Cottage food rules
New Kansas Cottage Food Laws: What to Confirm First
A clear order of questions to ask so a rule change never catches you mid order.
On this page
What to remember
- Confirm the current rules before your next batch, not after a customer asks.
- Ask about allowed foods, where you can sell, labeling, and any sales cap.
- Write down who you spoke to and the date, and keep it with your recipes.
- Your answers decide how you price, package, and take orders.
Cottage food rules move. A post from two years ago, a screenshot in a baker group, or a friend’s advice from across the county line can all be out of date. Other states have gone through visible updates recently, and reading one of those guides shows the shape of what to check: New Georgia Cottage Food Laws and New Cottage Food Laws Texas both walk through the same handful of questions you will need answered for Kansas.
What to confirm, in order
Which foods are allowed
Ask for the current list of allowed and not allowed items, and ask specifically about anything you make that is risky or unusual, such as custards, cream fillings, or anything that needs refrigeration. If an item is not on the allowed list, do not build orders around it.
Where you can sell
Ask about selling from home, at a farmers market, from a pickup table, through online orders, and by shipping. Ask about each one separately rather than assuming one answer covers all of them.
What your label has to say
Get the exact required wording and where it has to sit on the label. If you sell packaged bakes, ask whether an ingredient list and allergen wording are needed too.
Any sales limit or registration
Ask whether there is a yearly cap on what you can sell, and whether you need to register, take a training course, or have your kitchen looked at.
Local rules on top
Ask whether your county or city adds anything on top of the state rules. Two bakers in the same state can be working under different local requirements.
Get it in writing
Ask for the page address or a copy of the guidance, and note the date you asked. Rules change, and you want to know which version you read.
Put the new costs into your prices
A rule change can bring new costs with it: labels, packaging, a course, a fee. Work those into your recipe cost before you set a price, so a change in the rules does not quietly eat your margin. Brevl recipes carry real costing, ingredient inventory, and a weekly planner, so you can see what a batch actually costs and plan the week around it. If you sell in more than one place, New Cottage Food Laws in South Carolina is another short read on the same set of questions.
Try the free bake costing tool
Free, no signup.
Write it down where you will see it
Make yourself a one page sheet: the allowed foods, where you can sell, the exact label wording, any sales cap, your local contacts, and the date you checked. Tape it inside a cupboard you open every day. When a customer asks whether you can make something new, you answer from the sheet instead of guessing, and when the rules move again you update one page rather than rebuilding your whole shop. Ordering, payments, and pricing stay steady on your side while the rules settle.
Common questions
Did Kansas cottage food laws change recently?
This page does not state the current Kansas rules, so treat any summary as something to check. Ask the state office that handles food in Kansas for the version in force today, and note the date you asked.
Can I sell my bakes from home in Kansas?
That depends on the current rules and on what you make. Ask which foods are allowed, where you can sell them, and whether your county or city adds anything on top before you take orders.
What has to go on my label?
Ask for the exact required wording and where it must sit, and ask whether ingredient and allergen lists are needed for what you sell. Do not copy a label from another state.
Do I need a license or a training course?
Ask the state office directly whether registration, a course, or a kitchen check applies to you. The answer can differ depending on what you sell and where you sell it.
How much does Brevl cost?
One flat $20 a month, with no cut of your sales. There is a 14 day free trial, and a real person answers, usually within minutes.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Confirm the current Kansas rules with the state office that regulates food before you sell.