Cottage food rules
New Cottage Food Laws in Pennsylvania: What to Check
A calm way to get the current Pennsylvania rules straight before your next order.
On this page
What to remember
- Get the answer from the state, not from a comment in a baker’s group.
- Write down what you may make, where you may sell, and what goes on the label.
- Put the date you checked next to every note you keep.
- Ask again before you add a new product or a new place to sell.
- Price the bakes you are allowed to sell so they still pay you.
A lot of home bakers get stuck here because the rules are not written for someone baking in her own kitchen. They read like paperwork. So do not try to read the whole thing at once. Treat it as five questions with five answers, and get each answer from the state office that handles food in Pennsylvania rather than from a friend, a video, or a post that was shared last year.
The five questions to ask before you bake for sale
Ask what you may make
Get the list of foods allowed from a home kitchen and write it down word for word, including anything that is off limits. Keep the exact wording, not your summary of it.
Ask where you may sell
A market table, a shop down the street, a delivery, and shipping are each worth asking about on their own. Get an answer for every one you plan to use.
Ask what goes on the label
Ask for the exact wording, the size, and where it sits on the package. Copy it letter for letter instead of paraphrasing it in your own words.
Ask what you have to keep
Ask whether you need receipts, a record of what you sold, or a certificate on file. Start the folder the same day, even if it is empty.
Ask what changes the answer
A new ingredient, a much bigger order, or a new place to sell may put you under different rules. Ask before you say yes to that order, not after.
Keep it where you can find it on a busy Saturday
Make one page you can open on your phone. At the top, put the date you checked. Under it, the foods you may sell, the places you may sell them, and the exact label wording. Add the name of the person you spoke to if you called and asked. When a customer asks a question you cannot answer, you will have the answer in ten seconds instead of an hour.
Price the bakes you are allowed to sell
Once you know what you may sell, price those bakes so each one pays you for the work. A limited list of products makes this easier, not harder, because you can cost a small number of recipes properly. Guides for other states show how the same questions get answered in different places, which is a useful reminder that a rule somewhere else tells you nothing about your own kitchen: see Ohio, Maryland, and Massachusetts.
Your shop is yours to set up the way you like it: your photos, your colors, and your own web address. You can take card payments through your own Stripe or Square account, plus Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and cash. It works on your phone and on a computer, and a real person answers when you get stuck.
Check again before the season turns
Put a reminder in your phone to look up the rules again before your busy season, and any time you add a product or a place to sell. Keep every dated note in one folder. If someone ever asks how you decided what to bake and how to label it, you will have a clean answer with a date on it.
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- New cottage food laws in Ohio
- New cottage food laws in Maryland
- New cottage food laws in Massachusetts
Common questions
Do I need to check the rules again if I already looked last year?
Yes, look again before your busy season and any time you add a product or a new place to sell. Rules are not something you check once and forget.
Can I trust a rules summary I found in a baker's group?
No. Use it as a hint about what to ask, then get the answer from the state office that handles food in Pennsylvania and write down the date you checked.
What should I do while I wait for an answer?
Do not take orders for the product or the place you are unsure about yet. Bake what you already know is allowed, and keep the question in writing so you can ask it clearly.
Does a rule from another state tell me anything about Pennsylvania?
No. Each state writes its own rules, so a limit or a permission somewhere else says nothing about what you may do in your own kitchen.
How does Brevl help with all this?
Brevl keeps your recipes, real costing, ingredient inventory, and weekly plan in one place, so you can see which of the bakes you are allowed to sell still make money. It is one flat $20 a month with no cut of your sales.
This is general information for home bakers, not legal or tax advice. Rules differ by state and can change. Confirm what applies to your kitchen with the state office that handles food in Pennsylvania before you sell.