Cottage food rules
Cottage Food License in South Carolina: What You Need
What South Carolina actually requires of home bakers, and what it does not.
What to remember
- South Carolina calls it the Home-based Food Production Law, or the Cottage Law.
- No permit, license, registration, certification, or inspection is required for home-based food production.
- An optional free SCDA ID is available if you want one.
- There is no maximum sales cap on cottage food sales.
- The state guidance document lists the foods that are covered.
If you bake from your own kitchen in South Carolina and sell what you make, this is the law that decides what you can sell and what you have to do first. It is short compared with most states, and the good news sits near the top: there is no license to apply for. If you want to see how a nearby state handles the same question, our guide to the cottage food license in Georgia is a useful comparison.
What the Cottage Law covers
Home-based food operations in South Carolina means individuals preparing non-potentially hazardous food as outlined in the state guidance document. That document is where the requirements of the law live, and it is also where you find the list of foods that are covered. Read it before you plan a menu, because that list is what decides whether a given bake sits inside the law or outside it.
The law was amended in May 2022, and that change expanded the number of non-potentially hazardous foods producers can make from their home kitchen. If you read an older summary somewhere that told you a bake was off limits, check the current guidance before you rule it out.
No permit, and the DHEC question
South Carolina requires no permit, license, registration, certification, or inspection for home-based food production. There is an optional free SCDA ID if you want one, but nothing about selling from your kitchen depends on having it.
One thing is worth a phone call. A home baker using their own home kitchen may be exempt from the DHEC retail food establishment permit, but DHEC is the office that confirms it. Call (803) 896-0640 and ask about your situation before you take your first order. It costs nothing and it settles the question for good.
Selling your bakes
There is no maximum sales cap in South Carolina for cottage food producers selling non-potentially-hazardous homemade food. You can sell as much as your oven allows, which makes your pricing the thing that actually decides what you take home. Our guide to the cottage food license in Alabama shows how another state words its rules if you want a second reference point.
Under Regulation 61-25, home-based food may be served or used as an ingredient in a retail food establishment. That opens a door beyond selling direct to customers, because a shop or cafe can use what you make. Ask the business first and confirm the arrangement before you bake for it.
Read the state guidance document
It sets out the requirements of the law and lists the foods that are covered.
Check your bakes against the list
Only non-potentially hazardous food is inside the law, so match your menu to the list before you sell.
Call DHEC about your exemption
Ring (803) 896-0640 and confirm your home kitchen situation rather than guessing.
Set your prices before your first order
With no sales cap, your margin is the thing that decides what you earn.
Decide how you will take payment
Sort out cards, cash and the apps you will accept before orders start coming in.
Try the free bake pricing calculator
Free, no signup.
The short version for South Carolina: there is no license to apply for, there is a guidance document to read, there is one phone call to DHEC if you want certainty, and there is no ceiling on what you can sell. Get those four things straight and you can spend your time on the baking. If you are still choosing where to take orders and get paid, Bakesy payment methods covers what to confirm before money changes hands.
Common questions
Do I need a cottage food license in South Carolina?
No. South Carolina requires no permit, license, registration, certification, or inspection for home-based food production. An optional free SCDA ID is available if you would like one.
What is the South Carolina Cottage Law?
It is formally the Home-based Food Production Law. It covers non-potentially hazardous food made in a home kitchen and allows certain foods that do not require the state's standard food safety permitting.
What foods can I sell under the Cottage Law?
Non-potentially hazardous food as outlined in the state guidance document, which sets out the requirements of the law and the foods that are covered. The law was amended in May 2022 and expanded the number of non-potentially hazardous foods producers can make at home.
Is there a sales limit for cottage food in South Carolina?
No. South Carolina has no maximum sales cap for cottage food producers selling non-potentially-hazardous homemade food.
Do I need a DHEC permit to bake at home?
A home baker using their own home kitchen may be exempt from the DHEC retail food establishment permit, but you should contact DHEC at (803) 896-0640 to confirm.
Can a shop or cafe use the food I make at home?
Under Regulation 61-25, home-based food may be served or used as an ingredient in a retail food establishment.
Sources
- Selling Food From Home FAQ 2025, South Carolina Department of Agriculture
- Cottage Law, Food Safety Task Force, September 2022
- Clemson Extension: Cottage Law
- South Carolina Home-based Food Production Law Book 2025
- South Carolina Board of Cosmetology and Barbers? Cottage Foods document
- Home-based Food Production 2025
- Cottage Food License: South Carolina
- Cottage Food Law Library: South Carolina
This is general information about the South Carolina Home-based Food Production Law, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm your own situation with the state before you sell.