Start a food business in the United States
Explore state cottage food rules for selling homemade food, catering, meal prep and private chef services. Find forms, training and kitchen requirements.
Research checked:
Choose your state or district
- Alabama
Shelf-stable baked goods, candy, dry products and approved preserves; meat, poultry and fish are excluded.
- Alaska
Homemade foods have separate rules for non-potentially hazardous and potentially hazardous products. Check exclusions first.
- Arizona
The program includes qualifying shelf-stable and certain temperature-controlled foods, with additional handling restrictions. TCS means food that needs time or temperature control to stay safe, such as refrigerated food.
- Arkansas
Qualifying non-temperature-controlled homemade foods; preserved foods have product and process conditions.
- California
Cottage foods must appear on the CDPH approved foods list. Home-cooked meals use a different pathway. MEHKO means Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation.
- Colorado
HB26-1033 expanded the Act in 2026 to include certain temperature-controlled foods. One TCS product type with up to five variations is allowed. TCS means food that needs time or temperature control to stay safe, such as refrigerated food.
- Connecticut
Approved cottage foods that remain safe without refrigeration; product approval and direct-sale conditions apply.
- Delaware
A limited range of approved, low-risk foods may be prepared in a residential kitchen.
- Florida
Qualifying shelf-stable baked goods, candy, jams, granola, dried products and similar listed foods.
- Georgia
Qualifying non-potentially hazardous foods under the current GDA cottage-food rules.
- Hawaii
Qualifying non-potentially hazardous foods under the updated Hawaii food-safety guidance.
- Idaho
The Direct-to-Consumer Commerce Act replaced the earlier cottage-food rule on March 20, 2026. Review the new product exclusions.
- Illinois
Foods outside the statutory prohibited list; acidified and fermented products may need recipe or process documentation.
- Indiana
Qualifying non-potentially hazardous foods covered by the Home-Based Vendor rules.
- Iowa
Shelf-stable cottage foods and a separately licensed HFPE route for a wider approved product range.
- Kansas
Qualifying foods under Kansas food-safety licensing exemptions; product and processing conditions apply.
- Kentucky
Only products allowed under the current home-based processor program; microprocessor rules are separate.
- Louisiana
Low-risk foods listed in RS 40:4.9, with special conditions for some products and employees.
- Maine
Licensed home production covers approved shelf-stable products. Local food-sovereignty rules are a separate, limited route.
- Maryland
Qualifying non-potentially hazardous foods; direct consumer and retail-store arrangements have different requirements.
- Massachusetts
Residential kitchens may produce approved shelf-stable cottage foods; finished foods needing hot or cold holding are excluded.
- Michigan
Qualifying foods safe without refrigeration from the operator’s primary domestic residence.
- Minnesota
Qualifying non-potentially hazardous foods and specified canned foods under MDA guidance.
- Mississippi
Approved non-potentially hazardous foods under Mississippi’s cottage-food guidance.
- Missouri
The exemption covers specified foods, not every shelf-stable packaged product.
- Montana
Cottage-food and expanded local food-choice pathways have different food and transaction conditions.
- Nebraska
Qualifying home-produced foods; the program’s current ingredient exclusions and safety conditions apply.
- Nevada
Approved foods in Nevada’s cottage-food list, subject to local authority registration.
- New Hampshire
Non-potentially hazardous homestead foods; the license requirement depends on sales and distribution.
- New Jersey
Approved non-TCS products; submit separate information for each food, frosting and filling. TCS means food that needs time or temperature control to stay safe, such as refrigerated food.
- New Mexico
Qualifying non-potentially hazardous homemade foods under the Act.
- New York
Approved baked goods, jellies, snacks and other products; obtain approval for each product.
- North Carolina
Approved shelf-stable foods under NCDA&CS home-processing review; some products need process testing.
- North Dakota
Covered homemade products under North Dakota cottage-food rules; check product and handling exclusions.
- Ohio
Shelf-stable listed cottage foods differ from home bakery products that require refrigeration.
- Oklahoma
Covered homemade foods have different requirements depending on whether they need temperature control.
- Oregon
Listed cottage foods differ from foods that require licensed domestic-kitchen production.
- Pennsylvania
Approved limited-food products; processes and private water or septic systems may need supporting information.
- Rhode Island
Products eligible under RIDOH cottage-food requirements.
- South Carolina
Qualifying non-potentially hazardous foods covered by the state home-based production law.
- South Dakota
Qualifying home-baked and home-canned products have different conditions.
- Tennessee
The amended Act includes certain time-and-temperature-controlled foods with exclusions. TCS means food that needs time or temperature control to stay safe, such as refrigerated food.
- Texas
Most foods can qualify except statutory exclusions, including meat, poultry, seafood, ice products, low-acid cans, raw milk and cannabinoid products. TCS means food that needs time or temperature control to stay safe, such as refrigerated food.
- Utah
Registered cottage foods and exempt homemade-food transactions have different product and sales conditions.
- Vermont
Qualifying cottage foods can use the sales-limited exemption; prepared meals require a Home Caterer License.
- Virginia
Specific shelf-stable foods and limited preserves qualify; other processing needs inspection and approval.
- Washington
Approved non-potentially hazardous foods produced in your primary residential kitchen.
- West Virginia
Non-potentially hazardous products remain exempt; a new regulated pathway covers specified potentially hazardous products.
- Wisconsin
Non-potentially hazardous home-baked goods differ from home-canned foods and other processed products.
- Wyoming
Covered homemade foods may use the Food Freedom route, with restrictions for meat, poultry and other regulated categories.
- Washington, D.C.
Approved cottage foods are separate from ready-to-eat foods under the Microenterprise Home Kitchen Program.
Food safety certificates and business permissions
A Food Handler Certificate or Food Safety Certificate proves training. A food premises permit or licence authorizes an operation where required. Home food registration or notification is a separate step. Requirements depend on your location, products and kitchen.
Cottage food laws in the United States
Cottage food laws describe state rules for selling qualifying foods prepared in a home kitchen. Permitted foods, applications, sales limits and sales methods differ by state. Separate home-meal programs and licensed food establishments follow their own requirements.
Catering, meal prep and private chefs
Start with your state or district, then choose the business guide. Food prepared in your home, an approved commercial kitchen or a client’s kitchen can follow different requirements. A low-risk home-food exemption does not automatically cover cooked meals or catering.
Four different things people mix up
A certificate does not let you open. Each of these is its own step, and you may need more than one.
- Food safety certificate
Proves you passed training. It does not approve your kitchen or business.
- Food business permit
Authorizes a specific operation, where one is required.
- Notification or registration
Telling the health authority you are operating. A separate process.
- Business license
Your city’s home-occupation or business approval. Also separate.
Federal and business rules to check in the US
The details depend on your product and selling method. Check the applicable requirements and exemptions.
- Labels and allergens
Check product identity, ingredients, major allergens including sesame, net quantity, producer details and your state’s home-kitchen disclosure. Check whether a nutrition-label exemption actually applies.
- Selling across state lines
An online order does not automatically permit interstate shipping. Check the origin and destination rules plus FDA or USDA requirements. A private residence is not automatically an FDA-registered food facility.
- Business setup and taxes
Check business structure, income and self-employment taxes, any EIN requirements, and state or local sales-tax registration. A cottage-food exemption is separate from tax obligations.
- Local licenses and permits
Food permissions, home-occupation approval and business registration are separate. Use the SBA launch resources and your city or county to identify the applicable local process.
What sellers wish they knew
A few lessons from US food sellers. Choose your state to read local accounts alongside its official requirements.
Sources read October 13, 2026. Reported outcomes and timelines are not independently verified.
Amanda Sharp with The Little Bakery
Seller interview · Alabama · July 15, 2025
Home-food business
Amanda says she emailed the county, completed training and submitted her application with labels. Her first submission was rejected because it contained one sample label rather than labels for every product.
Practical takeaway: Ask the reviewing office exactly which product labels it expects before submitting. Cost the complete product before setting your opening price.
Keep in mind: This is a reported experience, not current legal requirements or typical earnings.
Find Work That Fulfills You with Jenny Berg
Seller interview · Oregon · November 1, 2022
Home-food business
Jenny learned sourdough in 2020, started selling in 2021, and reports selling out weekly before investing in commercial equipment. She routes orders through a form instead of DMs to capture customer details.
Practical takeaway: Put orders in one system and build a permission-based customer email list; use seasonal offerings to give repeat customers a reason to return.
Keep in mind: This is a reported experience, not current legal requirements or typical earnings.
A Bakery Built on Saying No: Betsy Tranquilli's Intentional Small Business
Seller interview · Hawaii · July 21, 2026
Home-food business
Betsy began with two bread varieties and about eight weekly orders, grew to roughly 40–50 loaves a week and kept weekly preorders capped around her full-time teaching schedule. She stopped markets that did not fit her intended customers and describes improving workspace ergonomics.
Practical takeaway: Choose selling times and order caps that fit your available hours; treat repetitive physical work as a capacity constraint too.
Keep in mind: This is a reported experience, not current legal requirements or typical earnings.
Your startup checklist
Completing this list does not establish government approval.
Write down your menu: ingredients, fillings, packaging, storage and shelf life.
Find your home-food exemption or approved-kitchen route.
List every way you will sell: markets, online, pickup, delivery, shops and shipping.
Check city zoning, home occupation and business licensing.
Contact your food authority and complete required notifications, applications and inspections.
Book accepted training where it is required.
Register your business name where needed and check your tax obligations.
Check insurance and landlord or HOA permission.
Set up cleaning, storage, water, supplier, allergen and transport procedures.
Keep records of approvals, training, recipes and suppliers.