Cottage Food Laws by State

Find out what you can legally make and sell from your home kitchen in your state

📋 Note: Details for each individual state are constantly being added. Please check back often to see if your state has been updated.

Showing 50 of 50 states

Alabama

Home Kitchen:

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Alabama: can you sell charcuterie boards from home?In almost all cases: no.Alabama’s Cottage Food Law only allows non-potentially hazardous foods that do not require time/temperature control and do not include meat, poultry, or fish.

Alaska

Home Kitchen:

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Alaska’s updated Homemade Food Exemption allows certain potentially hazardous (TCS) foods to be made in a home or privately leased kitchen without a state permit or inspection, as long as you follow the rule’s conditions.

Arizona

Home Kitchen:

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Arizona’s 2024 law expanded cottage foods to include some potentially hazardous / refrigerated (TCS) foods.

Arkansas

Home Kitchen:

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Arkansas replaced its old Cottage Food Act with the Food Freedom Act (Act 1040 of 2021), which allows only Homemade Non-TCS foods from a home kitchen.

California

Home Kitchen:

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California Cottage Food Operations may only make foods that are “non-potentially hazardous” (non-TCS) — i.e., foods that don’t require refrigeration

Colorado

Home Kitchen:

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Colorado’s Cottage Foods Act only allows non-potentially hazardous (non-TCS) foods — i.e., foods that do not require refrigeration for safety.

Connecticut

Home Kitchen:

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Connecticut’s Cottage Food Operations (CFO) program only allows non-potentially hazardous / non-TCS foods — meaning foods that do not require refrigeration for safety.

Delaware

Home Kitchen:

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Delaware’s Cottage Food Establishment (CFE) rules only allow non-potentially hazardous / non-TCS foods — foods that don’t need refrigeration for safety.

Florida

Home Kitchen:

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Florida’s cottage food law only covers “low-risk” non-potentially hazardous (non-TCS) foods — meaning foods that do not require refrigeration/time-temperature control for safety.

Georgia

Home Kitchen:

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Even after the big 2025 update (HB 398), Georgia cottage foods are still limited to non-potentially hazardous / non-TCS foods — foods that don’t require refrigeration for safety.

Hawaii

Home Kitchen:

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Hawaii’s program is called Homemade Food Products (HMF) under HAR Chapter 11-50. HMF lets you use your home kitchen without a food establishment permit, but only for foods that do not require time/temperature control for safety (non-TCS).

Idaho

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Idaho cottage foods are limited to non-Time/Temperature Control for Safety (non-TCS) foods — foods that don’t need refrigeration for safety.

Illinois

Home Kitchen:

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Illinois’ Cottage Food / Home-to-Market law allows homemade foods except items that are specifically prohibited.

Indiana

Home Kitchen:

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Indiana’s Home-Based Vendor (HBV) law allows only non-TCS (non-time/temperature control for safety) foods from a home kitchen.

Iowa

Home Kitchen:

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Classic charcuterie boards (meat + cheese + fresh cut produce) are TCS/refrigerated, so they don’t qualify as cottage food.

Kansas

Home Kitchen:

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A classic meat-and-cheese charcuterie board is a prepared TCS food with dairy and meat, so you need a Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) food license to sell it as a real business.

Kentucky

Home Kitchen:

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Kentucky’s home-based programs only allow non-potentially hazardous / non-TCS, shelf-stable foods from a home kitchen.

Louisiana

Home Kitchen:

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Louisiana’s Cottage Food / “Low-Risk Foods” law allows only foods that are non-potentially hazardous (non-TCS) — meaning they do not require time/temperature control (refrigeration) for safety.

Maine

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Maine’s Home Food License only permits shelf-stable, non-potentially hazardous (non-TCS) foods made at home. The state is explicit: foods that must be refrigerated or frozen for safety are not allowed under a Home Food License.

Maryland

Home Kitchen:

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Maryland Cottage Food Businesses may only produce and sell non-potentially hazardous / non-TCS foods (foods that don’t need refrigeration for safety).

Massachusetts

Home Kitchen:

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Massachusetts allows “Residential Retail Kitchens” (their cottage-food equivalent), but they are limited to non-potentially hazardous / non-TCS foods — i.e., foods that do not require refrigeration for safety.

Michigan

Home Kitchen:

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Michigan’s Cottage Food Law only allows “non-potentially hazardous” foods that do not require time/temperature control for safety—basically shelf-stable foods.

Minnesota

Home Kitchen:

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Minnesota’s Cottage Food Exemption only covers non-potentially hazardous / non-TCS foods — foods that do not require refrigeration for safety

True

Missouri’s Cottage Food Production Operation (CFPO) law only covers non-potentially hazardous / non-TCS foods made in a home kitchen. The state’s own guidance lists allowed cottage foods as shelf-stable items like baked goods, jams/jellies, dried herbs and other non-TCS foods; anything that needs refrigeration is outside cottage law.

Montana

Home Kitchen:

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Not the classic meat-and-cheese kind.

Nebraska

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Nebraska cottage foods still cannot include any meat, poultry, or fish. LB262 kept that exclusion, and UNL/NDA FAQs explicitly say you cannot add cured meat to charcuterie boards.

Nevada

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Nevada’s current cottage food law (NRS 446.866 / SB206) allows only non-potentially hazardous, shelf-stable foods from a home kitchen. The Southern Nevada Health District’s FAQ lists the only cottage categories allowed: nuts/mixes, candies, jams/jellies/preserves, vinegar/flavored vinegar, dry herbs/seasonings, dried fruits, cereals/trail mix/granola, popcorn, and non-PHF baked goods.

New Hampshire

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NH “Homestead Food Operations” are limited to non-potentially hazardous / non-TCS foods — foods that don’t require refrigeration for safety. The statute defines homestead foods as “all food except potentially hazardous food,” and potentially hazardous foods include anything needing refrigeration.

New Jersey

Home Kitchen:

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New Jersey’s Cottage Food Operator Permit only allows foods that stay safe at room temperature (non-TCS).

New Mexico

Home Kitchen:

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Under the New Mexico Homemade Food Act (effective July 1, 2021) you may only make and sell non-time/temperature control for safety (non-TCS) foods from a private residence.

New York

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NY’s home-kitchen option is the Home Processor Exemption / Home Processor Registration through NYS Dept. of Agriculture & Markets. It only allows non-potentially hazardous (non-TCS) foods—nothing that requires refrigeration.

North Carolina

Home Kitchen:

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North Carolina only allows “low-risk / shelf-stable (non-TCS)” foods from a home kitchen. Anything that requires refrigeration for safety is considered high-risk and can’t be sold from home.

North Dakota

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North Dakota’s Cottage Food Production and Sales law allows lots of homemade foods to be sold directly to an informed end consumer without licenses/inspections, but it flat-out prohibits selling uninspected meat products from home.

Ohio

Home Kitchen:

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Ohio’s Cottage Food Production Operation (CFPO) exemption covers only non-potentially hazardous (non-TCS) foods—foods that do not require time/temperature control (refrigeration) for safety.

Oklahoma

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Because classic charcuterie boards include cured meats (salami, prosciutto, pepperoni, etc.), they are not legal from a home kitchen in Oklahoma.

Oregon

Home Kitchen:

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Oregon’s Cottage Food Establishment Exemption only allows foods that are not time/temperature controlled for safety (non-TCS). The rule lists the only permissible cottage categories (mostly shelf-stable baked goods, candy, dry mixes, etc.).

Pennsylvania

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PA’s LFE rules say home/residential-style kitchens may produce only foods that are NOT “potentially hazardous foods (PHFs)” — i.e., foods that don’t support pathogen growth and don’t require hot/cold holding. PHFs must be produced in a fully compliant commercial food establishment.

Rhode Island

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Rhode Island cottage foods are limited to non-hazardous baked goods only — items that do not require refrigeration or time/temperature control. The RIDOH cottage FAQ lists the allowed items as: double/single-crust fruit pies, yeast breads, biscuits/brownies/cookies/muffins, and cakes that don’t need refrigeration (plus frostings refrigerated for quality only).

South Carolina

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South Carolina’s Home-Based Food Production Law (HBFP) allows only non-potentially hazardous / non-TCS foods from a residence, and the statute explicitly says the HBFP definition does not include charcuterie boards.

South Dakota

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South Dakota’s updated homemade foods law (HB 1322, now in SDCL 34-18-35 to 38) exempts certain foods made at a residence from licensing. Those foods fall into three buckets:1. non-temperature-controlled foods,2. home-processed canned goods meeting pH/aw rules, and3. baked goods (plus a few specific TCS add-ons if you take training).

Tennessee

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Under the Tennessee Food Freedom Act (TFFA), home kitchens can sell foods that fit the Act’s exemptions; historically this meant non-TCS shelf-stable foods only. UT Extension’s official 2022 guide makes clear that meat products and TCS foods (including dairy and eggs) were excluded and required a commercial facility.

Texas

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Under Texas cottage law as of Sept 1, 2025, you can sell almost any food directly from home except a short prohibited list that still includes all meat and meat products.

Utah

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Utah’s Cottage Food program allows only shelf-stable, non-potentially hazardous foods. It explicitly bans any food requiring refrigeration and products that contain meat or poultry.

Vermont

Home Kitchen:

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Vermont defines “cottage food products” as foods that do not require refrigeration or time/temperature control for safety.

Virginia

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Virginia’s Home Kitchen Food Processing Exemptions (the cottage law) only covers low-risk, non-TCS foods—foods that don’t need refrigeration for safety.

Washington

Home Kitchen:

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WSDA only allows non-potentially hazardous (non-TCS) foods from a home kitchen. Any product that requires refrigeration is prohibited.

West Virginia

Home Kitchen:

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Charcuterie boards with meat/cheese require refrigeration and are potentially hazardous (TCS), so they don’t qualify for the home-exempt lane.

Wisconsin

Home Kitchen:

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Wisconsin’s only statewide home-kitchen exemption created by court order applies only to non-potentially hazardous baked goods made at home. DATCP states plainly that the court orders apply only to people producing baked goods in their homes.

Wyoming

Home Kitchen:

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WFFA lets you sell homemade foods of almost any type from your home kitchen with zero permits, inspections, or training, including foods that normally require refrigeration.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for general guidance only. Cottage food laws can change and vary by locality. Always verify current regulations with your state and local health departments before starting your business.