Selling dried sourdough starter in Colorado

If you keep a jar going in Colorado, selling dried sourdough starter is a different cottage-food question than selling bread. The product is flour and water that you fermented, then dried. Official pages almost never use the words “dried starter.” This post only repeats what the current statute, agency page, or extension guide actually says — and where that source is silent.

Dried starter is not automatically a baked good

A loaf is baked. Dried starter is a dry culture. Some states publish a closed allowed-foods list (baked goods, jams, dried herbs). Some allow non-TCS / non-potentially-hazardous foods as a class. A few name baking mixes, dry mixtures, or — in Kansas — dehydrated sourdough starter. We do not stretch a baked-goods line into a dry-culture line unless a source supports that read.

The quick facts

Regulations library row co-cottage-sales-cap-current: $10,000 per product per year through 2026-12-31. The Tamale Act (HB26-1033) moves the statewide cottage cap to $150,000 gross per calendar year on 2027-01-01. That is not today's rule. See the Colorado Tamale Act Journal posts.

Where in-state sales usually go

From the Crosodo statute row: Products cannot be resold; producers must sell directly to consumers but may designate a representative to sell on their behalf. Sales through restaurants or retail stores are not permitted, though the health department may allow direct sales at those locations on a case-by-case basis.

County zoning, market manager rules, and home-occupation permits still apply on top of the state food rule. Start with the Colorado state guide and your county page.

Labeling

Labels must include the product name, producer's name and address, phone number or email, and the statement: 'This product was produced in a home kitchen that is not subject to state licensure or inspection. This product is not intended for resale.' A sign with this same statement must be displayed at the point of sale.

Walk the fields in the Colorado cottage food labeling guide. Do not copy another state's disclaimer.

Interstate / shipping across state lines

Cottage-food / homemade-food exemptions are in-state instruments. They do not, by themselves, authorize interstate commerce. Confirm manufactured-food licensing with the state agency and FDA facility registration for your facts. We do not invent a permit name or a fee.

Cottage-food exemptions are state instruments. They do not replace federal rules that apply when food enters interstate commerce. If you want to ship out of state, ask the state manufactured-food program and confirm FDA facility registration for your situation. We do not invent a license name or a fee here.

Official sources

Every number and product claim on this page is tied to a source opened on 2026-10-15, plus the Crosodo statute row and — where we have them — the regulations library notes for Maryland, Colorado, and Virginia.

• CDPHE cottage foods — last verified 2026-10-15
• C.R.S. §25-4-1614
• Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
• CRS § 25-4-1614 (Justia)
• Tamale Act 2027-ready post
• Colorado extension
• Colorado cottage food state guide
• Selling cottage food in Colorado
• Colorado labeling guide
• All 50 states — dried starter hub