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Cottage food laws by state

What you can make at home, how much you can sell and where, state by state. Every figure comes from the state's own agency or statute, and each page links to it.

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

How it works

Cottage food rules are set by each state and differ a lot. Some need no license at all (Ohio, Tennessee, Missouri, South Carolina), some need a permit and a kitchen inspection (Washington, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts). Sales caps run from none at all to $250,000. Some states allow shipping and sales to stores; many keep sales direct and in-state. Read your state's page, then confirm on the official source before you sell.

24 states covered so far

  1. Arizona

    ADHS registration and food handler training. Most foods allowed. Arizona only.

  2. California

    Class A (direct, up to $75,000 currently) and Class B (adds stores and restaurants, up to $150,000 currently). Approved food list; register with your county.

  3. Colorado

    No license; training required. $10,000 per product now. Registration and $150,000 cap from 2027.

  4. Florida

    Up to $250,000 a year with no state food permit. Online and mail allowed; no wholesale.

  5. Georgia

    No state license since HB 398 (July 2025). Stores and restaurants allowed. No sales limit.

  6. Illinois

    Annual local registration and a CFPM certificate. Most foods allowed; direct sales only, online and in-state shipping allowed.

  7. Indiana

    No permit; food handler certificate required. Ship within Indiana. No resale.

  8. Maryland

    No license. $50,000 cap. Mail and online in Maryland; stores after MDH review.

  9. Massachusetts

    Local board of health permit and inspection. Room-temperature foods only. Wholesale needs a DPH license.

  10. Michigan

    $50,000 a year ($75,000 for $250+ items). No license. Online and mail within Michigan.

  11. Minnesota

    Yearly MDA registration and training. $78,000 cap. Direct sales, in-person delivery.

  12. Missouri

    No license or cap. Baked goods, jams, dried herbs only. In-state sales.

  13. New Jersey

    $100 two-year permit and a food manager certificate. $50,000 cap. In-person handoff only.

  14. New York

    Free home processor registration. Shelf-stable approved foods only. Online and wholesale allowed within the state; no out-of-state shipping.

  15. North Carolina

    Home kitchen inspection by NCDA&CS, no permit. Acidified foods possible with testing. Stores allowed; no pets.

  16. Ohio

    No license. Approved list only. Sell within Ohio, directly or through stores and restaurants.

  17. Oregon

    No license or registration; food handler card. $52,700 cap. Some retailers allowed.

  18. Pennsylvania

    Limited Food Establishment registration ($35 a year) and an inspection. Shelf-stable foods only; internet sales allowed.

  19. South Carolina

    No permit. Stores allowed with signage. Online and mail within SC.

  20. Tennessee

    No license or inspection. Stores allowed for shelf-stable items. Some TCS foods since 2025.

  21. Texas

    Up to $150,000 a year. Most foods allowed except listed exclusions; refrigerated foods need DSHS registration. Food handler training required.

  22. Virginia

    Exemption for low-risk foods, pickles ($9,000 cap) and honey. In-state sales to individuals only.

  23. Washington

    $355 two-year WSDA permit with inspection. $35,000 cap. No shipping.

  24. Wisconsin

    Home-baked goods direct to consumers need no license. Canned foods: $5,000 at markets only.

State pages

  • Arizona cottage food law

    ADHS registration and food handler training. Most foods allowed. Arizona only.

    Read the rules

  • California cottage food law

    Class A (direct, up to $75,000 currently) and Class B (adds stores and restaurants, up to $150,000 currently). Approved food list; register with your county.

    Read the rules

  • Colorado cottage food law

    No license; training required. $10,000 per product now. Registration and $150,000 cap from 2027.

    Read the rules

  • Florida cottage food law

    Up to $250,000 a year with no state food permit. Online and mail allowed; no wholesale.

    Read the rules

  • Georgia cottage food law

    No state license since HB 398 (July 2025). Stores and restaurants allowed. No sales limit.

    Read the rules

  • Illinois cottage food law

    Annual local registration and a CFPM certificate. Most foods allowed; direct sales only, online and in-state shipping allowed.

    Read the rules

  • Indiana cottage food law

    No permit; food handler certificate required. Ship within Indiana. No resale.

    Read the rules

  • Maryland cottage food law

    No license. $50,000 cap. Mail and online in Maryland; stores after MDH review.

    Read the rules

  • Massachusetts cottage food law

    Local board of health permit and inspection. Room-temperature foods only. Wholesale needs a DPH license.

    Read the rules

  • Michigan cottage food law

    $50,000 a year ($75,000 for $250+ items). No license. Online and mail within Michigan.

    Read the rules

  • Minnesota cottage food law

    Yearly MDA registration and training. $78,000 cap. Direct sales, in-person delivery.

    Read the rules

  • Missouri cottage food law

    No license or cap. Baked goods, jams, dried herbs only. In-state sales.

    Read the rules

  • New Jersey cottage food law

    $100 two-year permit and a food manager certificate. $50,000 cap. In-person handoff only.

    Read the rules

  • New York cottage food law

    Free home processor registration. Shelf-stable approved foods only. Online and wholesale allowed within the state; no out-of-state shipping.

    Read the rules

  • North Carolina cottage food law

    Home kitchen inspection by NCDA&CS, no permit. Acidified foods possible with testing. Stores allowed; no pets.

    Read the rules

  • Ohio cottage food law

    No license. Approved list only. Sell within Ohio, directly or through stores and restaurants.

    Read the rules

  • Oregon cottage food law

    No license or registration; food handler card. $52,700 cap. Some retailers allowed.

    Read the rules

  • Pennsylvania cottage food law

    Limited Food Establishment registration ($35 a year) and an inspection. Shelf-stable foods only; internet sales allowed.

    Read the rules

  • South Carolina cottage food law

    No permit. Stores allowed with signage. Online and mail within SC.

    Read the rules

  • Tennessee cottage food law

    No license or inspection. Stores allowed for shelf-stable items. Some TCS foods since 2025.

    Read the rules

  • Texas cottage food law

    Up to $150,000 a year. Most foods allowed except listed exclusions; refrigerated foods need DSHS registration. Food handler training required.

    Read the rules

  • Virginia cottage food law

    Exemption for low-risk foods, pickles ($9,000 cap) and honey. In-state sales to individuals only.

    Read the rules

  • Washington cottage food law

    $355 two-year WSDA permit with inspection. $35,000 cap. No shipping.

    Read the rules

  • Wisconsin cottage food law

    Home-baked goods direct to consumers need no license. Canned foods: $5,000 at markets only.

    Read the rules

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Questions

What is a cottage food law?

A state law that lets people make certain lower-risk foods at home and sell them, usually directly to customers, without a commercial kitchen.

Can I ship cottage food to other states?

Usually not. Most cottage food laws limit sales to the state, and some, like Washington and New Jersey, do not allow shipping at all. Check your state's rules.

Which states let cottage food be sold in stores?

Of the states covered here, Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina, New York, Tennessee, Oregon, Maryland and South Carolina allow sales to stores in some form, and California does for Class B. Many others allow direct sales only.

Which states have no cottage food sales limit?

Georgia and Missouri, for example, set no sales cap. Caps elsewhere run as high as $250,000 in Florida.

What happens when I outgrow cottage food rules?

You move to a licensed commercial kitchen, commissary or co-packer and get the licenses that go with it.

Get a plan and a price

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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