Cottage food rules
Cottage Food Laws on Long Island, NY
What Long Island home bakers register for, what it costs, and where the rules let you sell.
On this page
What to remember
- Register for the Home Processor Exemption with the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets.
- There is no permit fee and no annual sales cap.
- Registration does not need renewing and stays valid until you move.
- Every item must be pre-packaged in your home and properly labeled.
- All sales have to stay inside New York State.
Long Island bakers work under a New York State rule, so the Home Processor Exemption is the piece that decides what your kitchen can do. Our county detail covers Suffolk County, where low-risk shelf-stable foods such as baked goods, jams, granola, and dry mixes can be sold under the exemption without a commercial kitchen. If your address is elsewhere on the Island, the statewide points below still describe the exemption, and the county detail is the part worth checking for your town. To see how this compares with other places, read cottage food law requirements by state.
What you can sell from a home kitchen
The exemption is built for low-risk, shelf-stable food, the kind that sits on a counter without spoiling. In Suffolk County that covers baked goods, jams, granola, and dry mixes, all made in your own kitchen rather than a commercial one. If a bake needs refrigeration to be safe, do not assume it fits, because the shelf-stable piece is what the exemption is written around.
Register, label, and stay inside New York
The paperwork is lighter than most bakers expect. You register for the exemption with the Department of Agriculture and Markets, you pay nothing for it, and there is no annual sales cap waiting to stop you halfway through a good year. What the rules do ask for is that the food is made in your home, packed in your home, and labeled before it goes out the door.
Check your bakes fit
Low-risk shelf-stable foods such as baked goods, jams, granola, and dry mixes are the kind covered by the exemption.
Register for the exemption
Sign up with the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets. There is no permit fee.
Package it in your home
All items sold under the rules must be pre-packaged in the home.
Label every item
Proper labeling is part of the rules, not an optional extra, so build it into packing day.
Keep sales inside New York
Every item sold under the home processing rules has to be sold within New York State.
Labels, orders, and what you keep
Because everything has to be pre-packaged and labeled at home, the label work belongs in your baking routine rather than at the last minute with a customer waiting. Get a label you are happy with and the same one goes on every loaf, every jar, and every box of granola. That consistency is also what makes people trust a home baker enough to order again.
Since there is no cap to bump into, the real ceiling on a Long Island baking business is your oven and your week. That makes pricing and repeat orders the things worth your attention. When you are ready to take orders in one place instead of a scatter of texts, a home bakery app is worth a look, and the cottage food laws by state map helps if you ever compare New York with somewhere else.
Try the free bake pricing calculator
Free, no signup.
Common questions
Do I need a commercial kitchen on Long Island?
No. Under New York's Home Processor Exemption you make the food in your own home, but it must be pre-packaged in the home and properly labeled before it is sold.
How much does it cost to register?
Nothing. There is no permit fee for the Home Processor Exemption, and there is no annual sales cap.
Do I have to renew the registration?
No. Registration does not require renewal and stays valid until the operator moves.
Can I ship my bakes to another state?
No. All items sold under New York's home processing rules must be sold within New York State.
What can I sell in Suffolk County?
Low-risk shelf-stable foods such as baked goods, jams, granola, and dry mixes can be sold under the exemption without a commercial kitchen.
Who runs the exemption?
The New York Department of Agriculture and Markets runs the Home Processor Exemption.
Sources
This is general information about New York's home processing rules, not legal advice. Rules can change, so confirm the details with the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets before you sell.