Cottage food rules
Home Bakery License in California: The Rules That Apply
What California actually requires before you sell bakes from your home kitchen, in plain words.
On this page
What to remember
- CDPH does not permit or register Cottage Food Operations.
- Your bakes must be non-potentially hazardous and on the Approved Cottage Food List.
- You may prepare and package allowed foods in your own private home kitchen.
- Labels must follow state and federal labeling regulations.
- No other kitchen activity can happen while you are making food to sell.
If you have been hunting for a form to fill out and mail to Sacramento, that is why you keep coming up empty. There is no state cottage food permit on the CDPH website, because CDPH is not the office that permits or registers Cottage Food Operations. That is the single most useful thing to know before you spend an afternoon on hold. For the wider picture, read Home Bakery License in California: What You Need.
Where the paperwork actually comes from
CDPH says plainly that cottage food permit and registration documents are not on its website because it does not permit or register Cottage Food Operations. So the state is not where you apply. Before you bake anything for sale, call your city or county offices and ask, in plain words, who handles a home food operation at your address and what they want from you. Write down the name of the person you spoke with and the date. When answers differ from one town to the next, that note is worth more than any blog post, including this one.
What you are allowed to make
A Cottage Food Operation is a home based kitchen operation where you make certain foods at home and sell them to the public. The foods have to be non-potentially hazardous, and they have to be on the Approved Cottage Food List that CDPH maintains. That list is the document to check before you plan a menu, not after. If a bake is not on it, it is not a cottage food product, no matter how well it sells at your kid’s school fundraiser.
Check the list first
CDPH maintains the Approved Cottage Food List. Confirm every bake you plan to sell appears on it before you print a menu or take a deposit.
Call your city or county
Ask who handles a home food operation at your address and what they need from you. CDPH does not permit or register Cottage Food Operations, so this is not a state application.
Separate your kitchen hours
Plan bake days so no family meal preparation, dishwashing, or clothes washing happens in the kitchen at the same time.
Build your label early
Cottage food products must be labeled under state and federal labeling regulations. Get the label right before the first sale, not after.
Re-check the current rules
Assembly Bill 1144 changed the Cottage Food Operations rules in the California Retail Food Code. Read the current version of any guidance before you rely on it.
Your kitchen has to be yours while you work
California is specific about this one. No cottage food preparation, packaging, or handling may happen in your home kitchen at the same time as other domestic activities, and that includes family meal preparation, dishwashing, and clothes washing. In practice it means your selling hours are separate from your family hours: counters cleared, sink empty, nobody rinsing a lunch plate while a cake cools on the rack. If you sell online and want to know how ordering and pickup fit around that, read Home Bakery License in California: What to Know Online.
Labels and the rules that moved
Cottage food products are required to be labeled in line with specific state and federal labeling regulations, so build the label into your process instead of adding it at the end. A bake that is packaged without the right label is not ready to sell. The rules themselves have shifted: Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1144 into law, and it changes the Cottage Food Operations rules in the California Retail Food Code. That is a good reason to check the current version of whatever guidance you are reading, and to write the date on your notes when you do.
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- Home Bakery License in California: What You Need
- Home Bakery License in California: What to Know Online
Common questions
Do I need a license from the state to sell baked goods from home in California?
CDPH does not permit or register Cottage Food Operations, and cottage food permit and registration documents are not on its website. Confirm with your city or county what they require from a home food operation at your address.
Which foods can I sell from my home kitchen?
Cottage food products must be non-potentially hazardous and must comply with the Approved Cottage Food List that CDPH maintains. Check that list before you plan your menu.
Can I wash dishes or do laundry while I bake?
No. No cottage food preparation, packaging, or handling may happen in the home kitchen at the same time as domestic activities such as family meal preparation, dishwashing, or clothes washing.
Do I have to label my bakes?
Yes. Cottage food products are required to be labeled in accordance with specific state and federal labeling regulations.
Have the California cottage food rules changed?
Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1144 into law, and it changes the Cottage Food Operations rules in the California Retail Food Code. Check the current version of any guidance before relying on it.
Sources
This is general information about California cottage food rules, not legal advice. Rules change and local requirements vary. Confirm with your city or county and with a qualified professional before you sell.