permit allows a resident to make food that is not potentially hazardous, such as baked goods, candies, jams, jellies, and preserves. Georgia puts cottage food producers, also known as home kitchen food producers, under the Retail Food section of the Georgia Department of Agriculture. Illinois asks cottage food operations to register with the local authority, and its rules include prohibited ingredients and additional requirements detailed in the state’s cottage food guide.
Michigan adds another layer. A cottage food operation in Michigan must comply with labeling and the other provisions in the Michigan Food Law, as well as other applicable state or federal laws or local ordinances. That is a reminder to check local rules too, not just the state page. If you are in California, start with California cottage food law for the state view.
The business side of cottage food law
Once you know what you can sell, set up simple habits that keep you inside the rules. Keep a copy of your state’s allowed foods list where you plan your menu. Write down your label details before you print stickers, because Michigan requires labeling and other provisions in the Michigan Food Law, as well as other applicable state or federal laws or local ordinances. Check your state’s label rule too, and confirm what your label must include.
Track your sales in a way you can read at a glance. A yearly sales cap only works if you know where you stand, so note each order and each market day. Keep your registration or permit papers together with your recipes and labels. When a customer asks whether you can make something, check the allowed foods list first, then answer.
Cottage food law is not one rule you learn once and forget. It is a set of state and local limits that shape your menu, your labels, and your sales year. Read your state page, check your local rules, and keep your records simple. Then you can bake with a clearer picture of what your business can do.
Common questions
Do I need a commercial kitchen to sell baked goods from home?
Not if your state's cottage food rules cover what you make. Cottage food laws let you sell low risk homemade foods like bread, cookies, jam, and candy from your home kitchen without a commercial kitchen. Check your state's allowed foods list first.
Is cottage food law the same in every state?
No. Registration, inspection, training, the annual sales cap, the allowed foods model, and online selling rules can all differ. Compare your state in a current table and confirm the details with your state or local health department.
Can I sell online under cottage food law?
It depends on your state. Online selling is one of the items compared in the state table, so check your state's rule before you take orders through social media or a website.
What records should I keep?
Keep a simple log of what you sold and when, so you can stay under any yearly sales cap. Oklahoma, for example, limits sales to $20,000 per year under its Home Bakery Act of 2013.
Do I need a label on my bakes?
Some states require labels. Michigan requires cottage food operations to comply with labeling and the other provisions in the Michigan Food Law, as well as other applicable state or federal laws or local ordinances. Check your state's label rule before you print stickers.
Where do I start?
Read your state's cottage food page, then check your local rules. Our guide to the [cottage food law application](/blog/cottage-food-law-application/) can help you line up the first steps.
Sources
- Washington State Department of Agriculture: Cottage Food
- Georgia Department of Agriculture: Cottage Food
- Illinois Department of Public Health: Cottage Food
- Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development: Cottage Food
- Oklahoma Senate: Cottage Food Laws Overview, State Comparisons
- Cottage Food Law Library: Cottage Food Laws by State
- Homegrown: Cottage Food Laws by State
General information, not legal advice. Cottage food rules change and vary by state and locality, so check your state and local health department before you sell.