Cottage food rules
Michigan Cottage Food Law and Eggs: What You Can Sell
What Michigan allows when eggs are in your bakes, and what changes when you sell the eggs themselves.
On this page
What to remember
- Cottage food products must be sold and delivered only within Michigan.
- A cottage food product must be sold directly from you to the consumer, and consignment or wholesale sales are restricted.
- Qualifying operations skip the food establishment license, the application, and the registration.
- Selling eggs on their own needs licensed shell egg processor status from MDARD.
- If a complaint is made, MDARD can inspect the cottage food operation.
If you keep hens and bake for neighbors, the egg question comes up fast. The answer depends on which one you are selling: the cake, or the egg. This guide walks through where Michigan draws that line and what you do not have to file. For recent updates, see Michigan cottage food law changes.
Eggs in your bakes
When eggs go into a recipe you sell as a cottage food product, they are an ingredient, not a product of their own. Your operation is exempt from the licensing and evaluation provisions of the Michigan Food Law under MCL 289.4102, and cottage food producers are exempt from MDARD licensing and inspection. So there is no egg permit to chase before you bake a loaf or a tray of brownies. The usual cottage food rules still ride along with every sale: where you sell, how you deliver, and who you sell to.
Selling the eggs themselves
The moment you sell a carton of eggs instead of a cake, you are in different territory. Michigan requires licensed shell egg processor status from the MDARD Food and Dairy Division for selling backyard eggs. That is not a cottage food exemption question. It is a separate requirement with a separate process, and it applies even when the same hens supply both your baking and your cartons. If you want to sell eggs alongside your bakes, treat it as its own decision with its own calls to make before you take a single order.
What you do not have to file
One of the quieter benefits of the exemption is the paperwork you skip. Operators who qualify under the cottage food exemptions are exempt from obtaining a food establishment license under the Food Code, with no application forms to complete and no registration required. There is also an MDARD funded online training through MSU Extension for anyone preparing and selling foods under the cottage food exemptions, covering safe food production, packaging and labeling. It is a way to sharpen your practice, not a license to obtain.
Selling and delivering inside Michigan
Michigan’s cottage food law requires that all products be sold and delivered only within the state. Sales must come directly from your operation to the consumer, and sales by consignment or at wholesale are restricted. That shapes who you can say yes to. The neighbor who orders a birthday cake, yes. The cafe down the road that wants to resell your muffins from its counter, not under this exemption. If you are unsure how a particular arrangement fits, the Michigan cottage food law class guide walks through what that training covers.
If someone complains
Being exempt from routine licensing and inspection is not the same as being invisible. If a complaint is made, MDARD can inspect the cottage food operation. Keep your kitchen, your labels, and your order records in order, and keep a plain answer ready for what is in each bake. If you bake in another state, the egg question shifts again, and our guide to Iowa cottage food laws and eggs shows how one state handles it.
Try the free recipe cost calculator
Free, no signup.
Common questions
Can I sell eggs from my backyard under the cottage food law?
Selling backyard eggs requires licensed shell egg processor status from the MDARD Food and Dairy Division. That is separate from the cottage food exemption, so treat cartons of eggs as their own decision rather than something your baking exemption covers.
Do I need a license to bake with eggs at home and sell what I make?
Operators who qualify under the cottage food exemptions are exempt from MDARD licensing and inspection, and are exempt from a food establishment license under the Food Code, with no application forms and no registration required.
Can I sell my bakes in Ohio or ship them to another state?
No. Michigan's cottage food law requires that all products be sold and delivered only within Michigan.
Can a cafe or a shop resell my bakes?
A cottage food product must be sold directly from the cottage food operation to the consumer, and sales by consignment or at wholesale are restricted.
Will anyone ever inspect my kitchen?
Routine licensing and inspection do not apply to qualifying cottage food producers, but if a complaint is made, MDARD can inspect the cottage food operation.
Is there a class I have to take?
MSU Extension offers an MDARD funded online training for those preparing and selling foods under the cottage food exemptions, covering safe food production, packaging and labeling. It is training, not a license.
Sources
General information, not legal advice. Rules can change. Confirm the details with MDARD before you sell.