Cottage Food Laws in Illinois
Last verified against official sources on by Amrit. How we verify
Yes. Illinois lets you make most foods in your home kitchen and sell them straight to customers, in person or online, anywhere in the state. You must register every year with your local health department, which can charge up to $50. Everyone who makes or packs the food needs a Certified Food Protection Manager certificate, and every product needs a label with a set home-kitchen warning. There is no limit on how much you can sell, but you cannot sell to stores or restaurants, and you cannot ship out of Illinois.[1][6]
At a glance
| Permit needed | Yes. A yearly registration with the local health department where you live.[1] |
|---|---|
| Fee | $0 to $50 a year, set by your local health department. Lab tests, if you need them, cost extra.[1][6] |
| Sales cap | None[6] |
| Training | A Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) certificate for everyone who makes or packs the food. A basic food handler card does not count.[1][6] |
| Labels | Required on every product, including your registration number and a home-kitchen warning. You also need a warning sign where you sell.[1] |
| Where you can sell | Directly to customers anywhere in Illinois: farmers markets, mobile farmers markets, fairs and events, pickup from your home, delivery, and pickup at another private property with the owner's OK.[1] |
| Online and shipping | You can sell online. You can ship only shelf-stable food, only within Illinois, in tamper-evident packaging.[1] |
| Stores and restaurants | Not allowed. You cannot sell to a shop, café or restaurant to resell or use.[4] |
| Agency | Your local health department registers you. The Illinois Department of Public Health writes the guidance.[4] |
Step by step
Do these in order. Each step links to the official form or page.
Check that your food is allowed
Most foods are allowed. The law bans a short list, such as meat, fish, cheesecake, low-acid canned foods and kombucha (see the lists below). Pickles, fermented foods, canned tomato products and salsa are allowed but need extra paperwork. Your home kitchen must be in your main home, or on a farm.[1][6]
Get a Certified Food Protection Manager certificate
You, and anyone else who makes or packs your food, must pass a Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) exam. Look for an ANSI-accredited course with a proctored exam (ANSI is the body that approves the course). Staff who only sell or do admin do not need one. The certificate lasts five years.[1][6]
Get any tests your products need
For pickles, fermented foods and hot sauces, send in a recipe tested by the USDA or a cooperative extension, or send in a written food safety plan plus a lab pH test (the plan every year, the pH test every 3 years). Jars you can must be processed in a boiling water bath in a Mason-style jar or glass container with a tight lid. If you don't can them, sell them in a new container that seals properly and keep them at 41°F or colder, including while you transport and sell them. For canned tomatoes or salsa, follow a USDA or extension tested recipe exactly, or have a lab test your recipe and show the yearly results when you register. If your home uses a private well, the health department may ask for a water test. It may also ask for a lab test on baked goods with cheese. You pay for these tests.[1][6]
Design your labels
Make a label for each product type you list on your form. It must show: your business name and town or county, your registration number and where you registered, the food's name, all ingredients by weight (largest first), major allergens, the date you made it, and this sentence in prominent lettering: "This product was produced in a home kitchen not inspected by a health department that may also process common food allergens. If you have safety concerns, contact your local health department."[1][6][5]
Register with your local health department
Apply to the health department for the county or city where you live. The form is usually on its website. Send your CFPM certificate, a list of your products, a sample label for each product type, and any tests or food safety plans. Apply early.[6]
Put your registration number on labels and set up your sales sign
When you are approved you get a certificate and a registration number. Keep the certificate handy, since any health department can ask to see it. Wherever you sell, show a notice that says: "This product was produced in a home kitchen not inspected by a health department that may also process common food allergens." At a table or stand it must be a placard. Online, it must appear on your sales page at checkout.[1]
Renew every year
Registration lasts one year. Re-register each year and send in your food safety plans again if you make pickles or fermented foods.[1]
What you can and can't sell[1][6]
Allowed
- Most foods that are not on the banned list, such as breads, cookies, cakes, fruit pies like apple or blueberry, roasted coffee, dried herbs and spice mixes
- Baked goods and candy with dairy, if they do not need refrigeration
- Buttercream and similar frostings (no raw eggs)
- Pickles, fermented foods and hot sauces, with a tested recipe or a food safety plan and pH test (if not canned, they must be kept at 41°F or colder)
- Canned tomatoes and salsa, with a tested recipe or a lab test
- Dehydrated, acidified, or blanched and frozen cut leafy greens
- Garlic oil, if it is acidified
- Baked goods made with alcohol, and extracts like vanilla, if not meant to be drunk
Not allowed
- Meat, poultry, fish, seafood or shellfish
- Pumpkin pies, sweet potato pies, cheesecakes, custard pies, creme pies, and pastries with fillings or toppings that need refrigeration
- Eggs, except cooked into foods that do not need refrigeration (such as dry noodles) or in frosting without raw eggs
- Dairy, except as described above
- Garlic in oil, unless acidified
- Low-acid canned foods
- Sprouts
- Fresh cut leafy greens
- Cut or pureed fresh tomato or melon, dehydrated tomato or melon, and frozen cut melon
- Wild-harvested (foraged) mushrooms
- Alcoholic beverages
- Kombucha
Local rules
These places add their own requirements on top of the state rules.
- Chicago: If your home kitchen is in Chicago, you register with the Chicago Department of Public Health. Send the application, a home self-certification checklist, your CFPM certificate, a full menu and labels. Allow 6 to 8 weeks. Home pickup must also follow Chicago's rules for all home-based businesses.[7][1]
- Any city or county: Local governments cannot regulate cottage food in a way that conflicts with state law. They can still limit pickup from your home if the rule applies equally to all cottage food sellers, and zoning rules for home businesses may apply. Check with your city or county.[1][6]
- Counties without a health department: If your county has no health department, it must contract with a neighboring county's health department, and you register there.[1]
What it costs
| Step | Fee |
|---|---|
| Get a Certified Food Protection Manager certificate | Set by the private course and exam company. The state guide says it usually costs $100 to $300. |
| Get any tests your products need | Lab prices vary. The state guide says a pH test is generally $15 to $40. |
| Register with your local health department | $0 to $50 |
| Total if every fee applies to you | $0 to $50 |
Not included in the total because the fee is set locally: Get a Certified Food Protection Manager certificate; Get any tests your products need.
Recent changes
- : A general clean-up law (Public Act 104-417) touched this section. It says it makes no change in substance.[1]
- : Public Act 103-903 added mobile farmers markets as a place to sell, allowed alcohol in extracts and baked goods, let a pH and water activity test show a food is shelf-stable, and made counties without a health department contract with a neighbor to register sellers.[1][2]
- : The Home-to-Market Act (Public Act 102-633) let cottage food sellers sell directly to customers anywhere in Illinois, including online, by delivery and by shipping within the state, instead of mainly at farmers markets.[3][7][6]
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell my cottage food on Etsy, Facebook or my own website?
Yes. Put the home-kitchen notice on your shop page at checkout. You can ship only food that does not need refrigeration, only to addresses in Illinois, and it must be sealed so tampering shows.[1]
Can I ship to a customer in another state?
No. Illinois cottage food cannot be shipped out of state.[1]
Can a coffee shop or grocery store sell my baked goods?
No. You must sell directly to the person who will eat the food. Shops, grocery stores and restaurants cannot resell your cottage food or use it as an ingredient.[1][7]
Is a food handler card enough?
No. You need the more advanced Certified Food Protection Manager certificate. So does anyone else who makes or packs your food.[6]
Will the health department inspect my kitchen?
Not as a routine. They can inspect your kitchen, charge a reasonable inspection fee and stop your sales if there is a consumer complaint or an illness outbreak, or if they have reason to think your food is unsafe, mislabeled or breaking the cottage food rules. If the problem can't be fixed, they can revoke your registration.[6][1]
Can I sell at events in other counties?
Yes. You register only where you live, then you can sell anywhere in Illinois. Bring your certificate, because any health department can ask to see it.[6][1]
Do I need to register to bake for a church or school bake sale?
No, if you are making baked goods that don't need refrigeration for a religious, charitable or nonprofit group's fundraiser.[1]
Can I sell cakes or donuts that are not individually wrapped?
Only with permission from the health department where you sell. If you get it, you must give buyers the label information another clear way, such as a sign.[1]
Sources
- 410 ILCS 625/4, Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act, Sec. 4 Cottage food operation (archived copy of ilga.gov, captured 2026-01-09), Illinois General Assembly. Checked October 24, 2026.
- Public Act 103-0903 (SB 2617) (archived copy of ilga.gov), Illinois General Assembly. Checked October 24, 2026.
- Public Act 102-0633, Home-to-Market Act (archived copy of ilga.gov), Illinois General Assembly. Checked October 24, 2026.
- Cottage Food, Illinois Department of Public Health. Checked October 24, 2026.
- Cottage Food Labeling checklist, Illinois Department of Public Health. Checked October 24, 2026.
- 2024 Cottage Food Guide (linked from the IDPH Cottage Food page), Illinois Department of Public Health and University of Illinois Extension. Checked October 24, 2026.
- Register a Cottage Food Operation, City of Chicago, Department of Public Health. Checked October 24, 2026.
Related
- Food Truck Permits in Illinois
- Cottage Food Laws in Indiana
- Cottage Food Laws in Iowa
- Cottage Food Laws in Kentucky
- Cottage Food Laws in Missouri
- Cottage Food Laws in Wisconsin
- Cottage Food Laws by State
This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules and fees change. Before you apply or start selling, confirm the details with Illinois Department of Public Health (you register with your local health department) or your local health department. Spotted something wrong or out of date?Report it and we will check it.