the cottage baker's
field guide.

A cottage food law is a state-level statute that lets home bakers sell certain low-risk, shelf-stable foods — typically baked goods, jams, candies, and dried herbs — made in their own home kitchen, without obtaining a commercial food license. Every US state plus DC now has one, but the rules vary widely.

It depends on your state. Most cottage food laws don't require a separate commercial license — registration with the state department of agriculture or your county health department is usually enough. A few states require a one-time food-safety course (typically 3–8 hours). Check your state page for the specifics.

Crosodo classifies states into five tiers — Freedom, Great, Good, Okay, Poor — based on three factors: the breadth of allowed products, the height of any sales cap, and the number of permitted sales channels (direct, online, retail, wholesale). Freedom-tier states like Wyoming and Utah let you sell almost anything direct-to-consumer with no cap. Poor-tier states like Hawaii or Rhode Island have heavy product or channel restrictions.

In most states, yes — direct-to-consumer sales (which include farmers markets) are the universal channel allowed under cottage food law. A few states require an additional farmers market permit or Limited Food Establishment license. Always check your state and local rules before booking a market booth.

Registration usually happens at the state department of agriculture or the county health department. Some states have an online portal, others require a paper form mailed in. A handful of states (like Wyoming and Iowa) don't require registration at all. Each state page lists the registration URL when one exists.

Most states require labels with: your name and address, the product name, ingredients (in descending order by weight), allergens, net weight, and a 'Made in a Home Kitchen' or 'Cottage Food' disclosure. Some states require additional 'Not inspected by the State Department of Health' verbiage. State-specific label rules are linked from each state page.