Cottage Food Laws by State (2026): Selling Food From Home

Compare states

State	Permit needed	Sales cap	State-level fees
Alabama	Yes	No cap	Set locally
Alaska	No	No cap	$50
Arizona	Yes	No cap	$0
Arkansas	No	No cap	See guide
California	Yes	For 2026: $88,878 for Class A and $177,756 for Class B in gross annual sales. The limits rise each year with inflation.	Set locally
Colorado	No	$10,000 a year in net revenue for each product through December 31, 2026. From January 1, 2027, $150,000 a year in gross revenue (total sales), adjusted each year for inflation.	See guide
Connecticut	Yes	$50,000 a year	$50
Delaware	Yes	No cap	$30
Florida	No	$250,000 a year	See guide
Georgia	No	No cap	Set locally
Hawaii	No	No cap	$0
Idaho	No	No cap	$0
Illinois	Yes	No cap	$0 to $50 + local fees
Indiana	No	No cap	$0
Iowa	Depends	The cottage food law sets no sales limit. A licensed home food processing establishment must keep gross sales under $50,000 a year.	See guide
Kansas	No	No cap	See guide
Kentucky	Yes	$60,000 a year	$50
Louisiana	No	$100,000 a year	See guide
Maine	Yes	No cap	$20
Maryland	Depends	$50,000 a year	$0
Minnesota	Yes	$78,000 a year	$0 to $50
Mississippi	No	$35,000 a year	See guide
Missouri	No	No cap	$0
Montana	Depends	—	$40
Nebraska	Depends	No cap	See guide
Nevada	Yes	$100,000 per calendar year in gross sales according to the Southern Nevada Health District, which cites the current law (NRS 580.600). Northern Nevada Public Health (Washoe County) still lists $35,000 a year. Ask your health authority which figure it applies.	Set locally
New Hampshire	Depends	—	$150
New Jersey	Yes	$50,000 a year	$100
New Mexico	No	No cap	See guide
New York	Yes	—	Set locally
North Carolina	Yes	—	See guide
North Dakota	No	—	$0
Ohio	No	—	$10
Oklahoma	No	$250,000 a year	$0 to $15
Oregon	No	$52,700 a year	$25
Pennsylvania	Yes	—	$70 + local fees
Rhode Island	Yes	$50,000 a year	$65
South Carolina	No	The law sets no yearly sales limit. Its rules do not apply at all to an operation that nets less than $1,500 a year.	See guide
South Dakota	No	No cap	$0 to $28
Tennessee	No	—	$0
Texas	Depends	$150,000 a year	See guide
Utah	Depends	No cap	Set locally
Vermont	Depends	$30,000 a year	$0
Virginia	No	No sales cap for baked goods, candy, jams and other low-risk foods. Pickles and acidified vegetables are capped at $9,000 in gross sales a calendar year. Honey sales must be less than 250 gallons a year.	$0
Washington	Yes	$35,000 a year	$355
West Virginia	No	No cap	See guide
Wisconsin	Depends	$5,000 a year per person for home-canned foods. DATCP's guidance for home bakers states no sales limit.	$0
Wyoming	No	$250,000 a year	See guide

Fees are the fixed state-level fees from each state guide. Local fees are not included. Open the state guide for the details and sources.

What is a cottage food law?

A cottage food law lets you make certain foods in your home kitchen and sell them, without renting a commercial kitchen or getting the full licence a restaurant needs. Every state writes its own rules, so what you can sell, how much you can earn and what paperwork you need depends on where you live.

What most cottage food laws cover

Which foods are allowed. Most states allow foods that are unlikely to make people sick when kept at room temperature, such as many breads, cookies, cakes without cream fillings, candy, jams and dry mixes. Foods that need a fridge to stay safe, such as meat, cheesecake or cream pies, are usually not allowed. The exact list varies a lot.
Whether you need a permit. Some states need nothing at all. Others ask you to register, take a short course, pass a home kitchen inspection or buy a licence.
How much you can sell. Some states cap your yearly sales. Others have no cap.
Where and how you can sell. Many states allow direct sales to customers, at markets, from home or online. Some allow shipping or selling through shops and cafés; others don’t.
Labels. Almost every state requires a label with your name and address, the product name, ingredients and allergens, plus a statement that the food was made in a home kitchen that is not inspected.

How to use our state guides

Pick your state above. Each guide answers whether you need a permit, then walks you through every step in order with the fee and the official form, lists what you can and can’t sell, and links every rule to its official source.

Your city or county can add its own rules, such as zoning or a business licence. Each guide lists the local rules we know about, but always check with your city or county too.

All states

General information, not legal advice. Always confirm with the agency before you apply.