Selling cottage food in South Carolina (2026 guide)
A plain-English walkthrough of South Carolina'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 South Carolina, the rules you live by are set by the state's cottage food law — currently South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 44 – Health, Chapter 1 – Department of Public Health, Section 44-1-145 (Home-Based Food Production Operations). It's a Good-tier law on the Crosodo scale: workable for most home bakers — moderate restrictions and a reasonable cap. 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 South Carolina state guide and the downloadable South Carolina 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 South Carolina Department of Agriculture.
The quick facts
- Cottage food tier
- Good
- Annual sales cap
- No annual sales cap.
- Registration required
- No
- Kitchen inspection
- No
- Food handler certification
- No
- Indirect sales (retail/online)
- Yes — indirect sales (retail/online/wholesale) are allowed.
- Statute
- S.C. Code §44-1-145
What you can sell
Non-potentially hazardous foods produced in the kitchen of a primary domestic residence are allowed, including baked goods, candy, jams, jellies, and other shelf-stable foods not requiring refrigeration. The 2022 amendment expanded allowed distribution to retail stores and grocery stores.
What's specifically excluded
Potentially hazardous foods (those requiring refrigeration for safety) are prohibited unless a product assessment is conducted pursuant to the 2009 FDA Food Code; foods with pH above 5.6 (non-acid foods) or pH above 4.6 (acidified foods) are presumed potentially hazardous.
Where you can sell
Direct-to-consumer is always covered: farmers markets, home pickup, delivery, roadside stands, events. The interesting question is indirect sales — through a coffee shop, a grocery, a third-party retailer, or online with shipping. On indirect sales here: Since the 2022 amendment, home-based food operations may sell to retail stores and grocery stores in addition to direct-to-consumer sales including online and mail order. Retail stores that sell home-based food products must post clearly visible signage indicating the products are not subject to commercial food regulations.
Labeling requirements
Labels must include: name and address of the home-based food production operation (or department-issued ID number if operator prefers not to disclose address); name of product; ingredients in descending order of predominance by weight; and the conspicuous all-caps disclaimer 'PROCESSED AND PREPARED BY A HOME-BASED FOOD PRODUCTION OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO SOUTH CAROLINA'S FOOD SAFETY REGULATIONS.'
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 South Carolina.
Common questions
Do I need to register before I start?
No — South Carolina does not require home bakers to register before selling cottage food. That said, you should still keep clean records, follow the labeling rules, and check whether your county or city imposes its own home-occupation permit or business license. County-level details for South Carolina are on the Crosodo South Carolina state guide.
Do I need a food handler certification?
No — South Carolina 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?
No — South Carolina does not require routine home kitchen inspections for cottage food. That's the whole point of the law: your kitchen isn't a regulated facility.
What's the sales cap?
No annual sales cap.. No cap means scale is governed by your zoning and your time, not the cottage food law.
If you're just starting out
- Read your statute. S.C. Code §44-1-145 It's shorter than you think.
- Check your county. State law is the floor; your county can add zoning rules on top. The Crosodo South Carolina 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 South Carolina's required disclaimer language.
- Set up your back office. The cottage baker software stack post covers what we use day-to-day.
Official sources
- S.C. Code §44-1-145
- South Carolina Department of Agriculture
- State extension service guidance
- Forrager — South Carolina
- Crosodo South Carolina state guide
- Crosodo South Carolina PDF report
If your county is missing from our South Carolina 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.