Guides for selling food from home

General information, not legal advice. Rules change, and counties add their own. Check with your state and county before you start selling.

"Cottage food" is the term most states use for food made in a home kitchen and sold directly to customers. What it covers, and whether your state uses the phrase at all, differs by state.

Every page here is written from the state’s own agriculture or health department, quoted and linked, with the date it was last checked. No blog posts, no numbers we cannot show you the source for.

Start here

• How to start a home bakeryThe practical order: rules, product, price, photos, packaging, orders, first customers

Cottage food law, state by state

Can you legally sell what you bake, do you need a license, and how much can you sell in a year. Ten states now; more as they are researched properly.

• GeorgiaNo state license since July 2025 · no revenue cap
• TexasNo permit · $150,000 cap · you must deliver online orders yourself
• CaliforniaCounty registration · $88,878 or $177,756 in 2026
• FloridaNo permit · $250,000 cap · mail order allowed by statute
• New YorkFree exemption, up to 16 weeks to be reviewed · no revenue cap · in-state only
• IllinoisRegister locally · no sales cap · online sales and in-state shipping allowed
• North CarolinaHome Processor program · kitchen inspected before you sell · an indoor pet disqualifies the kitchen
• New Jersey$100 permit for 2 years · $50,000 cap · NJ residents only, nothing in the post
• PennsylvaniaLimited Food Establishment · $35 a year · inspected · internet sales included
• ArizonaNo sales cap · refrigerated foods allowed · Arizona only, and TCS goes hand to hand

Your state isn’t listed yet? Search "[state] cottage food law" on your state agriculture or health department site — those are the pages worth trusting.

Tools

• Pricing calculator for home bakersWhat to charge, with your own numbers
• Price list templateFill it in, print it, hand it over — free, nothing saved