Business8 min read·Vol. 0

Selling cottage food in Kentucky (2026 guide)

A plain-English walkthrough of Kentucky's cottage food rules — who needs to register, what you can sell, the labeling requirements, and how the sales cap actually works. Includes the official statute, the state department links, and a county-level companion guide.

If you bake out of your home in Kentucky, the rules you live by are set by the state's cottage food law — currently Kentucky Revised Statutes §217.136 — Home-Based Food Processors; Exemption from Permit Requirement and Fair Packaging and Labeling Laws (§217.137 addresses home-based microprocessors). It's a Okay-tier law on the Crosodo scale: operable for a side business, but you'll likely outgrow the rules at scale. This post is the plain-English version. The full breakdown — every county-specific zoning rule, the registration link, the latest verified statute citation — lives on the Crosodo Kentucky state guide and the downloadable Kentucky PDF report.

Not legal advice. We're a small apparel brand that cares about home bakers. For anything serious, read the law directly and call the Kentucky Department for Public Health.

The quick facts

Cottage food tier: Okay
Annual sales cap: $60,000 per year
Registration required: Yes
Kitchen inspection: upon-complaint
Food handler certification: No
Indirect sales (retail/online): No — direct-to-consumer only.
Statute: KRS §217.137

What you can sell

Home-based processors may sell non-TCS baked goods (breads, cakes, cookies, pies, pastries), candies, jams and jellies, fruit butters, dried goods, syrups (maple and sorghum only), granola, snacks, and similar shelf-stable items. Whole eggs (separate exemption, up to 60 dozen/week) and honey (up to 150 gallons/year) are also allowed under separate provisions.

What's specifically excluded

Acid foods, acidified food products, formulated acid food products, and low-acid canned foods are explicitly prohibited for home-based processors. Perishable items, pickles, salsas, sauces, ketchup, mustards, nut butters, oils, vinegars, pasta, fermented foods, juices, extracts, and meat jerkies are also prohibited under §217.136. (Acidified/low-acid canned foods may be sold through the separate home-based microprocessor pathway under §217.137.)

Where you can sell

Kentucky is a direct-to-consumer state under cottage food. That means farmers markets, home pickup, delivery you do yourself, roadside stands, and similar in-person channels. Selling through a grocery store, restaurant, or third-party retailer is not covered by the cottage food law — that's a commercial license question. See cottage food vs commercial kitchen for the move-up decision.

Labeling requirements

Labels must include: name and address of home-based processing operation, common/usual name of food product, ingredients in descending order by weight, net weight/volume or count, date processed, allergen information, and the statement 'This product is home-produced and processed' in 10-point type.

Texas has the most detailed plain-English label walkthrough we've published — the structure translates well to most other states. See how to label cottage food in Texas for a copy-paste template you can adapt for Kentucky.

Common questions

Do I need to register before I start?

Yes. Start at the Kentucky Department for Public Health.

Do I need a food handler certification?

No — Kentucky does not require a state-level food handler certification for cottage food. Many bakers take ServSafe Food Handler anyway (it's about $15 and takes 90 minutes); it's good practice and useful if a farmers market manager ever asks.

Is my home kitchen inspected?

Only on complaint. Your home kitchen is not routinely inspected, but the state can come out if a customer files a complaint or there's a foodborne illness report. Keep clean records and clean equipment.

What's the sales cap?

$60,000 per year. Caps are gross sales, not profit. When you start approaching the cap, that's the signal to read cottage food vs commercial kitchen — it walks through the move-up math.

If you're just starting out

Read your statute. KRS §217.137 It's shorter than you think.
Check your county. State law is the floor; your county can add zoning rules on top. The Crosodo Kentucky state guide lists the top counties with their specific requirements.
Pick what you'll bake. The top selling sourdough loaves and beyond bread (cookies, buns, scones) posts cover what tends to actually sell at farmers markets.
Price it right. The cottage baker pricing post walks through unit economics — most new bakers underprice by 30%.
Label it correctly. Adapt the Texas label template to Kentucky's required disclaimer language.
Set up your back office. The cottage baker software stack post covers what we use day-to-day.

Official sources

If your county is missing from our Kentucky directory, tell us and we'll add it next. And if you want one of our sourdough varsity shirts while you proof your starter, the shop is here.

Crosodo Blog entries are recipe and craft notes from working cottage bakers. Recipes assume working with an active starter and basic equipment. Cottage food sales are governed by your state's law — see our state directory for legal details.