Colorado Tamale Act: what bakers should do before January 1, 2027

If you already bake under Colorado’s Cottage Foods Act, nothing on the new CDPHE pages lets you sell refrigerated or meat foods this fall. The department is giving you a runway. Use it to get the certificate, plan the registration, and draft the 2027 label — then keep selling under today’s rules until January 1.

What CDPHE says you will need

These points come from CDPHE’s Cottage Food Act updates page. They are the department’s list of major changes from the previous act — not a Crosodo invention.

1. Annual CDPHE registration

CDPHE says cottage-food producers are required to register with the department, and that registration must be renewed annually. The Act lets registered people prepare, package, and sell food to the public without a retail food license or a routine public-health inspection. If a product is misbranded, if a consumer reports food-borne illness, or if a product is suspected in an injury or outbreak, CDPHE says the producer may be investigated and can be fined $100 plus up to $1,000 to recover response costs. Three violations within 12 months ban the producer from selling food that requires time and temperature control for safety.

Watch the CDPHE updates page for the live registration path. Do not treat an older portal as the 2027 form until the department says so.

2. CSU food-safety training (or equivalent)

CDPHE says a Colorado State University training for cottage-food producers, or an equivalent training certificate, is required for registration. The certificate must stay in good standing under the course rules, including extra classes if the course requires them.

CSU Extension’s Cottage Food Safety Training is the course CDPHE names. CSU says the class is 3.5 hours and issues a 3-year certificate. CSU also says it has revised the curriculum for September–December 2026 classes so they include the legislative changes, and that UPDATE classes for current certificate holders cover the 2027 information. CSU lists those UPDATE classes as free if you took CSU Cottage Food Safety Training from January 2026 through August 2026, and $10.00 for other certificate holders. Training questions: [email protected]. Regulatory questions: [email protected].

3. What you may sell under the Act

CDPHE’s updates page says the Act now allows foods that require time and temperature control for safety and meat and meat products. The FAQ says you may produce in a home kitchen or in a commercial kitchen (public or private, including a commissary or community kitchen). Sales must stay in Colorado and go directly to an informed end customer, in person or online. In-person sales need the producer or a knowledgeable designated representative at the point of sale. Wholesale to restaurants or grocery stores is not allowed.

If you make more than $150,000 in gross annual sales, or you want to grow past the cottage path, CDPHE’s FAQ says you must register as a food manufacturer or a retail food establishment. Direct-to-consumer storefront or interstate sales need a retail food establishment license from the local county health department. Wholesale to restaurants or grocery stores needs a manufactured-food facility registration with CDPHE.

This post does not invent a product list beyond what CDPHE printed. For the bill’s political and product context, read the existing Tamale Act journal post.

2027 label checklist

CDPHE’s updates page says cottage-food labels must include the fields below. The FAQ adds that each individually packaged product needs a label, and that a QR code may not replace the ingredient list or business information on the label. Cottage foods also may not be labeled “allergen free”; CDPHE says every cottage-food product must carry a disclaimer that products may contain common food allergens (tree nuts, peanuts, eggs, soy, wheat, milk, fish, and crustacean shellfish).

• Department-issued registration number
• The county in which the food was prepared
• The producer’s current telephone number or email address
• The date the food was produced
• A website address provided by the department for consumers to report food-borne illness, verify that a producer’s registration is active, and report problems with registration status

CDPHE has not yet printed the live illness-reporting / verification URL on that updates page. Use the address the department provides when you register. Do not invent one.

A few FAQ details worth planning for

• Samples: prepackaged samples are allowed. Unpackaged samples may not be handled with bare hands. Keep samples at safe temperatures.
• Insurance: not required for the cottage-food path; CDPHE says it is highly recommended.
• Transport of TCS food: hold it at a safe temperature, do not transport it more than once, and do not transport it longer than two hours.
• “Organic”: the word on the primary label needs USDA National Organic Program certification. You may list an ingredient as organic without that certification if “organic” is not on the primary label.
• Routine inspection: the Act exempts the business from licensing and inspection. CDPHE and the county can still investigate for misbranding, complaints, injury, or suspected outbreak.

What to do this fall

1. Keep selling only foods allowed under today’s Cottage Foods Act. Do not treat January 1 as already here.
2. Take or update the CSU Cottage Food Safety Training (or an equivalent certificate CDPHE will accept). Current certificate holders can use CSU’s 2027 UPDATE class.
3. Read both CDPHE pages end to end: updates and FAQ.
4. Draft a 2027 label with the five new fields. Leave a blank for the department registration number and the department website until CDPHE issues them.
5. If you plan TCS or meat foods, line up safe transport and a sales setup that stays in Colorado and direct-to-consumer.
6. Check your city or county home-occupation rules. The Tamale Act does not answer zoning.

Official sources

Every figure in this post comes from the pages below, last checked September 30, 2026. If CDPHE or CSU change a number, those pages win.

• CDPHE — Colorado Cottage Food Act updates
• CDPHE — Tamale Act frequently asked questions
• CSU Extension — Cottage Food Safety Training
• Colorado’s Tamale Act: what HB26-1033 actually changes
• Crosodo Colorado state guide
• Selling cottage food in Colorado — current rules until December 31, 2026

Not legal advice. Confirm with CDPHE before you change what you sell, how you label, or how you register.