Cottage food rules
How to Obtain a Cottage Food License in Georgia
The order to work through Georgia cottage food requirements, so you know what to ask, what to keep, and what to do before your first order.
On this page
Most home bakers start in the wrong place. They buy boxes, build a menu, and take a friend’s order, then go looking for rules afterward. Flip that order and the whole thing feels calmer.
This guide walks you through the sequence. It will not quote you a fee or a sales cap, because those numbers live with the state and can change. What it will do is tell you exactly what to check, in what order, and what to write down so you are never guessing.
What to remember
- The state page is the source of truth. Read it before you price a single cake. - Confirm your product list first, since a menu change can change what you need. - Get labeling requirements in writing so you can build one label and reuse it. - Keep a dated copy of everything you read and submit. - Ask about online sales specifically, because that answer affects how you take orders.
Start with the state page, not with a form
Open the Georgia Department of Agriculture cottage food page yourself and bookmark it on your phone. Read the whole thing once without taking notes, then read it again with a pen.
Write the date at the top of your notes. When someone asks you later why you labeled something a certain way, a dated page beats a memory every time.
If a page looks thin or a link is broken, call the department and ask a person. A five minute phone call settles more than an hour of searching.
Confirm what you are allowed to bake
Before anything else, write a list of every item you want to sell. Not categories, actual items. Sourdough loaves, chocolate chip cookies, lemon bars, banana bread.
Then check each one against the state’s allowed list. Some foods are usually fine and some are usually not, and the only list that matters is the current one for Georgia.
If something on your list is not allowed, decide now whether you drop it or rework it. It is much easier to change a menu in your kitchen than in front of a customer.
For a general walkthrough of how these lists work, see Cottage Food Approved List: How to Check What You Can Sell.
Ask the questions that actually matter
When you contact the state, have these ready. The answers shape everything downstream.
Find the current state page
Go to the Georgia Department of Agriculture cottage food page directly and bookmark it. Note the date you read it so you know which version you were working from.
Check your products against the allowed list
Write out every item you plan to sell and confirm each one is permitted. Drop or rework anything that is not.
Confirm labeling requirements
Ask what has to appear on the package, then build one reusable label template that covers it.
Ask about sales limits and where you can sell
Confirm any dollar limits and whether selling online, at markets, or by delivery is allowed for your situation.
Submit what the state asks for
Complete the application or registration they require and keep a copy of everything you send.
Set up your records
Track orders, dates, and ingredients from day one so a question later is easy to answer.
Build one label and stop thinking about it
Label rules are the part people get wrong quietly. Ask what must appear on the package, write the answer down word for word, and then design a single label that satisfies all of it.
Print them in a batch. Stick one on every order, every time, including the order you sell to your sister. Consistency is what keeps you out of trouble, and a batch of labels costs very little.
Decide how you will take orders
Once you know what you are allowed to sell and how you are allowed to sell it, you need a place for people to order. That is the part Brevl handles.
If you are still working out whether you need anything at all, Do I Need a License to Sell Baked Goods From Home and How to Get a Permit to Sell Baked Goods From Home both cover the basics. And if you plan to sell beyond your own porch, read Do I Need a License to Sell Baked Goods Online before you list anything.
Keep a folder from day one
A paper folder or a phone album both work. Put in it the dated page you read, the answers you got on the phone, a copy of anything you submitted, and your label template.
Add your order log to the same place. Date, customer, items, price. It takes ten seconds per order and it makes every future question easy.
Start with the state page this week. One hour of reading now saves you a season of second guessing.
This is general information, not legal advice. Cottage food rules change and differ by state. Confirm current requirements with the Georgia Department of Agriculture before you sell.