Cottage food rules
Does Colorado Have Cottage Food Laws? What Home Bakers Can Sell
A plain answer on what Colorado lets you bake and sell from your own kitchen, and what to do before your first order.
On this page
What to remember
- The Colorado Cottage Foods Act was enacted in 2012 and lets limited types of food be sold directly to consumers without licensing or inspection.
- Only a limited range of homemade foods that do not require refrigeration are covered right now.
- A food safety training course and certificate come before you start your cottage foods business.
- You sell direct to the person eating it, at your home, a roadside stand, a farmers market, or a similar venue.
- Cottage food income still comes with income and sales tax obligations.
If you are new to all of this, start with what cottage food laws are and how they work. The short version is that Colorado gives you a narrow, clearly marked path to sell from your kitchen, and staying on that path is what keeps you out of trouble.
What you can sell under the Act
The Act allows a limited range of homemade foods that do not require refrigeration. Under the current rules you sell that limited list of non-refrigerated foods directly to consumers, at your home, a roadside stand, a farmers market, or a similar venue. Pickled fruits and vegetables are allowed as long as the finished pH is 4.6 or lower, so a properly acidified jar of pickles can be part of your table.
The food safety training step comes first
Colorado requires producers to complete a food safety training course before starting a cottage foods business, and a food safety training certificate is a requirement to register as a cottage food producer. Do this before you take a single order, not after.
Take the food safety training course
Complete the course before you begin selling, since it is required before you start a cottage foods business.
Keep your certificate somewhere you can find it
The certificate is what you show when you register as a cottage food producer in Colorado.
Register as a cottage food producer
The food safety training certificate is a requirement to register, so have it in hand before you fill anything in.
Write down what you make and what you charge
Costing your recipes from day one makes pricing, tax time, and repeat orders much easier.
Where you can sell, and what you owe
Sales happen face to face with the person who will eat the food: at your home, at a roadside stand, at a farmers market, or at a similar venue. That direct relationship is part of what the Act is built around. A cottage food business in Colorado is also subject to income and sales tax obligations, so keep your receipts and your order totals together from the beginning rather than rebuilding them in April.
If your baking grows past what the Act covers, the next step up is a different kind of permission. Our guide to a Department of Agriculture home bakery license explains what that route involves.
Try the free bake pricing calculator
Free, no signup.
Once your menu is legal and clear, the everyday work is pricing and planning. Brevl sets up your shop with you and moves your old one over, products, photos, reviews, and dates, and a real person answers, usually within minutes.
Common questions
Do I need a license to sell baked goods from my home in Colorado?
The Colorado Cottage Foods Act allows limited types of food products to be sold directly to consumers without licensing or inspection. You still must complete a food safety training course before you start.
Can I sell salsa, BBQ sauce, or hot sauce?
No. Low-acid canned goods, salsas, and BBQ or hot sauces are not allowed under the Colorado Cottage Foods Act.
Can I sell cheesecake or cream pies?
The Act currently covers a limited range of homemade foods that do not require refrigeration. A bill, HB26-1033, would expand it to refrigerated foods and foods with meat, but confirm with the state before you rely on that.
Where am I allowed to sell?
Directly to consumers, at your home, a roadside stand, a farmers market, or a similar venue.
Do I have to pay tax on cottage food sales in Colorado?
Yes. A Colorado cottage food business is subject to income and sales tax obligations.
Sources
- Denver Public Health and Environment, Cottage Foods requirements and best practices
- Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Cottage Foods
- Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Food safety training
- Colorado General Assembly, HB25-1190
- Colorado General Assembly, HB26-1033
- Cottage Food License, Colorado
- Cottage Food Law Library, Colorado
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Cottage food rules change, so confirm the current requirements with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment before you sell.