Cottage food rules
California Cottage Food Laws: What Home Bakers Need
What California's cottage food rules actually require, and how to check your bakes before you sell.
On this page
What to remember
- A Cottage Food Operation can prepare and package certain non-potentially hazardous foods in a private home kitchen.
- CDPH does not permit or register Cottage Food Operations. It maintains the Approved Cottage Foods List.
- Cottage food products must comply with the Approved Cottage Food List.
- Food contact surfaces, equipment, and utensils must be washed, rinsed, and sanitized before each use.
- No cottage food prep, packaging, or handling may happen at the same time as family meals, dishwashing, or laundry.
The first question is not what you want to bake. It is whether the food counts as a cottage food product under California’s rules. A cottage food product is a nonpotentially hazardous food prepared for sale in the kitchen of a cottage food operation. That definition is narrow, and it is the reason the Approved Foods List matters so much. If you are still mapping out your options, this walkthrough on how to research your state’s cottage food laws helps you sort the state rules from the local ones.
What California allows
The state page is clear that a Cottage Food Operation can prepare and package certain non-potentially hazardous foods in a private home kitchen. It is not a green light for every food you can imagine. Cottage food products allowed in the program are non-potentially hazardous and must comply with the Approved Cottage Food List maintained by CDPH. The list can change, so check it again before you add a new bake.
Your kitchen during a bake
The kitchen rules are where a lot of home bakers get caught. All food contact surfaces, equipment, and utensils used for preparation, packaging, or handling of cottage food products must be washed, rinsed, and sanitized before each use. That is before each use, not just at the end of the day.
The second rule is about time. No cottage food preparation, packaging, or handling may happen in the home kitchen at the same time as other domestic activities, such as family meal preparation, dishwashing, or laundry. In practice, that means your cottage food work needs its own window, with the family kitchen closed for other work while you are in it.
Check a bake before you sell
Name the food exactly
Write down what you plan to sell, including the main ingredients. You need to match it to the state list, not to a general category.
Check the Approved Cottage Foods List
Open the CDPH list and look for your food. Cottage food products must comply with the Approved Cottage Food List maintained by CDPH.
Confirm it is non-potentially hazardous
The program is for non-potentially hazardous foods prepared for sale in the kitchen of a cottage food operation. If the food does not fit that definition, it is not a cottage food product for this program.
Plan a clean kitchen window
Set aside time when you will not be cooking family meals, washing dishes, or doing laundry. Clean and sanitize food contact surfaces, equipment, and utensils before each use.
Check local examples and ask
Local pages can add detail. As of April 2025, Mono County lists cottage food products made with meringue powder, powdered eggs, or pasteurized eggs as allowed, with no additional ingredients permitted. Use that as a prompt to confirm your own county’s current position.
Recheck before you add a new bake
CDPH may add or delete food categories. Check the list again before you put a new item on your menu.
What to confirm before your first order
CDPH’s role is easy to mix up. The department does not permit or register Cottage Food Operations, but it does maintain the Approved Cottage Foods List. So a state page is a reference point, not a certificate you can print and frame. Before you sell, confirm the current list, the current definition of a cottage food product, and your county’s instructions.
Label rules are a separate detail to nail down. This guide to Oregon cottage food label requirements shows the kind of questions to ask about what goes on a package, even though the rules are not California’s. Write down what you confirm, keep it with your recipes, and check it again when the state list changes.
Common questions
Does CDPH approve or register my cottage food operation?
No. The California Department of Public Health does not permit or register Cottage Food Operations. It maintains the Approved Cottage Foods List.
What counts as a cottage food product in California?
A cottage food product is a nonpotentially hazardous food prepared for sale in the kitchen of a cottage food operation. The food must also comply with the Approved Cottage Food List.
Can I make family dinner while I prep cottage food orders?
No. No cottage food preparation, packaging, or handling may happen in the home kitchen at the same time as family meal preparation, dishwashing, or laundry.
How clean does my equipment need to be?
All food contact surfaces, equipment, and utensils used for preparation, packaging, or handling must be washed, rinsed, and sanitized before each use.
Are meringue powder and powdered eggs allowed?
As of April 2025, Mono County lists cottage food products made with meringue powder, powdered eggs, or pasteurized eggs as allowed, with no additional ingredients permitted. Confirm the current CDPH list and your own county before you use them.
Can the Approved Foods List change?
Yes. CDPH is responsible for maintaining the Approved Cottage Foods List and may add or delete food categories.
Sources
General information, not legal advice. Confirm the current CDPH list and your county's rules before you sell.