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Rhode Island cottage food law: 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.

The short answer

Yes, with a registration, a cap of $50,000 a year, and the narrowest product list in this guide: baked goods only. No candy, no jams, no pickles — Rhode Island limits cottage food manufacture to baked goods that do not require refrigeration or time and temperature control for safety.

The question people get wrong here is shipping, and the statute answers it in one sentence. Advertising and sales by internet, mail and phone are permissible — provided you or your designee deliver in person to the customer within the state. So you may take an online order. You may not put it in the post.

Registration, the course and the notarized affidavit

Rhode Island's scheme sits at R.I. Gen. Laws section 21-27-6.2, and the Department of Health registers you. It arrived in 2022 and was amended in 2024; the statute's own history note shows no change since.

Registration
Required, with the Department of Health.
Cap
$50,000 total annual gross sales per calendar year.
Affidavit
A notarized affidavit of compliance.
Course
Before initial registration — see below.
Validity
One year from the date of issuance, revocable for noncompliance.
Fee
Set by section 23-1-54. Sources report $65; we did not confirm it.

The course is specified three ways. Before your initial registration you must successfully complete a Food Safety Manager Course, any American Standards Institute approved food handler course, or any other course approved by the department.

Keep the paperwork in the kitchen. The statute requires the certificate of registration, with a copy of the affidavit of compliance, to be kept in the kitchen where the cottage food manufacture takes place. Not in a drawer upstairs — in the kitchen.

R.I. Gen. Laws section 21-27-6.2, cottage food manufacture · Cottage food registration, Rhode Island Department of Health

Baked goods only — and that is the whole list

The statute is explicit: cottage food manufacture "shall be limited to the production of baked goods that do not require refrigeration or time/temperature control for safety," including but not limited to:

Everything else is out. If you came here from another state's page, notice what is missing: candy, jams and jellies, pickles, granola, dried herbs, popcorn, flavored vinegar. States like Vermont and Mississippi list a dozen categories. Rhode Island lists baked goods and stops.

The "other goods as defined by the department" clause is the only room to move, and it is the department's to grant, not yours to assume.

There is a separate route for farmers. Section 21-27-6.1 exists for farmers with agricultural sales of $2,500 or more. If you farm, that may fit you better than the cottage food registration, and it is worth asking RIDOH which of the two you belong in.

Online yes, shipping no, and six places you may not sell

Here is the clause worth reading twice, because it is the one that gets reported wrongly in both directions:

"Advertising and sales by internet, mail, and phone are permissible, provided the cottage food licensee or their designee shall deliver, in person, to the customer within the state."

So both of these are true at once, which explains why guides contradict each other:

A website with a checkout button and a delivery run is fine. A shipping label is not.

No consignment and no wholesale. The statute bars both outright. And it names six places where sales are prohibited:

The last four are worth noting, because they are places a home baker is often asked to supply — a church hall is not on the list, but a daycare is.

What has to be on the label

An affixed label carrying:

Made by a Cottage Food Business Registrant that is not Subject to Routine Government Food Safety Inspection

That statement is not required if the product was prepared in a commercial kitchen licensed by the department — which is the statute's own acknowledgment that a registrant may be working somewhere other than home. See the kitchen section below.

The kitchen rules — the strictest in this guide

Most states in this guide say almost nothing about your kitchen. Rhode Island writes it out. The kitchen must be on the premises of a home and meet the state's minimum housing standards, and in addition:

And while you are producing:

You may instead use a licensed commercial kitchen that you lease or rent, provided you keep a record of the dates it was used and transport ingredients according to the department's food safety standards.

And expect that these can be checked. The statute says the director of health or a designee "may inspect a cottage food operation at any time," and separately preserves the power to investigate in response to a foodborne illness outbreak, a consumer complaint or another public health emergency. Rhode Island's label says you are not subject to routine inspection. It does not say you are not subject to inspection.

Sales tax, and the cap being verified

The statute addresses tax directly: sales on all cottage foods are subject to applicable sales tax under section 44-18-7. That is not a question you get to leave open in Rhode Island.

And the cap has teeth. If your annual gross sales exceed $50,000 you must either obtain a food processor license or cease operations — and the statute says the director of health "shall request documentation to verify the annual gross sales figure of any cottage food operation." Several states set a cap and leave verification unmentioned. Rhode Island writes the audit into the law.

So keep your books in a state you would be willing to show.

Official sources

Last verified: 1 November 2026. Every number on this page is linked to the official page it comes from.

Questions people actually ask

Do I need a license to sell food from home in Rhode Island?

You need to register with the Department of Health. Registration takes a notarized affidavit of compliance and a completed food safety course — a Food Safety Manager Course, any American Standards Institute approved food handler course, or another course the department approves. The certificate is valid one year and must be kept in the kitchen with a copy of the affidavit.

How much can I sell in a year in Rhode Island?

$50,000 in total annual gross sales per calendar year, stated in the statute. Above that you must either obtain a food processor license or cease operations, and the statute directs the director of health to request documentation verifying your annual gross sales figure.

Can I sell online in Rhode Island, and can I ship?

You may sell online — advertising and sales by internet, mail and phone are all permissible. You may not ship: the statute requires that you or your designee deliver in person to the customer within the state. A checkout button and a delivery run are fine; a shipping label is not. That both halves are true is why guides contradict each other on this.

What can I actually make?

Baked goods only, and only ones that do not require refrigeration or time and temperature control for safety — double crust pies, yeast breads, biscuits, brownies, cookies, muffins, cakes that need no refrigeration, and other goods as defined by the department. No candy, no jams, no pickles. It is the narrowest product list in this guide.

Can a grocery store or restaurant sell my baked goods?

No. Consignment and wholesale are both barred outright, and the statute names six prohibited places: grocery stores, restaurants, long-term-care facilities, group homes, daycare facilities and schools. The last four catch people out, because those are exactly the customers who often ask.

What exactly does my label say?

"Made by a Cottage Food Business Registrant that is not Subject to Routine Government Food Safety Inspection" — in at least ten-point type, clear and conspicuous, contrasting with the background. Plus your name, address and telephone number, the ingredients in descending order of predominance by weight or volume, and allergen information. The statement is not required if the product was made in a commercial kitchen licensed by the department.

Are there rules about my actual kitchen?

More than anywhere else in this guide. You need at least a two-compartment sink, or a dishwasher reaching 150°F after the final rinse plus a one-compartment sink; nonabsorbent corrosion-resistant prep surfaces; self-closing doors on any bathroom opening directly into the kitchen; and a yearly water test if you are on a private supply. While producing: no pets, no using the cooking facilities for family meals at the same time, garbage out daily, no using laundry facilities in the kitchen, and recipes for each product kept in the kitchen for inspection. The director of health may inspect at any time.

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