Cottage food rules
Cottage Food Laws in New York City: What to Know
The New York State rules a home baker needs before selling in the city.
On this page
What to remember
- All home processed cottage food items must be sold within New York State.
- Pre-package and properly label every item in your home.
- Register with the state before selling, and get the license required for cottage food operations.
- New York has no sales cap and no income limit.
- Packaging at a craft fair or farmers market is not permitted.
If you bake from a home kitchen and sell to neighbors, the state rules are the ones to read first. This guide uses the New York State home processing page, the state labeling page, and two cottage food law summaries. It keeps the facts in one place so you can check your plan before you take an order. No guessing, no jargon, just the points that affect a small home baking business.
What you can sell and where
New York allows breads, rolls, biscuits, bagels, muffins, doughnuts, cookies, and brownies. All home processed cottage food items must be sold within New York State. Keep your sales inside the state, and do not plan to package food at an agricultural event such as a craft fair or farmers’ market. If you sell at a market, the items need to be pre-packaged before you arrive.
Register, license, and label
New York home food sellers must register with the state before selling. A license is required for cottage food operations in New York. Take care of both before you take orders. New York’s cottage food rules impose no sales cap, and there is no income limit. That does not remove the registration and license steps.
Because there is no sales cap and no income limit, the state rules do not put a ceiling on what you can sell. The steps that remain are the ones to keep steady: register, license, package at home, label, and sell within New York State. A simple notebook or a phone note is enough to track what you sold and where.
New York State publishes a summary of the labeling regulations governing foods offered for sale in the state. The state notes that the summary is not all inclusive of every labeling requirement. Read the summary before you print labels, and make sure every item is properly labeled. Keep the state labeling page open while you work.
A simple checklist before your first sale
Read the state home processing page
Start with the New York State home processing page in the sources. It covers the base rules for home processed food.
Register with the state before you sell
New York home food sellers must register with the state before selling.
Get the license required for cottage food operations
A license is required for cottage food operations in New York.
Package and label at home
All home processed cottage food items must be pre-packaged in the home and properly labeled.
Keep sales within New York State
All home processed cottage food items must be sold within New York State.
Skip packaging at events
Packaging of food items at an agricultural event such as a craft fair or farmers’ market is not permitted.
What this means for a New York City baker
The sources here cover New York State rules. They do not list a separate New York City permit or city inspection step. Use the state pages in the sources as your starting point, and confirm anything you are unsure about before you take orders. That way you are not relying on a neighbor’s memory or a post from a few years ago.
Use the guide to cottage food laws on Long Island for a close read on a nearby area. The cottage food laws by state map and cottage food law requirements by state help you see how New York compares with other states without reading every page. Keep the state pages in the sources as your final check.
Common questions
Do I need a license to sell cottage food in New York City?
The sources here cover New York State rules, not a separate city permit. A license is required for cottage food operations in New York, and home food sellers must register with the state before selling.
Can I sell my bakes outside New York State?
No. All home processed cottage food items must be sold within New York State.
Is there a sales cap or income limit?
New York's cottage food rules impose no sales cap, and there is no income limit.
Can I package cookies at a farmers market?
Packaging of food items at an agricultural event such as a craft fair or farmers' market is not permitted under New York's home processing rules. Package and label at home before you go.
What foods can I sell under New York's cottage food rules?
Allowed items include breads, rolls, biscuits, bagels, muffins, doughnuts, cookies, and brownies.
What labels do I need?
New York State publishes a summary of the labeling regulations for foods offered for sale in the state, but the state notes it is not all inclusive of every labeling requirement. Read the summary in the sources before you print labels.
Sources
General information, not legal advice. Check the official New York State pages in the sources before you sell.