Selling dried sourdough starter in South Carolina
What South Carolina official sources actually say about selling dried sourdough starter under cottage food law — official source excludes starter or home-drying. Last verified 2026-10-15.
If you keep a jar going in South Carolina, 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
- Law
- South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 44 – Health, Chapter 1 – Department of Public Health, Section 44-1-145 (Home-Based Food Production Operations)
- Statute
- S.C. Code §44-1-145
- Agency
- South Carolina Department of Agriculture
- Dried-starter read
- Official source excludes starter or home-drying
- Annual sales cap
- No annual sales cap published in the statute row
- Registration / permit
- Registration required (statute row): No.
- Kitchen inspection
- Kitchen inspection (statute row): No.
- Food-handler training
- Food-handler training (statute row): No.
- Last verified
- 2026-10-15
Where in-state sales usually go
Sales cap, registration, allowed foods, and every county — free on Crosodo.
From the Crosodo statute row: 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.
County zoning, market manager rules, and home-occupation permits still apply on top of the state food rule. Start with the South Carolina state guide and your county page.
Labeling
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.'
Walk the fields in the South Carolina 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.
- SCDA Home-based Food Production Law Guidance (Jan 2026 PDF) — last verified 2026-10-15
- S.C. Code §44-1-145
- South Carolina Department of Agriculture
- Clemson cottage-law page (starter not allowed)
- SCDA 2026 fact sheet
- South Carolina extension
- South Carolina cottage food state guide
- Selling cottage food in South Carolina
- South Carolina labeling guide
- All 50 states — dried starter hub
South Carolina dried starter FAQ
Can I sell dried sourdough starter in South Carolina?
SCDA Home-based Food Production Law Guidance (2025/2026 book, posted January 2026) states that sourdough starter in any form — fresh, refrigerated, dehydrated, or freeze-dried — is not allowed from a home kitchen for sale to the public. Selling starter is treated as wholesale and needs an SCDA Registration Verification Certificate, an approved kitchen, water-activity testing if dehydrated, label review, and inspections. Sourdough bread under the home-based law must use a commercial culture replaced every fourth generation. This is the opposite of Kansas: the official guide names the product and takes it off the home list.
What is the South Carolina cottage-food sales cap?
No annual sales cap published in the statute row
Can I ship dried sourdough starter out of South Carolina under cottage food law?
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.
Crosodo Journal entries are recipe, craft, and cottage-food notes for home bakers. Recipes assume an active starter and basic equipment. Cottage food sales are governed by your state's law — start with the free state directory, check a product with Can I sell this?, or grab a label template. Not legal advice.
