Home Bakery License in New York: Registering Online

On this page

1. What the state is checking for
2. Filling in the Home Processor Registration
3. Where your bakes can go

If you have been hunting for a way to do this online, the short answer is that New York handles it on paper. The Department publishes the form as a downloadable PDF, so plan on printing it and filling it in yourself. The New York home bakery guide covers the wider picture of what the state expects from you.

What the state is checking for

The registration exists so the Department knows who is making food at home and where that food goes. Once you are registered, the registration covers marketing your products at wholesale or retail through outlets such as farms, farm stands, farmers markets, green markets, craft fairs, flea markets, and home delivery. That is a wide spread of places to sell, so a Saturday market table and a standing order list can sit under the same registration.

The wholesale side is worth noticing. A small shop that wants to stock your cookies is not out of bounds, as long as the product is made under the home processing rules and sold inside New York.

Filling in the Home Processor Registration

1. 1

   Read the home processing page

   The Department’s food safety page on home processing sets out the exemption and the selling rules in the state’s own words.

2. 2

   Download form FSI-898C

   The Home Processor Registration Request is published by the Department as a downloadable PDF.

3. 3

   Fill it in completely

   Print the form and complete every part of it before it goes anywhere.

4. 4

   Register before you sell

   Home food sellers in New York must register with the Department of Agriculture and Markets before selling any home processed food.

5. 5

   Check whether your city adds anything

   New York City provides a Food Processing Establishment License and a Step by Step tool that lists the permits, licenses, and rules that apply to a specific food business.

If you are baking in the five boroughs, run the city’s Step by Step tool before you print the state form. It lists the permits, licenses, and rules that apply to a specific food business, and the city also offers a Food Processing Establishment License. Better to find out what the city wants while you are still planning than after you have a market date booked.

Where your bakes can go

Home processed items must be sold within New York State. They also have to be pre-packaged in your home and properly labeled, so the label work happens before the bake leaves your kitchen, not at the table. A green market stall and a home delivery order both sit inside the registration.

If you have registered in another state or you are comparing what different states ask, the Illinois online registration guide and the Florida online guide show how different the steps can look from one state to the next.

One thing worth doing early: write down what you bake, what each recipe costs you, and where you sell it. Brevl keeps recipes with real costing, ingredient inventory, and a weekly planner, so the numbers are already there when you need them, and a real person answers if you get stuck, usually within minutes.

Common questions

Do I need a license to bake at home in New York?

Home processors are exempt from Article 20-C licensing, but you still must register with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets before selling any home processed food. That registration is the Home Processor registration.

Can I apply for it online?

The registration request is published as a downloadable PDF, form FSI-898C, rather than as an online application. You print it and fill it in yourself.

Where am I allowed to sell?

The registration covers marketing at wholesale or retail through outlets such as farms, farm stands, farmers markets, green markets, craft fairs, flea markets, and home delivery.

Can I ship my bakes to another state?

No. Home processed items must be sold within New York State.

What about labeling and packaging?

Home processed items must be pre-packaged in the home and properly labeled before they are sold.

I live in New York City. Is there anything extra?

New York City provides a Food Processing Establishment License and a Step by Step tool that lists the permits, licenses, and rules that apply to a specific food business.

Sources

1. New York State home processing rules
2. Home Processor Registration Request form (FSI-898C)
3. NYS Home Processor Registration (FSI-898D)
4. New York home food seller registration overview
5. New York food business licensing
6. New York State licensing and registration
7. NYC Food Processing Establishment License

This is general information about how New York handles home bakers, not legal advice. Confirm the current requirements with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets before you sell.