Washington 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 permit — and Washington is one of the few states that both licenses you and inspects you. The Cottage Food Operation Permit costs $355 for a two-year permit, a WSDA specialist visits after approval, and "All subsequent inspections will occur annually."
The cap is $35,000 in annual gross sales, and it is counted per home rather than per person. You may sell online — but nothing may be shipped: every product is picked up or delivered in person, inside Washington.
The permit: $355, two years, and a visit
- What you need
- A Cottage Food Operation Permit from WSDA, before you sell anything.
- Fee and term
- "$355 for a 2 year permit". "Permit will expire two years from the date of issuance." WSDA, Cottage Food Permit
- Inspection
- A WSDA Food Safety Compliance Specialist contacts you to arrange a first visit after approval, and "All subsequent inspections will occur annually."
- Inspection fee
- Not stated on WSDA's permit page. We are not going to invent one — ask WSDA what the annual inspection costs when you apply.
- What you may make
- Only the products approved and listed on your own permit. Apply for what you actually intend to sell.
Washington is unusual in pairing a real permit with a real inspection at this price point. Pennsylvania inspects for $35 a year; Washington inspects for rather more, and gives you a two-year permit for it.
The $35,000 cap, and how it is counted
- Annual limit
- $35,000. "the annual gross sales of cottage food products may not exceed $35,000". RCW 69.22.050
- Per person or per household?
- Per home. The statute says the figure "may not be computed on a per person basis" — two people in one house do not get two caps.
- Does it move?
- Yes. The department reviews it every four years and raises it by expedited rulemaking, using the Seattle-area consumer price index for urban wage earners and clerical workers.
- If you go over
- Get a food processing plant license under chapter 69.07 RCW, or stop operating. There is no refund of the fees you have paid.
One warning about numbers you will find elsewhere. WSDA's own Fact Sheet 24 is from the 2019 handbook and still prints a $25,000 cap and a $230 fee. Both were superseded by SHB 1500 in 2023. If a page quotes those figures, it is out of date — including, for now, that one.
Sell online, hand it over in person
Washington splits the question in two: the selling may happen online, the shipping may not. Virginia allows both the online sale and delivery by mail inside its own borders; Washington allows the sale and stops at the parcel.
"Sales can be made online, but all products must be picked up or delivered in person within Washington State. Cottage food products may not be shipped." A cottage food operator may sell products online and accept payment online; the handover has to happen at the operator's home, or by the operator delivering. WSDA Fact Sheet 24
So an order page with pickup windows and your own local delivery is exactly the Washington shape. A shipping option is not, and neither is a customer in Oregon.
What you can and cannot sell
Non-potentially hazardous products — things that do not need refrigeration to stay safe. WSDA names baked goods, jams, jellies, preserves and fruit butters among them, along with other identified non-potentially hazardous products. In practice the list runs to loaf breads, rolls, biscuits, quick breads and muffins; cereals, trail mixes and granola; cakes, pastries, fried doughnuts, cookies and bars; pies other than custard-style, fresh-fruit or refrigerated ones; crackers and tortillas; stove-top candies such as fudge, brittle, caramels, taffy and marshmallows; molded or dipped chocolates; potato and kale chips; nuts and nut mixes; snack mixes; some frostings; vinegars; and dry herb, seasoning, soup, tea, coffee and spice blends.
Not allowed:
- Fresh or dried meat or meat products, including jerky
- Fresh or dried poultry or poultry products
- Fish or shellfish products
- Cut fresh fruits or vegetables, and products made from them
- Products made with cooked vegetables
- Juices from fresh fruits or vegetables
- Canned fruits, vegetables, vegetable butters, salsas
Whatever the list says, the operative document is your own permit: only the products approved and listed on it may be sold.
Labels
Cottage food products are labeled, and WSDA sets what the label must carry as part of the permit process.
We are not going to print the label wording here. The version we could verify sits in a 2019 fact sheet whose numbers are provably stale, and a label requirement is exactly the wrong thing to take from a superseded document. Ask WSDA for the current labeling requirements with your application — it is one question, and it is the one that decides whether your packaging is right the first time.
Food safety training
A food worker card is the usual Washington requirement for people handling food, and WSDA's permit material points applicants at the Department of Health's food worker card program.
Confirm with WSDA what it asks of a cottage food operator specifically when you apply, rather than taking our word for the general rule.
The inspection, and that it keeps happening
This is the part that distinguishes Washington from the no-permit states. After your application is approved, a WSDA Food Safety Compliance Specialist contacts you to arrange a visit — and then "All subsequent inspections will occur annually."
Annually means your kitchen has to stay inspectable, not be tidied once. Budget for it as an ongoing part of the business rather than a one-off hurdle at the start. WSDA
Sales tax
Washington's business and occupation tax and retail sales tax are their own subject and belong to the Washington Department of Revenue. A cottage food permit says nothing about either.
Official sources
- Cottage Food Permit — fee, term and inspectionsWashington State Department of Agriculture
- RCW 69.22.050 — sales limitWashington State Legislature
- Fact Sheet 24, Cottage Food Permit (2019 handbook — figures superseded)Washington State Department of Agriculture
- Washington Department of RevenueState of Washington
Last verified: 31 October 2026. Every number on this page is linked to the official page it comes from.
Questions people actually ask
How much does a Washington cottage food permit cost?
$355 for a two-year permit, and it expires two years from the date of issuance. WSDA does not state the annual inspection fee on its permit page, so ask what inspections cost when you apply rather than budgeting from a figure you found elsewhere.
How much can I sell in a year in Washington?
$35,000 in annual gross sales. The statute is specific that this is not computed on a per person basis — it is per domestic residence, so two people in one household share one cap. The department reviews the figure every four years and raises it using the Seattle-area consumer price index.
I saw $25,000 and a $230 fee somewhere. Which is right?
The $35,000 and $355 figures. The lower numbers come from WSDA’s Fact Sheet 24, which is part of the 2019 handbook and was superseded by SHB 1500 in 2023. It is still online, which is how the old numbers keep circulating.
Can I sell online in Washington?
Yes, and you can take payment online. What you cannot do is ship: all products must be picked up or delivered in person within Washington State, and cottage food products may not be shipped. Pickup at your home or your own delivery both work; a parcel does not.
Can I sell to a café, a grocery store or a bakery?
No. All cottage food products must be sold directly to the end consumer. They cannot be sold to restaurants, grocery stores, coffee shops or bakeries, or wholesale to any other business.
Will someone inspect my kitchen?
Yes, and more than once. A WSDA Food Safety Compliance Specialist arranges a first visit after your application is approved, and all subsequent inspections occur annually. Washington is one of the states where the kitchen stays in the system rather than being checked once.
What happens if I go over the cap?
You must either obtain a food processing plant license under chapter 69.07 RCW or stop operating, and you are not entitled to a refund of fees already paid. The director may also ask for written documentation to verify your annual gross sales.
Other states
- 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
- OhioNo license in the rules · no sales cap · a closed list of foods · Ohio only
- MichiganNo license · $50,000 published cap · online sales allowed if you meet the customer first
- VirginiaNo permit, no inspection, no fee · sell by phone or internet · Virginia only, no resale
- MassachusettsPermit from your local board of health · internet and mail sales allowed · no state cap stated
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
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