Selling homemade food in Colorado

Learn how to sell homemade food in Colorado: kitchen requirements, permits, food safety training, official forms and permitted sales channels.

Research checked: October 13, 2026

Home food rules in Colorado

Expanded Cottage Foods Act: confirm registration implementation. 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.

Sales channels for qualifying home foods

The 2026 Act changed the older no-registration advice. Confirm implementation, labels and transport before taking orders.

Markets and events
Confirm with the authority
Home pickup
Confirm with the authority
Delivery
Confirm with the authority
Online orders
Confirm with the authority
Retail and wholesale
Confirm with the authority

Permits and kitchen approval

The 2026 Tamale Act permits a limited TCS product pathway with registration and specific training. It is not unlimited meal prep: one product type, up to five variations, and transport/cooling restrictions apply. Confirm the current CDPHE process.

Your steps in this location

Check every food and ingredient Required
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.
Complete the right paperwork Required
The enacted Act requires annual CDPHE registration before selling. Contact CDPHE for the current registration process.
Complete accepted food-safety training Required
Complete accepted training; TCS products require specific time-and-temperature training.
Review your kitchen, water and sanitation Confirm locally
Check the official program’s preparation, storage, pets, cleaning, water testing and inspection conditions. Ask before changing the production location.
Confirm how customers can order and receive food Confirm locally
The 2026 Act changed the older no-registration advice. Confirm implementation, labels and transport before taking orders.
Prepare labels and check local business rules Required
Follow the current program’s ingredient, allergen, producer and disclosure requirements. Check city or county zoning, business registration and applicable taxes.

Forms and official resources

Colorado official home-food rules and application resources
Guide
Signed 2026 Act: registration and TCS conditions
Law
CSU Cottage Food Safety Training
Training

Local requirements

Confirm before selling

Research checked October 13, 2026. Confirm the current forms, fees, sales limits and product-specific conditions with the named authority before opening.

More business guides for Colorado

Build your business on Dished

Start your home food business on Dished

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

Practical lessons from people in this location. These are dated personal accounts, separate from the official requirements above.

Sources read October 13, 2026. Reported outcomes and timelines are not independently verified.

Nicole Bendig-Lamb with Snarky Sweet Cake Chick
Seller interview · Colorado · January 20, 2026
Home-food business
Nicole says local Chamber relationships generated most of her orders. She describes using separate accounts for operating expenses, taxes and profit, drawing on her accounting background while developing her cake business and coaching work.
Practical takeaway: Track where actual orders originate and separate tax reserves from spendable operating cash.
Keep in mind: This is a reported experience, not current legal requirements or typical earnings.
The Burnt Out Baker with Jenni Reher
Seller interview · Colorado · Date not established
Home-food business
Jenni describes training in Fort Collins and moving into markets with vegan donuts. The interview recounts growth to wholesale accounts followed by burnout and selling the business despite strong sales.
Practical takeaway: Sales growth alone does not establish a sustainable business; include workload and recovery time in expansion decisions.
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.