Cottage food rules
Cottage Food Law in Kansas: What Home Bakers Need
A plain answer on what Kansas does and does not require before you sell your bakes.
On this page
What to remember
- No license, permit, registration, or inspection for shelf-stable foods sold directly to consumers.
- No dollar limit on Kansas cottage food sales.
- The exemption is in K.S.A. 65-689(d)(4).
- Kansas adopted its current Food Code on June 2, 2023.
- Keep your food shelf-stable and your sales direct to stay inside the exemption.
If you are baking in your Kansas kitchen and taking orders from neighbors, the first question is usually whether the state wants paperwork from you. For shelf-stable food sold straight to the person who eats it, the answer is no. That does not mean every bake is covered. The rules turn on the food and on who buys it. For a closer look at where baked goods fit, read cottage food law for baked goods.
What Kansas does not require
Kansas does not require any license, permit, registration, or inspection for non-TCS (shelf-stable) foods sold directly to consumers. That covers the paperwork people often worry about when they start taking orders from home. You are not filing for a cottage food permit. You are not booking an inspection for your kitchen. You are selling shelf-stable food straight to the person who will eat it.
The exemption is written into K.S.A. 65-689(d)(4), inside the Kansas Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. That is the legal hook to know if you are reading the statute or asking a question at the farmers market. The language is about a direct-to-consumer producer exemption. If your bakes include frosting, read cottage food law approved frosting before you assume the recipe fits.
No dollar limit on your sales
Kansas sets no dollar limit on cottage food sales. That means the ceiling on growth is your own kitchen and time, not a statutory cap. You can take more orders in a busy month without crossing a sales number in the law. You still need to keep the food shelf-stable and keep the sale direct.
A quiet advantage of no sales cap is that you can plan a bigger holiday week without wondering whether a new number changes your status. The law does not put a dollar figure on what you may sell. Your limits are practical: oven space, cooling space, packaging, and the hours you can work.
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The Kansas Food Code and your kitchen
Kansas adopted its current Food Code on June 2, 2023, after the state’s most recent adoption of federal food safety rules. That date matters when you are reading older pages or asking for local advice. A page written before June 2023 may describe a different code. The Food Code is the state’s current set of food safety rules. The exemption for direct-to-consumer shelf-stable food sits in K.S.A. 65-689(d)(4). If you are reading the statute, look for that section.
You do not need to memorize the code to sell a tray of shelf-stable bakes directly to a customer. You do need to know which sentence gives you the exemption and which food it covers. The exemption is specific: shelf-stable food, sold direct, to the person who will eat it. When your plan fits those conditions, Kansas does not ask for a license, permit, registration, or inspection. When your plan does not fit, do not assume the exemption follows you.
Common questions
Do I need a cottage food permit in Kansas?
No. Kansas does not require any license, permit, registration, or inspection for non-TCS shelf-stable foods sold directly to consumers.
Is there a sales cap for Kansas cottage food sales?
No. Kansas sets no dollar limit on cottage food sales.
Where is the exemption in the law?
It is in K.S.A. 65-689(d)(4), inside the Kansas Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
When did the current Kansas Food Code take effect?
It took effect on June 2, 2023, after the state's most recent adoption of federal food safety rules.
Does this cover any food I bake?
No. The exemption is for non-TCS shelf-stable foods sold directly to consumers. If your food is not shelf-stable, this exemption does not cover it.
Sources
General information, not legal advice. Rules can change, so confirm the details with the state before you sell.