Cottage food rules
Cottage Food Laws in Los Angeles: What Home Bakers Need
A plain walk through what LA County asks of you before you sell your first bake.
On this page
What to remember
- A Class B operation needs a county permit, and the permit comes only after an inspection of your home kitchen.
- The California Department of Public Health keeps the approved cottage food list, and it does not permit or register cottage food operations itself.
- Cottage food products must be non-potentially hazardous and must be on the approved list.
- Wash, rinse, and sanitize food contact surfaces, equipment, and utensils before each use.
- Class A and Class B operations may sell online and ship or deliver anywhere in California.
If you bake from a home kitchen in LA and want to sell what you make, the rules come in two layers: the state decides which foods count as cottage food, and the county handles the paperwork for the sales type that needs it. If you have baked under another city’s rules before, read this one fresh, the way you would with cottage food laws in NYC.
Start with what you want to sell
Los Angeles County’s Cottage Food Operations Guide advises prospective operators to first decide what type of cottage food products they want to prepare and sell, and then to decide whether their sales will be direct sales (Class A) or another permitted sales type. Doing it in that order saves you from building a menu you cannot legally sell. The same two question approach shows up in other places too, including cottage food laws in MD.
Class B: registration, permit, and the kitchen inspection
A Class B cottage food operation in Los Angeles County has to register and obtain a permit from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. That permit is not automatic. It is issued only after an inspection verifies that your home kitchen meets the requirements.
Pick your products
Decide what type of cottage food products you want to prepare and sell, and check each one against the approved cottage food list kept by the California Department of Public Health.
Choose Class A or Class B
Decide whether your sales will be direct sales (Class A) or another permitted sales type.
Register and apply
For Class B, register and obtain a permit from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
Pass the kitchen inspection
The permit is issued only after an inspection verifies your home kitchen meets the requirements.
Build your cleaning routine
Wash, rinse, and sanitize food contact surfaces, equipment, and utensils before each use, every time.
What you can make, and how clean it has to be
Cottage food products have to be non-potentially hazardous and they have to comply with the approved cottage food list maintained by the California Department of Public Health. Cleanliness is not a preference here. California Health and Safety Code section 114365 requires that all food contact surfaces, equipment, and utensils used for preparing, packaging, or handling cottage food products be washed, rinsed, and sanitized before each use.
Labels, the food processor course, and selling online
Los Angeles County directs cottage food operators to the California Department of Public Health website for information on approved cottage foods, labeling requirements, and the food processor course. Those three items are worth reading before you print a single label or take a single order.
Selling online is allowed. Both Class A and Class B cottage food operations in California may sell online and ship or deliver, including through third-party delivery services, anywhere within California. Before you set prices, it helps to know what selling tools actually cost you, so compare things like the cost of Bakesy against a flat monthly fee and work out your margin first.
Open the free bake pricing calculator
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Common questions
Do I need a permit to sell baked goods from my home in Los Angeles County?
For a Class B cottage food operation, yes. You register and obtain a permit from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, and the permit is issued only after an inspection verifies your home kitchen meets the requirements.
Who decides which foods I am allowed to sell?
The California Department of Public Health maintains the approved cottage food list. Cottage food products must be non-potentially hazardous and must comply with that list.
Can I sell online and ship my bakes?
Both Class A and Class B cottage food operations in California may sell online and ship or deliver, including through third-party delivery services, anywhere within California.
Where do I find labeling rules and the food processor course?
Los Angeles County directs cottage food operators to the California Department of Public Health website for information on approved cottage foods, labeling requirements, and the food processor course.
What does the county look at during the inspection?
The inspection verifies that your home kitchen meets the requirements before a Class B permit is issued. Separately, the law requires food contact surfaces, equipment, and utensils to be washed, rinsed, and sanitized before each use.
Sources
This is general information about cottage food rules, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm the details with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the California Department of Public Health before you sell.