Cottage food rules
Cottage Food Law in Orlando, Florida: What to Know
What the Florida cottage food rules let you do in Orlando, and what to check before you sell.
On this page
What to remember
- No license or food permit from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is required for a cottage food operation that meets the statute’s conditions.
- The annual sales limit is $250,000.
- The statute includes labeling rules, so your packages have to carry the right information.
- The statute also sets rules on where cottage food products may legally be sold.
- A local law or ordinance may not prohibit a cottage food operation or regulate how the food is prepared, stored, or sold.
If you bake in Orlando and sell from your own kitchen, this is the law that covers you. It is short, and most of it comes down to three things: staying under the sales cap, labeling your bakes, and selling only where the statute allows. Here is what each part means when you are the one doing the baking.
No state permit, but the conditions still apply
A cottage food operation must comply with the applicable requirements of Chapter 500, but it is exempt from the permitting requirements of section 500.12 when it meets the statute’s conditions. Guidance from Feeding Florida and the Cottage Food Law Library says the same thing in plain words: cottage food operations require no license or permit from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and are not inspected by any state government entity.
That does not mean the rules stop mattering. Florida law says a cottage food operation’s refusal to permit the department’s authorized officer or employee entry to the premises, or to conduct the inspection, is grounds for disciplinary action. Keep your kitchen clean, keep your notes, and answer the door if someone from the department comes calling.
The sales cap and where you can sell
Florida Statute 500.80 sets a $250,000 annual sales limit for cottage food operations. The same statute includes rules on where cottage food products may legally be sold, so a market table, a porch pickup, and a birthday order are not automatically the same thing under the law. Read the statute before you add a new place to sell.
Labels on every package
The statute includes labeling rules, and labels are the part of the law your customers actually see. Before you print a single sticker, work through Florida cottage food labels and use a label template so nothing required gets left off. If you sell near the coast as well, the Jacksonville guide walks through the same state rules from a local angle.
What to check before your first Orlando order
Read the statute once, slowly
Florida Statute 500.80 is the source for all of this. Confirm your operation meets its conditions, because the permit exemption depends on that.
Print compliant labels
The statute includes labeling rules. Get your labels right before your first sale, not after.
Track your yearly sales
The $250,000 limit is annual. Keep a running total so you always know how much room you have left.
Sell only where the law allows
The statute includes rules on where cottage food products may legally be sold. Check each new selling spot against them.
Check your local zoning
Florida cottage food requirements cover local zoning compliance as well, so confirm with your city before you count on a home kitchen.
None of this takes long to read, but it is worth an hour before your first order goes out. The rules are the reason you can sell from home at all, and knowing them keeps the baking part simple.
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Common questions
Do I need a license to sell baked goods from my Orlando home kitchen?
A cottage food operation requires no license or permit from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and is not inspected by any state government entity, as long as it meets the conditions in Florida Statute 500.80.
How much can I sell in a year?
Florida Statute 500.80 sets a $250,000 annual sales limit for cottage food operations. It is a yearly figure, not a per order one.
Can the city or county shut me down?
Florida law says a local law, ordinance, or regulation may not prohibit a cottage food operation or regulate the preparation, processing, storage, or sale of cottage food products. Local zoning compliance is still listed among the things Florida cottage food requirements cover.
Do my bakes need labels?
Yes. Florida Statute 500.80 includes labeling rules, so your packaging has to carry the required information.
Can I be inspected?
Cottage food operations are not inspected by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services or any other state government entity, per published guidance. Florida law also says a refusal to permit the department's authorized officer entry, or to conduct the inspection, is grounds for disciplinary action.
Where am I allowed to sell?
Florida Statute 500.80 includes rules on where cottage food products may legally be sold. Check each market, pickup spot, or delivery arrangement against the statute before you commit.
Sources
- Florida Statute 500.80 (2024), flsenate.gov
- Florida Statutes 500.80, florida.public.law
- Florida Statutes, Chapter 500, Section 500.80, leg.state.fl.us
- Florida Cottage Food Law, floridacottagefoods.com
- Cottage Foods, FDACS
- FDACS cottage food guidance, Feeding Florida
- Florida, Cottage Food Law Library
- Florida cottage food rules, StateFoodSafety
This is general information about Florida's cottage food law, not legal or tax advice. Rules can change, and every kitchen is different. Read Florida Statute 500.80 yourself and talk to a qualified professional before you rely on anything here for your own business.