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Cottage food by state

Massachusetts cottage food law: what you can sell and how

Massachusetts has no license-free cottage food exemption. Selling homemade food direct to consumers takes a Retail Residential Kitchen permit from your town's board of health, which inspects your kitchen.

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Updated November 2026 by the Madeline's team, who set these tools up for makers and farms.

The short version

Get a Retail Residential Kitchen permit (a Cottage Food Operation) from your local board of health before selling direct to consumers, including online and by mail. Only room-temperature-safe foods like baked goods, jams and jellies. To sell to stores or restaurants you need a separate Wholesale Residential Kitchen license from the state Department of Public Health.

Massachusetts rules at a glance

  1. Who regulates

    Your local board of health permits and inspects retail residential kitchens. The Department of Public Health Food Protection Program licenses wholesale residential kitchens.

  2. Permit

    Required for any direct-to-consumer sales, including farmers markets, craft fairs, internet and mail. Mass.gov notes the annual permit usually costs between $50 and $100.

  3. Allowed foods

    Cottage food products that are safe at room temperature, such as baked goods, confections, jams and jellies. Lab testing of pH or water activity may be required.

  4. Not allowed

    Cream-filled pastries, cheesecake, custard, cut fruit and vegetables, tomato and barbecue sauce, pickled products, relishes and salad dressings.

  5. Wholesale

    Selling to stores, grocers or restaurants needs a Wholesale Residential Kitchen license from DPH, with its own rules under 105 CMR 500.

  6. Kitchen rules

    No pets in the kitchen during production, no infants or small children present, and living or sleeping rooms cannot be used.

  7. Local zoning

    Some cities and towns prohibit residential kitchens. Check with your board of health first.

Check the source

  • Official source

    Mass.gov: Residential Kitchen Questions and Answers

    Rules change. Confirm the current figures and forms with the state before you start selling.

    Open the official page

  • Cottage food to commercial kitchen

    What changes when you outgrow the limits.

    Read the guide

  • Free tool

    Cost per jar calculator

    Price your cottage food products from what they really cost.

    Use the calculator

  • Food label requirements

    What a packaged food label needs, including allergens.

    Read the guide

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Questions

Is there a cottage food law in Massachusetts?

Yes, but it requires a permit. Home producers selling direct to consumers need a Retail Residential Kitchen permit from the local board of health.

How much is a residential kitchen permit in Massachusetts?

Mass.gov says the annual permit usually costs between $50 and $100. It varies by town.

Can I sell homemade food to stores in Massachusetts?

Only with a Wholesale Residential Kitchen license from the Department of Public Health.

Can I sell pickles or hot sauce from a home kitchen in Massachusetts?

No. Pickled products and sauces are on the not-allowed list.

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Tell us what you make and what you use today. A spreadsheet and a Square account is a fine answer. We reply by email with what we would keep, what we would change and what it costs.

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