Cottage food rules
Cottage Food Laws in Los Angeles County: What You Can Sell
What Los Angeles County asks of a home baker, in plain words.
On this page
What to remember
- California’s Homemade Food Act took effect January 1, 2013, and it is the law that lets you bake at home and sell.
- Class A means direct to the consumer only, anywhere in the state.
- You register with Los Angeles County Public Health and file a self certification.
- The approved foods list, label rules, and food processor course come from the California Department of Public Health.
- County rules can add to the state rules but cannot loosen them.
If you are baking out of your kitchen in Boyle Heights or Santa Clarita and taking orders from neighbors, the paperwork question comes up fast. The short version is that your county health department is the door you walk through, and the state sets the rules behind that door. Here is how the pieces fit, plus the county guide in more detail.
Who does what: state and county
The California Homemade Food Act, Assembly Bill 1616, was signed by Governor Brown on September 21, 2012, and took effect on January 1, 2013. It is the law that allows certain foods to be made in home kitchens. Los Angeles County’s cottage food rules sit on top of that statewide framework, and the state law sets the floor: a county can add protections but cannot remove them. One thing that surprises bakers is that the California Department of Public Health does not permit or register cottage food operations itself. It maintains the list of approved cottage food products, and Los Angeles County directs operators there for that list, the labeling requirements, and the food processor course.
Registering your kitchen as a Class A operation
Start with the county program
Los Angeles County runs a Homebased Food Program for people who want to legally prepare and sell food from their home kitchens while meeting the California Health and Safety Code. That program is where your questions start.
Register with Public Health
A Class A cottage food operation has to register with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
File your self certification
Along with registration, Class A operators submit a self certification to the county.
Check the approved foods list
The California Department of Public Health keeps the list of approved cottage food products. Confirm your bakes are on it before you take a single order.
Take the food processor course
The county directs operators to the state for the food processor course. Training for operators and employees is one of the requirements AB 1616 places on cottage food operations.
Sort out your labels
Labeling requirements also come from the state. Get them right before your first sale, not after.
Sanitation, training, and the parts people skip
AB 1616 requires cottage food operations to meet specific requirements around product sales, training for operators and employees, sanitation, and production. Those four words cover most of what an inspector would look at. Sanitation is the one home bakers underestimate, because a kitchen that also cooks family dinners needs a routine that keeps the two apart. If you want to see how much the rules move from one place to another, Riverside County is a useful read, and our requirements by state page shows the range.
Running the business side once you are legal
Registration is the start, not the finish. Once you can sell, the questions turn to pricing, labels, and how people actually order from you. Selling direct to the consumer means you are your own order desk, so pick a way to take orders that does not eat your margin. When a friend in another state asks what applies to them, the state map makes clear how much of this is local to Los Angeles County.
Try the free bake pricing calculator
Free, no signup.
Common questions
Do I register with the state or the county?
The county. A Class A cottage food operation registers with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and submits a self certification. The California Department of Public Health does not permit or register cottage food operations itself.
Where do I find the list of foods I am allowed to sell?
The California Department of Public Health maintains the list of approved cottage food products, and Los Angeles County directs operators there. Check your product against that list before you sell it.
Can I sell my bakes to a coffee shop or a store?
A Class A cottage food operation can only sell cottage foods directly to the consumer. Direct sales, anywhere in the state, are the limit for Class A.
Do I need training before I sell?
Yes. AB 1616 requires cottage food operations to meet requirements for training for operators and employees, and Los Angeles County points operators to the state's food processor course.
Who do I contact with questions about my kitchen?
The Los Angeles County Homebased Food Program supports people who want to legally prepare and sell food from their home kitchens while meeting the California Health and Safety Code.
Sources
This is general information about cottage food rules, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm the current requirements with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health before you sell.