Cottage food rules
Cottage Food Law Permit: What Home Bakers Need to Know
How to find out whether your state wants a permit, a registration, or nothing at all.
On this page
What to remember
- A permit, a license, and an exemption are not the same thing, and your state decides which one you fall under.
- Some states ask for nothing. Michigan cottage food operations have no application forms and no registration.
- Not every food qualifies. Mississippi allows only specific cottage food products to be sold this way.
- Where you sell matters as much as what you make. New York home processed items must be sold within New York State.
If you are still working out whether any of this applies to you, start with cottage food law: what home bakers need to check. It covers what the rules touch before you get anywhere near paperwork. Then come back here for the permit question itself.
What a cottage food permit covers
A Cottage Food Permit in Washington allows a resident to make food that is not potentially hazardous. The state lists baked goods, candies, jams, jellies, preserves, fruit butters, and dry spice blends as examples of what that covers. California describes a similar idea with different words: a Cottage Food Operation can prepare and package certain non-potentially hazardous foods in a private home kitchen. In both places the permission is tied to the type of food, so the product list is the part to read slowly and twice.
Some states ask for a permit, some ask for nothing
In Michigan, if you qualify to operate under the Food Law Cottage Food exemptions, you are exempt from obtaining a food establishment license under the Food Code. The state also says there are no application forms to complete and no registration required. Georgia took a different road: its cottage food law removed the state licensing requirement and allows sales to retail stores. Two states, two very different answers to the same question, which is why a national summary will only carry you so far. For a state by state starting point, see the cottage food law list.
What to check before you take your first order
Find your state's food agency page
Search your state name plus cottage food, and land on the official page rather than a blog summary of it.
Work out which one applies to you
Michigan needs no forms. Washington issues a permit. Yours will be one of those or something in between, and the page will say which.
Read the allowed product list
Mississippi limits sales to specific cottage food products. If your bake is not on that list, a permit will not cover it.
Check where you may sell
New York home processed items must be sold within New York State, and must be pre-packaged in the home and properly labeled. Your state may draw its own line.
Check your label
New York requires proper labeling on home processed items. Ask your state agency what has to appear on yours, then print it before your first order.
The permit question is a rules question, and it is worth settling before you spend a dollar on packaging or a website. Once you know what you can sell and where, cottage food law license covers the license side of the same question, and cottage food law exemption explains what an exemption actually means in practice.
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Nothing here replaces the page your own state publishes. Read it, save it, and check it again when you add a new product to your menu.
Common questions
Do I need a cottage food permit to sell bakes from my home?
It depends on your state. Washington issues a Cottage Food Permit to residents who make food that is not potentially hazardous. Michigan has no application forms and no registration for operations that qualify under its cottage food exemptions. Check your state's food agency page to see which applies to you.
Is a cottage food permit the same as a food license?
Not always. In Michigan, if you qualify under the Food Law Cottage Food exemptions, you are exempt from obtaining a food establishment license under the Food Code. Georgia's cottage food law removed the state licensing requirement and allows sales to retail stores. Ask your state agency which one it expects from you.
Can I sell any food I make at home?
No. Cottage Food products are specific types of foods made in the kitchen of your private home, and not all food products can be sold that way in Mississippi. Washington limits a Cottage Food Permit to food that is not potentially hazardous, such as baked goods, candies, jams, jellies, preserves, fruit butters, and dry spice blends.
Can I sell my bakes outside my state?
New York home processed items must be sold within New York State, and must be pre-packaged in the home and properly labeled. Your state may set its own limit, so confirm the selling area before you accept an order from across a border.
Does a permit cover selling to shops?
That varies. Georgia's cottage food law allows sales to retail stores. Other states describe their permission only in terms of what you make in your home kitchen, so read the selling section of your state's page before you approach a shop.
Sources
- Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services: Cottage Foods
- Washington State Department of Agriculture: Cottage Food
- Mississippi State Department of Health: Cottage Food
- California Department of Public Health: Cottage Food Operations
- Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development: Cottage Food Getting Started FAQ
- Georgia Department of Agriculture: Cottage Food
- New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets: Home Processing
This is general information, not legal advice. Cottage food rules are set by your state and change over time. Confirm what applies to you with your state food agency before you sell.