Cottage food rules
Kentucky Cottage Food License: What Home Bakers Need
What Kentucky asks of a home baker, in plain terms, from the sales cap to the label.
What to remember
- Kentucky calls this a home-based processor, not a cottage food license.
- Home-based processors are exempt from the standard permit requirement.
- Only non-potentially hazardous, shelf-stable foods are allowed.
- Sales are capped at $60,000 in gross income per year.
- Anything outside the allowed food list gets your application rejected.
If you have been searching for a Kentucky cottage food license, the term the state actually uses is home-based processor. It helps to see how the paperwork compares with home bakery license requirements in other states, and to look at a neighbor like Indiana so you know which rules travel with you and which do not.
What Kentucky lets you sell
Home-based processors in Kentucky may sell non-potentially hazardous baked goods, which covers breads, cakes, cookies, pies, and pastries, along with candies, jams, and jellies. Everything you sell under these rules has to be shelf-stable and non-potentially hazardous. That single test is what decides whether a recipe is on the list, so run each bake through it before you build a menu around it.
The $60,000 sales cap
Kentucky caps annual cottage food sales at $60,000 in gross income per year from the sale of the products. That figure sits inside the definition of both licensing paths under KRS 217.015, so it is part of what makes you eligible, not a guideline you can drift past. Because the cap is written as gross income, the sales figure is what matters, so keep a running total as the year goes rather than working it out in December. If a busy season puts you near the line, it is worth knowing where you stand before you take the next order.
Labels, selling, and staying current
KRS 217.136 covers home-based processors, including the exemption from the permit requirement and from fair packaging and labeling laws, plus the rules on production, labeling, and sales of home-processed products. The Cabinet for Health and Family Services keeps a home-based processing page with current information on registration, allowable products, permitted selling methods, operating standards, and labeling requirements. Read that page before you print a label or take your first order, since it is the version the state will hold you to.
The rules do shift, and a page that was right last spring may not be right now. If you sell across a state line, or you are simply comparing what a nearby baker deals with, the Tennessee guide is a useful read alongside the Kentucky page.
Confirm your bake is on the allowed list
Breads, cakes, cookies, pies, pastries, candies, jams, and jellies are named. Everything must be non-potentially hazardous and shelf-stable.
Watch the $60,000 line
The cap is on gross income per year from the sale of your products, so track it as you go.
Check the state page before you print anything
The Cabinet for Health and Family Services page carries the current registration, selling methods, operating standards, and labeling requirements.
Label to the state's rules
KRS 217.136 sets labeling rules for home-processed products. Get the wording right before your first order, not after.
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Common questions
Do I need a license to sell baked goods from my home in Kentucky?
Kentucky exempts home-based processors from the permit requirement under KRS 217.136. The Cabinet for Health and Family Services home-based processing page carries the current registration details, allowable products, selling methods, operating standards, and labeling requirements, so start there.
How much can I sell in a year?
Kentucky caps annual cottage food sales at $60,000 in gross income per year from the sale of the products. That limit is written into the definition of both licensing paths under KRS 217.015.
Can I sell any recipe I like?
No. Everything sold under the home-based processor rules must be non-potentially hazardous and shelf-stable. Breads, cakes, cookies, pies, pastries, candies, jams, and jellies are on the allowed list.
What happens if I apply with a food that is not on the list?
Submitting any food outside of the food list provided in the regulation will result in the home-based processor application being rejected. Check each item before you apply.
Where do I find the current Kentucky rules?
The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services maintains a home-based processing page with current information on registration, allowable products, permitted selling methods, operating standards, and labeling requirements.
Sources
This is general information about Kentucky rules for home bakers, not legal or tax advice. Rules change, so confirm the current requirements with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services before you sell.