Cottage food rules
Cottage Food Law in Chicago: What Home Bakers Must Do
What Chicago asks of a home baker before the first sale, in plain steps.
On this page
What to remember
- A cottage food operation is a home based food business run from a kitchen in that home.
- Chicago requires registration with the Chicago Department of Public Health if you sell home prepared foods and you bake in Chicago.
- The application goes to the Chicago Department of Public Health with any additional paperwork.
- Illinois sets no dollar limit on cottage food sales.
- The list of foods you can and cannot make comes from the most recent IDPH cottage food guidance.
If you are still working out whether this applies to you, start with cottage food law for your home baking business for the bigger picture, then come back here for the Chicago steps.
Does Chicago cottage food law apply to you
Illinois describes a cottage food operation as a home based food business run by a person who produces food or drink, other than foods and drinks Illinois law prohibits, in a kitchen located in that home. That is the state level picture. The city adds its own step on top of it.
Chicago requires registration with the Chicago Department of Public Health if a person wishes to sell home prepared foods and the home where those foods are prepared is in Chicago. So the question is simple. Do you bake in a home inside the city, and do you want to sell what you bake. If both are yes, the city registration is part of your setup.
The steps to register in Chicago
Confirm the food you want to sell is allowed
Chicago’s cottage food application points operators to the most recent IDPH Cottage Food guidance for details on allowable and unallowable foods and drink. Read that before you build a menu around a recipe.
Fill out the cottage food application
The City of Chicago provides an application for cottage food operations registration. Complete it for the home where you actually bake.
Send it with any additional paperwork
To register a cottage food operation that resides in the City of Chicago, an operator must complete a cottage food application and any additional paperwork and submit it to the Chicago Department of Public Health.
Keep your paperwork where you can find it
Keep a copy of what you submitted. When a customer or a market asks how you are set up, you will want to answer quickly.
What you can sell and how much
Illinois sets no dollar limit on cottage food sales, so there is no cap you need to track against. What limits you is the food list, not a sales ceiling. That makes the IDPH guidance the document to keep handy, because it decides what goes in your boxes.
If you are comparing notes with bakers in other states, cottage food law for home bakers walks through what to check, and the cottage food law application covers what to do first when you sit down with the form.
Getting paid once you are registered
Once the paperwork is in, the practical side is taking orders and getting paid. Brevl lets you take card payments through your own Stripe or Square account, plus Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and cash. It works on a computer and on a phone, and a real person answers, usually within minutes.
Work out what your bakes cost before you set prices
Free, no signup.
Pricing is easier when you know your numbers. Brevl handles recipes with real costing, ingredient inventory, and a weekly planner, so you can price and plan before the first order lands.
Common questions
Do I need to register with the City of Chicago if I bake at home and sell?
Chicago requires registration with the Chicago Department of Public Health if a person wishes to sell home prepared foods and the home where those foods are prepared is in Chicago.
What do I submit to register?
You complete a cottage food application and any additional paperwork and submit it to the Chicago Department of Public Health.
How do I know which foods I am allowed to make?
Chicago's cottage food application refers operators to the most recent IDPH Cottage Food guidance for details on allowable and unallowable foods and drink.
Is there a limit on how much I can sell in Illinois?
No. Illinois sets no dollar limit on cottage food sales.
What counts as a cottage food operation in Illinois?
Illinois describes cottage food operations as home based food businesses run by a person who produces food or drink, other than foods and drinks prohibited by Illinois law, in a kitchen located in that home.
Sources
General information, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm the current requirements with the Chicago Department of Public Health and the Illinois Department of Public Health before you sell.