Data: cottage food laws

Cottage food laws, state by state.

In 27 of 50 states a home baker can sell shelf-stable foods without any registration or permit; 14 ask for a registration and 6 for a license or permit. 16 states publish an annual sales cap, from $30,000 to $250,000, and 4 say there is none.

Updated October 11, 2026

Find your state's rules Check your city's permits

At a glance

What a home baker needs before selling.

No registration or permit: 27 (Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming)
Registration: 14 (Alabama, Arizona, California, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Montana, North Carolina, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont)
License or permit: 6 (Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey, Washington)
Unclear: 3 (Louisiana, Utah, Wisconsin)

By state

State by state.

Cottage food laws by state
State	Before selling	State fee	Annual sales cap	At markets	Event food permits from	Notes
Alaska	No registration or permit	—	—	Yes	State agency	Qualifying homemade food is exempt from state licensing and permitting, and the statute lists farmers' markets as sale venues; the statute sets no dollar cap. Source
Alabama	Registration	—	No cap	Yes	State or local, depending on the area	Producers file a review form and course certificate with the county health department; the page says the annual income limit was removed. Markets must be state-sanctioned. Source
Arkansas	No registration or permit	—	—	Yes	Local health department	Non-TCS homemade foods sold to informed end consumers are exempt from Health Department permits, including at farmers' markets; foods needing temperature control still need a permit. Source
Arizona	Registration	—	—	Unclear	State or local, depending on the area	Preparers take an accredited food handler course, register with the department, renew every three years and display the registration certificate when selling; no fee is stated. Source
California	Registration	—	—	Yes	Local health department	Class A operators register locally and sell directly; Class B operators hold a permit. Annual sales caps differ by class and are adjusted each year. Source
Colorado	No registration or permit	—	—	Yes	Unclear	No license is needed, but producers need training, labels and direct sales to the end consumer; the page's only revenue figure is up to $10,000 per product type. Source
Connecticut	License or permit	$50	$50,000	Yes	Local health department	Licensed by Consumer Protection after zoning approval and a food safety course; sales are person-to-person only, and some farmers' markets still require a food establishment license. Source
Delaware	License or permit	$30	—	Yes	State agency	The annual permit costs $30 and is displayed at farmers markets, craft fairs and other approved venues; online and wholesale sales are not allowed. Source
Florida	No registration or permit	—	$250,000	Unclear	State agency	No state food permit while annual gross sales stay at or under $250,000; sales are direct to consumers in person, online or by mail, not wholesale. Source
Georgia	No registration or permit	—	No cap	Yes	State or local, depending on the area	HB 398 ended the state license and pre-licensing inspection, and the Department's FAQ says it sets no sales limit; some farmers' markets may still require a license. Source
Hawaii	No registration or permit	—	—	Yes	State agency	Home-kitchen food products are exempt from the food establishment permit, and the Department's event form says directly sold homemade products need no special event permit. Source
Iowa	No registration or permit	—	—	Unclear	State agency	No license is needed; labels carry contact details, ingredients and a home-kitchen statement, and foods held hot or cold, dairy and meat are excluded. Source
Idaho	No registration or permit	—	—	Unclear	Local health department	No state license or inspection for homemade foods sold within Idaho; sellers must give an uninspected-food notice and keep sales records for two years. Source
Illinois	Registration	—	—	Yes	Local health department	Operators register with their local health department, which charges between $0 and $50 by law; sales are direct and allowed at farmers markets, fairs and public events. Source
Indiana	No registration or permit	—	—	Yes	State or local, depending on the area	Home-based vendors need no food permit but must hold a food handler certificate; each market or festival decides whether to admit them. Source
Kansas	No registration or permit	—	—	Unclear	Unclear	State law exempts qualifying home producers from the food establishment license, though the Department can still inspect after a complaint; the statute names no sales cap. Source
Kentucky	Registration	$50	$60,000	Yes	Local health department	Home-based processors register yearly with the Food Safety Branch and may sell in person at markets, roadside stands and community events, not by shipping. Source
Louisiana	Unclear	—	—	Unclear	State or local, depending on the area	The sanitary code excepts home-made jams, jellies, preserves and honey under $5,000 in yearly sales; no cottage food program page was found. Source
Massachusetts	License or permit	—	—	Yes	Local health department	Selling home-kitchen food directly, including at farmers markets and craft fairs, needs a permit from the local board of health; no fee is stated on the state page. Source
Maryland	No registration or permit	—	$50,000	Yes	Local health department	No license; products are prepackaged, labeled and sold only in Maryland, including at farmers markets and public events, within a $50,000 sales limit. Source
Maine	License or permit	$20	—	Unclear	State agency	A Home Food License costs $20 a year for non-refrigerated foods sold outside the home; an initial kitchen inspection is required but annual inspections are not. Source
Michigan	No registration or permit	—	$50,000	Yes	Local health department	Exempt from MDARD licensing; yearly gross sales are capped at $50,000, or $75,000 if products sell for $250 or more per unit. Source
Minnesota	Registration	—	$78,000	Yes	State or local, depending on the area	Yearly registration is free up to $7,665 in sales and $50 above that, with a $78,000 cap; sales at farmers markets and community events are allowed. Source
Missouri	No registration or permit	—	No cap	Unclear	Local health department	No permit or license; labels carry the name, address and an uninspected statement, and the 2022 update removed the annual sales cap. Source
Mississippi	No registration or permit	—	$35,000	Yes	Unclear	Limited to $35,000 in gross annual sales and an approved list of low-risk foods; sales must be direct to Mississippi consumers. Source
Montana	Registration	$40	—	Yes	Local health department	Operators register once with the county health authority for $40; foods on the farmers market exemption list sold only at markets need no registration. Source
North Carolina	Registration	—	—	Yes	Local health department	The Department inspects the home kitchen after an application and business plan but issues no permit; items handed directly to buyers at markets may skip an affixed label. Source
North Dakota	No registration or permit	—	—	Yes	State or local, depending on the area	State agencies and local governments may not require licensing, permits or inspection for cottage food; sellers must tell buyers it is not inspected, including at farmers markets. Source
Nebraska	Registration	—	—	Yes	State or local, depending on the area	Producers of non-TCS food selling directly at a farmers market need no registration or course; other cottage producers take a course and register before selling. Source
New Hampshire	No registration or permit	—	—	Yes	Local health department	Homestead food operations selling only to consumers from the home, farm stand, farmers' markets or retail food stores are exempt from state licensing and inspection. Source
New Jersey	License or permit	$100	$50,000	Yes	Local health department	The state permit costs $100 and needs zoning approval and a manager certificate; sales are capped at $50,000, and events still need a local temporary food permit. Source
New Mexico	No registration or permit	—	—	Yes	State agency	Since July 2021 listed foods need no state food permit; sellers hold a Food Handler Card, may sell at farmers markets and festivals, and give buyers a label. Source
Nevada	Registration	—	$100,000	Yes	State or local, depending on the area	Registration is required before selling; gross sales may not exceed $100,000 a year, adjusted for inflation from 2026-2027, and farmers and flea markets are named. Source
New York	Registration	Free	—	Yes	Local health department	Home processors register with Agriculture and Markets at no charge and may sell at farmers markets and craft fairs; food must be packaged and labeled at home. Source
Ohio	No registration or permit	—	—	Yes	Local health department	Exempt from state inspection and licensing; sales are allowed from the home, farmers markets and festivals run by a political subdivision lasting up to seven days. Source
Oklahoma	No registration or permit	—	$250,000	Yes	Local health department	Sales up to $250,000 a year with no permit; registering with the state is optional and lets a registration number replace name and address on labels. Source
Oregon	No registration or permit	—	$52,700	Yes	Local health department	No license if food handler training is done and annual gross sales stay at or under $52,700 (2026); sales at farmers markets are allowed. Source
Pennsylvania	Registration	$35	—	Yes	State or local, depending on the area	A Limited Food Establishment registration costs $35 initially and yearly and includes inspection; registered producers may sell at farmers markets and community events. Source
Rhode Island	Registration	$65	$50,000	Unclear	State agency	Registration with the Health Department costs $65 under the fee schedule; sales are capped at $50,000 a year and limited to pickup or delivery to consumers. Source
South Carolina	No registration or permit	—	—	Unclear	State agency	No retail food permit for non-time/temperature-controlled foods sold directly to consumers or retail stores in South Carolina; labels need the producer's name and an uninspected statement. Source
South Dakota	No registration or permit	—	No cap	Yes	State agency	No state license for listed foods sold from a home or farmers market, and the Department's guidance says there are no monetary limits on sales. Source
Tennessee	No registration or permit	—	—	Unclear	State or local, depending on the area	The Department of Agriculture says it issues no permits, licenses or inspections for foods made under the Food Freedom Act; a 2025 change added some temperature-controlled foods. Source
Texas	No registration or permit	—	$150,000	Yes	State or local, depending on the area	No permit or inspection to sell directly to consumers; registration applies to temperature-controlled foods and resellers. The income threshold is $150,000 a year. Source
Utah	Unclear	—	—	Yes	Local health department	Two routes exist: a UDAF-inspected registration, or the Home Consumption and Homemade Food Act for in-person direct sales, where farmers markets use a separately signed section. Source
Virginia	No registration or permit	—	—	Yes	State or local, depending on the area	Qualifying home producers need no VDACS permit or inspection and may sell inside Virginia directly to individuals, at any location with some exceptions. Source
Vermont	Registration	—	$30,000	Unclear	State agency	Operators at $30,000 or less in yearly sales can claim a licensing exemption by training annually and filing the exemption online before January 15. Source
Washington	License or permit	$355	$35,000	Yes	Local health department	A WSDA permit and kitchen inspection are required; the fee is $355 for two years and gross sales may not exceed $35,000 a year. Source
Wisconsin	Unclear	—	—	Unclear	State or local, depending on the area	A court order lets bakers sell shelf-stable baked goods without a license, but the state can enforce licensing on other homemade foods such as candy. Source
West Virginia	No registration or permit	—	—	Unclear	Local health department	Non-potentially hazardous foods are exempt from licensing, permitting and inspection; foods needing temperature control require a Department permit and kitchen inspection. Source
Wyoming	No registration or permit	—	$250,000	Yes	State or local, depending on the area	Homemade foods under the Food Freedom Act are exempt from licensing; producers are limited to $250,000 gross revenue and 250,000 products a year, within Wyoming. Source

Method

How we built this.

We read each state's cottage food and temporary food pages from the state health or agriculture department on 2026-10-11, and re-read every dollar figure on its source page.
“—” means the pages we read give no single figure: the fee is set locally or tiered, or the cap varies by product or class. “No cap” appears only where an official page says so.
“Unclear” means the state page doesn't settle it. Rules change; confirm with the agency before you sell. Not legal advice.

Questions

Common questions.

Can I sell homemade food at a farmers market?

In most states, yes, for foods that don't need refrigeration, like breads, cookies, jams and candy. 36 of 50 state pages we read name farmers markets or events as allowed places to sell. Check your state's labeling rules and any sales cap, and ask the market whether it needs your license or registration.

Which states have no cottage food sales limit?

Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, South Dakota say on official pages that there is no cap. Other states without a published figure may still limit sales by product or class, so read the state page.

Do food vendors at a market need a temporary food permit?

Usually, if they sell food that isn't covered by cottage food rules, or cook or sample on site. In 21 states the local health department issues it; elsewhere it's the state or depends on the county. Your city's permit page lists the office.

Sources

Sources.

Every fact on this page comes from these state agency pages, checked on 2026-10-11. Details change; tell us at hello@bzar.app if something here is out of date.

Free for organizers

Collect every food vendor's permit with the application.

On bzar, ask food vendors for their cottage food registration or health permit as a required document and check it before you approve.

Start your event free