Cottage food rules
Cottage Food Laws in Nova Scotia: What Home Bakers Need
Know what Nova Scotia asks of a home baker before you take your first order.
On this page
What to remember
- Low-risk home-prepared foods do not require a permit under the Nova Scotia Food Safety Regulations.
- You still have to follow the recommendations in the province’s low-risk home-baked goods fact sheet.
- Home food businesses must register with the local health authority.
- Sales of low-risk foods directly to consumers are limited to $15,000 a year.
- The regulations sit under the Health Protection Act and are consolidated as N.S. Reg. 30/2026.
If you bake from your kitchen in Nova Scotia and sell to neighbours, the rules are lighter than they are for a full food business, but they are not empty. The province treats low-risk home-baked goods differently from higher-risk foods, and that line is what decides how much paperwork sits between you and your first order.
What low-risk means for your kitchen
Low-risk home-prepared foods do not need a permit under the Nova Scotia Food Safety Regulations, and that covers the kind of baking most home bakers sell. The catch is that no permit does not mean no rules. You still have to follow the recommendations in the province’s low-risk home-baked goods fact sheet, which is the document to read before your first sale. If you are comparing this with another province, our guide to cottage food laws in New Brunswick walks through a similar framework.
Register with your local health authority
Home food businesses in Nova Scotia must register with the local health authority. Do this before you take orders, not after, and keep the confirmation where you can find it when a customer or inspector asks. The Food Safety Regulations themselves sit under the Health Protection Act and have been consolidated as N.S. Reg. 30/2026, so the version you read should be the current consolidation.
The $15,000 annual sales limit
Cottage food rules in Nova Scotia let home bakers produce and sell low-risk foods directly to consumers, with a $15,000 annual sales limit. That number is a ceiling on what you sell in a year, so it pays to know where you stand before the holiday rush rather than after it. A simple running total of every order is enough to keep you honest. If you want a clearer picture of what a selling tool costs against that ceiling, the cost of Bakesy breaks down a monthly fee.
Selling directly, and what to keep on hand
Direct sales to consumers are what the rules allow, so a market table, a neighbour’s order, or a box left on the porch all fit that picture. It helps to keep your recipes, your ingredient records, and your sales totals together, so you can answer questions about what went into a bake and how much you have sold this year. Our guide to cottage food laws in New Hampshire shows how another place handles the same questions, which is useful if you are reading up on rules in more than one spot.
None of this has to be complicated. Read the fact sheet once, register with your local health authority, and start a running total of sales on day one. That is the whole foundation, and everything else you build on top of it.
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Common questions
Do I need a permit to sell baked goods from my home in Nova Scotia?
Low-risk home-prepared foods do not require a permit under the Nova Scotia Food Safety Regulations. You still have to follow the province's low-risk home-baked goods fact sheet, and home food businesses must register with the local health authority.
What is the sales limit for cottage food in Nova Scotia?
Sales of low-risk foods directly to consumers are limited to $15,000 a year.
What counts as a low-risk baked good?
The province's low-risk home-baked goods fact sheet is the document that sets out what fits. Read it before you plan your menu so you are not guessing.
Do I have to register if I do not need a permit?
Yes. Home food businesses in Nova Scotia must register with the local health authority, even where a permit is not required for low-risk foods.
Can I sell at a farmers market?
The rules cover direct sales to consumers. Confirm the specifics with your local health authority before you book a table, so you know what is expected of you on the day.
Which version of the regulations should I read?
The Food Safety Regulations sit under the Health Protection Act and have been consolidated as N.S. Reg. 30/2026. Read the current consolidation rather than an old copy.
Sources
This is general information for home bakers, not legal advice. Rules can change, so check the current Nova Scotia regulations and confirm your own situation with your local health authority before you sell.