Cottage Food Laws in Maine
Last verified against official sources on by Amrit. How we verify
Yes, but in most of Maine you need a Home Food License from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) first. It costs $20 a year, and a state inspector visits your kitchen before the license is issued. The license covers shelf-stable foods only, meaning foods that do not need a fridge or freezer to stay safe. Once licensed, you can sell from home, to stores and at wholesale.[5][1][2]
At a glance
| Permit needed | Yes, a Home Food License from DACF (unless a local food sovereignty ordinance covers your direct sales)[5][3][9] |
|---|---|
| Fee | $20 a year[1][3] |
| Sales cap | None stated. DACF says the license lets you sell from home and at wholesale across Maine and the US.[2] |
| Inspection | One inspection of your home kitchen before the license is issued. DACF says yearly inspections are not required.[1] |
| Foods allowed | Shelf-stable foods only. Anything that must be kept in the fridge or freezer to stay safe needs a different license.[1] |
| Labels | Needed on anything sold outside your home: product name, ingredients, net weight or count, and your name and address. No label needed when you sell straight to a customer at your home.[1] |
| Where you can sell | From your home, in retail stores, and at wholesale, in Maine and across the US[1][2] |
| Agency | Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF)[4] |
Step by step
Do these in order. Each step links to the official form or page.
Check that your food is shelf-stable
The Home Food License covers foods that stay safe at room temperature, such as bread, cookies, brownies, muffins, biscotti and granola. Foods that must be refrigerated to stay safe, like cheesecake, cream or custard pies and cream-filled pastries, need a commercial license instead. Milk and dairy products such as cheese, yogurt and ice cream need a separate dairy permit or license. Selling only fresh produce, or fresh eggs from a farm with fewer than 3,000 birds, does not need a Home Food License.[1][3]
Get canned and pickled recipes reviewed
If you make canned shelf-stable products such as pickles, relishes or barbecue sauce, send each one to the University of Maine Food Testing Services (or another acidified process authority, an expert who checks that the recipe is safe) before you can be licensed. Badly made canned food can carry botulism.[1]
Get your kitchen ready
You need a two-bay sink, or a one-bay sink and a dishwasher, with enough hot and cold water. Counters and other food contact surfaces must be smooth, non-absorbent and easy to clean, and so must floors, walls and ceilings. Put a thermometer in your fridge and keep it at 41°F or below. If you are on a private well, test the water every year for coliform bacteria and nitrates. Pets may be in the kitchen when you are not working, but take them out and wash, rinse and sanitize surfaces and utensils before you start.[1]
Apply for a Home Food License
Fill in DACF's Food and Fuel License Application and send it with the $20 fee. The license is renewed each year for another $20. By law DACF must issue the license within 30 days of getting your application if you meet the rules. If the inspection finds problems, DACF may give you a temporary license of up to 90 days while you make the corrections it lists, or a license with conditions you must meet.[2][1][6]
Pass the kitchen inspection
A DACF inspector visits your home once before the license is issued. They check your labels, general cleanliness, how you protect food from contamination, and that you use thermometers where needed. DACF says yearly inspections are not required after that.[1]
Label what you sell outside your home
Anything sold away from your home (at a market, in a store, at wholesale) needs a label with: the common name of the product (for example "apple pie"), the ingredients from most to least, the net weight, volume or count, and your name, address and zip code. If a customer buys straight from you at your home, no label is needed. If you run a retail shop, your license must be available there for customers to inspect.[1][5]
What you can and can't sell[3][1]
Allowed
- Most baked goods, such as bread, cookies, brownies, muffins and biscotti
- Granola
- Pickles, relishes, barbecue sauce and other canned shelf-stable foods, after a recipe review. DACF says jams, jellies and salsa may also need product testing, and some acidified foods (pickled or preserved with acid) need extra licensing, so ask DACF first.
- Other shelf-stable foods that do not need refrigeration to stay safe
Not allowed
- Cheesecake, cream pies and custard pies
- Cream-filled pastries and desserts with cream cheese or whipped cream
- Any food that must be refrigerated or frozen to stay safe (needs a commercial license)
- Milk and dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, butter and ice cream (need a dairy permit or license)
Local rules
These places add their own requirements on top of the state rules.
- Towns and plantations with a food sovereignty ordinance: Under the Maine Food Sovereignty Act, a town or plantation can adopt an ordinance covering direct sales from food producers to consumers (at your home, roadside stands, farmers markets, community events, deliveries and similar) to people buying only for themselves or their family. The state then does not enforce its food licensing laws for the sales that ordinance covers. Meat and poultry rules still apply, and food you sell any other way (for example to a store) must follow state law. Ask your town office whether it has an ordinance and what it covers.[9][8][10][11]
- Unorganized territories: County commissioners can adopt the same kind of food sovereignty ordinance for one or more unorganized territories (areas of Maine with no town government) in the county.[9]
What it costs
| Step | Fee |
|---|---|
| Apply for a Home Food License | $20 (per year) |
| Total if every fee applies to you | $20 |
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell cheesecake or cream pies with a Home Food License?
No. Foods that need refrigeration to stay safe are not covered. DACF says they need a commercial food processing license, with extra kitchen requirements. Call DACF before you start.[3][1]
Can I sell my baked goods in a coffee shop or store, or to customers in other states?
Yes. DACF says Maine's Home Food License lets you sell to retail stores and at wholesale, in Maine and across the US. Every item sold outside your home needs a full label.[1][2]
Do I need a label at the farmers market?
Yes. Only food sold directly to a customer at your home can go without a label. Anything sold elsewhere needs the product name, ingredients, net weight or count, and your name, address and zip code.[1]
My town passed a food sovereignty ordinance. Do I still need a license?
Maybe not, for direct sales to customers that the ordinance covers. The state does not enforce its food licensing laws for those sales. If you sell any other way, such as to a store or at wholesale, you must follow state law, which means a Home Food License. Each ordinance is different, so read yours or ask your town office.[9][11]
Will the state inspect my kitchen?
Yes, before your license is issued. DACF says yearly inspections are not required.[1]
Can I have pets in my house?
Yes. Animals may be in the kitchen when you are not making food. Before you start, take them out and wash, rinse and sanitize your surfaces and utensils.[1]
Can I buy a license for more than one year?
Yes, if you ask. Food licenses can be issued for 1, 2 or 3 years. A 2-year license costs twice the yearly fee and a 3-year license three times.[6]
What happens if I sell without a license?
Operating without a required license is a civil violation. Under one section of the law (22 M.R.S. §2167) the fine can be up to $500 for each offense, and DACF can suspend, revoke or refuse to renew a license. Another section (22 M.R.S. §2172) sets a fine of $10 to $100 for operating without a license, at least $100 for doing it again after a first violation, and counts each day as a separate offense.[5][7]
Sources
- Home Food License 101, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Permits and Licenses: Quality Assurance & Regulations, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Maine Farm Stand Licensing FAQ, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Checked October 25, 2026.
- 22 M.R.S. §2152: Definitions, Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked October 25, 2026.
- 22 M.R.S. §2167: License required, Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked October 25, 2026.
- 22 M.R.S. §2169: Issuance of licenses, Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked October 25, 2026.
- 22 M.R.S. §2172: Fines and penalties, Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked October 25, 2026.
- 7 M.R.S. §282: Definitions (Maine Food Sovereignty Act), Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked October 25, 2026.
- 7 M.R.S. §284: Authority (Maine Food Sovereignty Act), Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked October 25, 2026.
- 7 M.R.S. §285: Departmental authority; livestock and poultry, Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked October 25, 2026.
- 7 M.R.S. §286: Compliance with food safety regulations, Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Checked October 25, 2026.
Related
This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules and fees change. Before you apply or start selling, confirm the details with Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF), Quality Assurance and Regulations or your local health department. Spotted something wrong or out of date?Report it and we will check it.