A cottage food law lets an individual make specific non-hazardous, shelf-stable foods at home and sell them directly to consumers — no commercial kitchen, no full food-establishment license. The trade-off is limits: a sales cap, a list of allowed foods (no refrigerated/TCS items), labeling rules, and restrictions on where you can sell. The moment you outgrow those limits — TCS foods, over the cap, wholesale, or shipping out of state — you move into licensed-kitchen territory.
| State | Sales cap | To start |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No cap | No permit/license, but ADPH-approved food-safety course requ… |
| Alaska | No cap | None (exempt from licensing, labeling and inspection); label… |
| Arizona | No cap | Free registration with AZ Dept of Health Services; food-hand… |
| Arkansas | No cap | None (no permit/license from Dept of Health); labeling requi… |
| California | $75,000 (Class A) / $150,000 (Class B) statutory base, CPI-adjusted (~$86,206 / ~$172,411 in 2025) | Class A: registration; Class B: permit + inspection through … |
| Colorado | $10,000 per product/flavor (per-item, not total) | No license, but food-safety training (ANAB-accredited or sta… |
| Connecticut | $50,000 | $50 registration with Dept of Consumer Protection; state-app… |
| Delaware | No cap | Register with Division of Public Health; $30 annual fee (fis… |
| District of Columbia | No cap | Submit Cottage Food Registry Application to DC Health; $50 a… |
| Florida | $250,000 | None (no permit required); labeling required |
| Georgia | No cap | No state license/registration; ANSI-accredited food-safety c… |
| Hawaii | See page | Register with Hawaii DOH; labeling required |
| Idaho | No cap | None (no regulatory oversight for direct in-state sales) |
| Illinois | No statewide dollar cap (registration-based) | Register with local health department; food-service sanitati… |
| Indiana | No cap | No state license; ANSI-accredited food-handler certificate (… |
| Iowa | Cottage food: No cap; Home Food Processing Establishment (licensed path): $50,000 | Cottage food: none. HFPE license: $50/yr with license and in… |
| Kansas | No cap | None (no license, training or inspection) |
| Kentucky | $60,000 (both paths) | Register with health department ($50); food-safety training … |
| Louisiana | $30,000 for most cottage foods; breads/cakes/cookies/pies have NO cap | No retail food permit required; labeling required |
| Maine | Home Food Processor License: No cap | Home Food Processor License with state application + home in… |
| Maryland | $25,000 | No state license (exempt); must comply with county/municipal… |
| Massachusetts | No cap | Permit from local board of health with inspection; fees vary… |
| Michigan | $50,000 (up to $75,000 for products priced $250+ per unit) | No license/registration; must keep sales records for MDARD i… |
| Minnesota | $78,000 | Two tiers: ≤$7,665 = no fee; $7,666–$78,000 = $50 fee. Food-… |
| Mississippi | $35,000 | No permit/registration from health department; online advert… |
| Missouri | No cap | None (no permit, inspection, or training); labeling required… |
| Montana | No cap | None (no license, permit, inspection, or training); informed… |
| Nebraska | No cap | Free registration with Nebraska Dept of Agriculture; food-sa… |
| Nevada | $35,000 (current) | Register with local health authority (SNHD, NNPH, Carson Cit… |
| New Hampshire | No hard cap (sales level affects venues/licensing tier) | Below threshold (~$35,000): sell direct with no state licens… |
| New Jersey | $50,000 | Cottage Food Operator Permit required + food-protection-mana… |
| New Mexico | No cap | No NMED permit for allowed low-risk items; food-safety train… |
| New York | No cap | Register with NY Dept of Agriculture & Markets as a Home Pro… |
| North Carolina | No cap | Free home-kitchen inspection required before selling (proces… |
| North Dakota | No cap | No license/registration; labeling required |
| Ohio | No cap | None (no registration, license, or fee); products subject to… |
| Oklahoma | $75,000 | No permit/license; perishable foods require a food-safety co… |
| Oregon | $50,000 | No license/inspection under the cap; food-handler course req… |
| Pennsylvania | No cap | Register with PA Dept of Agriculture ($35/yr); business plan… |
| Rhode Island | $50,000 | Cottage Food Manufacturer registration with RI Dept of Healt… |
| South Carolina | No cap | No permit/license/registration required; optional voluntary … |
| South Dakota | No cap | No license for non-TCS/standard baked goods; TCS/canned/ferm… |
| Tennessee | No cap | None (no license, permit, registration, or inspection) |
| Texas | $150,000 | Food-handler's license required; register with DSHS if selli… |
| Utah | No cap | Cottage food path: register with UDAF (+ possible inspection… |
| Vermont | $30,000 (cottage foods); +$10,000 processed-food exemption | Exemption (no license) under the caps; prepared meals/ready-… |
| Virginia | No cap for most foods; $9,000 sub-cap for acidified foods (pickles/salsa/hot sauce/relish, pH ≤4.6) | No permit for exempt foods; labeling required |
| Washington | $35,000 | Cottage Food Permit from WSDA ($355 application, valid 2 yrs… |
| West Virginia | No cap | Farmers-market cottage vendors register with WV Dept of Agri… |
| Wisconsin | Baked goods: No cap; Canned/pickled ('Pickle Bill'): $5,000 | No license required for either category (baked goods per cou… |
| Wyoming | No cap | None (exempt from licensure, permitting, inspection, packagi… |
“See page” = the cap is structured (per-item, split, or not published as a single figure) — open the state for detail.