Cottage food rules
Cottage Food License MN: What Home Bakers Need to Know
What Minnesota really asks of you before you sell a single bake from home.
On this page
What to remember
- No license is issued. You register with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture instead.
- Registration is annual and required before your first sale, even for a Tier 1 producer.
- The law allows certain non potentially hazardous foods and canned goods, sold directly to the person who eats them.
- Training, labeling, sales locations, and the amount of sales are all part of the rules.
If you have been searching for a cottage food license in MN and coming up empty, that is why. There is no certificate to hang on the wall. There is a registration, a set of rules about what you can make and where you can sell it, and labels you have to get right. Our guide to the Minnesota cottage food license walks the whole thing through, and this page covers the parts that trip people up first.
No license, but you still have to register
Minnesota’s cottage food exemption has been in effect since 2015. It allows individuals to make and sell certain non potentially hazardous food and canned goods without a license. What it does not do is let you skip the paperwork. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture requires mandatory annual registration under Minn. Stat. 28A.152, and that applies to every producer, including the smallest Tier 1 seller, before any sale happens.
What you can make and where you can sell
The law covers certain types of homemade food and pet treats, sold directly to the ultimate consumer. That last part matters. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s guidance sorts out the types of food allowed, the types of sales locations, and the amount of sales, so the direct to consumer rule and the sales amount are the two things to read closely before you take an order.
The state’s guidance also covers training and registration, and food labeling. Those four areas, training, registration, labeling, and where you sell, are where most of the practical questions come from. If you want to see how other states word the same rules, where to check cottage food rules is a good place to start, but always come back to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture page for your own state.
Register with the Department of Agriculture
File your annual registration before you sell anything, even as a Tier 1 producer.
Check your recipes against the allowed list
The law covers certain non potentially hazardous foods and canned goods. Confirm each item before it goes on your menu.
Get the labels right
Food labeling is part of the state guidance. Build your label once, then use it on every item you sell.
Sell only where the rules allow
The guidance lists the types of sales locations. Selling directly to the ultimate consumer is the heart of it.
Watch your sales amount
The guidance covers the amount of sales. Track yours through the year so you know where you stand.
Renew every year
Registration is annual. Put a reminder in your phone for the same month each year.
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Training, labels, and the yearly renewal
Minnesota’s cottage food guidance covers training and registration, types of food allowed, food labeling, types of sales locations, and amount of sales. Read it as one document rather than five separate questions. Then write your own short checklist: what you make, how it is labeled, where you sell it, and how much you have sold this year.
The paperwork is the cheap part. What costs home bakers money is a shop that takes a slice of every order. Brevl is one flat $20 a month with 0% commission, and cards run through your own Stripe or Square account, alongside Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and cash. If you are comparing monthly costs before you commit, what Bakesy actually costs is worth a read.
Common questions
Do I need a cottage food license in Minnesota?
No. Minnesota does not issue a cottage food license. You register annually with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture instead, and that registration is required before you sell.
When do I have to register?
Before your first sale. Every cottage food producer registers annually with the Department of Agriculture, and the smallest Tier 1 seller is included.
What can I sell under the cottage food law?
Certain non potentially hazardous food and canned goods, plus certain homemade food and pet treats, sold directly to the ultimate consumer. Check the Department of Agriculture's list of allowed foods before you add an item.
Is there a sales limit?
The state's cottage food guidance covers the amount of sales, along with training and registration, allowed foods, labeling, and sales locations. Read that section for the current number.
Where is the law written?
Minnesota Statute 28A.152. The cottage food exemption has been in effect since 2015.
Sources
This is general information about Minnesota cottage food rules, not legal or tax advice. Rules change. Confirm the current requirements with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture before you sell.