Cottage food rules
Lake County Cottage Food Law: What Home Bakers Need
Know which Lake County rules apply to your kitchen and what to file before your first sale.
On this page
What to remember
- Lake County, Illinois: register with the local health department before you sell.
- Illinois sales are exclusively at farmer’s markets, and your kitchen must fit the county’s home occupation provisions.
- Lake County, California: a Class B operation needs a permit from the local enforcement agency before it opens for business.
- Lake County, Florida: no state permit for certain non-hazardous foods while gross sales stay at or below $250,000 a year.
Cottage food rules are set close to home, so the county on your address matters more than the state on the law. Below is what each Lake County asks, in plain terms, and where the paperwork goes. If you bake under Illinois rules, our walkthrough of Illinois cottage food law requirements goes deeper.
Lake County, Illinois: register, then sell at markets
In Lake County, Illinois, a cottage food operation lets you make certain food items in the kitchen of your primary residence and sell them exclusively at farmer’s markets. The operation is also subject to the county’s home occupation provisions. On top of that, the Illinois Cottage Food Operation Act, 41 ILCS 625, sets additional standards for preparing and selling food under a cottage food operation, including compliance with applicable health regulations. You register with the local health department, and the Illinois Department of Public Health cottage food guide lists prohibited ingredients and the extra requirements that come with operating.
Filling out the Lake County registration
Lake County cottage food registration applications are handled at 500 W. Winchester Road, Suite 102, Libertyville, IL 60048-1331. A few things to sort out before anything goes in the mail.
Check your kitchen against home occupation rules
The county applies its home occupation provisions to a cottage food operation, so read those before you plan a selling week.
Register with the local health department
Registration comes before selling, not after. That is the step that makes the operation legal in Illinois.
Write out what you actually bake
Your product list should match a normal month in your kitchen, not a wish list for the whole year.
Read the prohibited ingredient list
The Illinois Department of Public Health cottage food guide lists what you cannot use and the extra requirements that apply.
Keep your selling to farmer's markets
In Lake County, Illinois, cottage food sales are exclusively at farmer’s markets.
Lake County, California: a permit before you open
In Lake County, California, a Class B cottage food operation shall not be open for business unless it obtains a permit from the local enforcement agency. That means the permit comes first, before you take a single order or post a single photo of a cake.
Lake County, Florida: no state permit, with a sales ceiling
Florida’s cottage food law, FS 500.80, lets you make and sell certain non-hazardous foods from your home without a state permit if your annual gross sales stay at or below $250,000. Stay under that line and you keep the simpler path. Go over it and the picture changes, so it is worth tracking your sales as you go.
Wherever you bake, confirm the current rules with your county before you take an order, because details get updated and the county office is the one that decides. If you are still working out what your kitchen needs, home bakery licenses and permits lays out the common ones. Once the paperwork is behind you, a shop of your own makes it easy to take orders and get paid.
Start your 14 day free trial
Free, no signup.
Common questions
Do I need a permit to sell baked goods from my home in Lake County, Illinois?
You register with the local health department to operate as a cottage food operation in Illinois. The county also applies its home occupation provisions, and the Illinois Cottage Food Operation Act, 41 ILCS 625, sets additional standards for preparing and selling the food.
Where do I send the Lake County, Illinois cottage food registration?
Applications are handled at 500 W. Winchester Road, Suite 102, Libertyville, IL 60048-1331.
Can I sell anywhere I like in Lake County, Illinois?
No. In Lake County, Illinois, cottage food items made in your home kitchen are sold exclusively at farmer's markets.
I bake with seasonal fruit. Will that cause a problem on the application?
The county application notes that foraged ingredients, seasonal ingredients, seasonal products, or an extensive variety of products can make it hard to list everything in advance. Plan a list you can keep accurate.
What does Lake County, California require?
A Class B cottage food operation shall not be open for business unless it obtains a permit from the local enforcement agency.
What does Lake County, Florida allow?
Under FS 500.80 you can make and sell certain non-hazardous foods from your home without a state permit if annual gross sales stay at or below $250,000.
Sources
This is general information, not legal advice. Cottage food rules change, so confirm the current requirements with your county before you sell.