Cottage food rules
Home Bakery License Ohio Requirements
A plain answer on what Ohio asks of you before you sell a single bake.
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What to remember
- The Ohio Department of Agriculture licenses and inspects home bakeries.
- The license is $10 a year, renewed each September.
- You request an inspection to get registered.
- Home bakeries may sell outside Ohio.
- A cottage food operation is a different path and needs no license.
The first thing to sort out is which of the two paths you are on, because they are not the same thing and they do not carry the same rules. A home bakery is licensed and inspected. A cottage food operation is not. The state defines them separately, and what you plan to bake decides which one fits you. If you want the step by step walk through registration, our guide on how to get registered as an Ohio home bakery covers the order to do things in.
What counts as a home bakery in Ohio
Ohio Revised Code Chapter 911 covers any person who owns or operates a home bakery with only one oven, in a stove of ordinary home kitchen design and located in a home, used for the baking of baked goods to be sold. That is the shape of it: your own kitchen, your own stove, one oven, and goods you sell. If that describes what you are doing, the home bakery rules are the ones that apply to you.
The license itself comes from the Ohio Department of Agriculture, Division of Food Safety. A home bakery must be licensed and inspected by that division. It is a yearly arrangement rather than a one time thing, so it belongs in your costs alongside flour and boxes. Our breakdown of what the Ohio home bakery license costs puts the fee in with the rest of your start up spending.
The $10 license and the inspection
A home bakery license costs $10 per year and is renewed every September. That is the whole fee. The part that takes planning is the inspection, because you request it rather than wait for it. To request an inspection to obtain a home bakery registration, bakers can contact [email protected], call (614) 728-6250, or fill out the Request for Inspection form. Pick whichever is easiest for you and keep a note of when you sent it.
Home bakery or cottage food operation
Ohio also has a cottage food path, and it is worth knowing the difference before you pay for anything. A cottage food production operation does not need to acquire a license to process and package food products. Chapter 3715 of the Ohio Revised Code defines a Cottage Food Production Operation as a person who, in the person’s home, produces food items that are not potentially hazardous foods.
That last phrase is the limit. A cottage food production operation shall not process acidified foods, low acid canned foods, or potentially hazardous foods. So the cottage food route is narrower in what you may make, while the home bakery route is licensed and inspected. Read both definitions against your own menu before you choose.
Selling beyond Ohio
One useful thing to know if you ship or travel to markets: home bakeries may distribute their products outside of the state of Ohio. If you have been assuming you are fenced in to your own county, that is not the case under these rules. Check the rules of anywhere you plan to sell into as well, since each state sets its own.
If you are comparing how other states handle this, our guides on New York home bakery requirements and Indiana home bakery requirements show how the paperwork and fees differ from Ohio’s.
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Common questions
How much does an Ohio home bakery license cost?
It costs $10 per year and is renewed every September.
Who licenses a home bakery in Ohio?
The Ohio Department of Agriculture, Division of Food Safety. A home bakery must be licensed and inspected by that division.
How do I get the inspection?
Contact [email protected], call (614) 728-6250, or fill out the Request for Inspection form.
Do I need a license for a cottage food operation in Ohio?
No. A cottage food production operation does not need to acquire a license to process and package food products.
Can I sell my bakes outside Ohio?
Yes. Home bakeries may distribute their products outside of the state of Ohio.
What can a cottage food operation not make?
A cottage food production operation shall not process acidified foods, low acid canned foods, or potentially hazardous foods.
Sources
This is general information about Ohio rules, not legal advice. Rules can change. Confirm the current requirements with the Ohio Department of Agriculture before you sell.