Selling dried sourdough starter in West Virginia

If you keep a jar going in West Virginia, 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

Where in-state sales usually go

From the Crosodo statute row: Cottage food must be sold directly to consumers. The new Article 40 (effective June 12, 2026) establishes that potentially hazardous cottage food vendors need a statewide permit but nonpotentially hazardous food sellers are fully exempt from permit and inspection. Local health departments may invoke cessation of production only if an imminent health hazard exists, in consultation with the Department of Agriculture. The input batch cited §16-7-1 (a general adulteration statute), but the operative cottage food framework is now Article 40 (§19-40-1 through §19-40-6), signed March 27, 2026.

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

Labeling

Under the parallel §19-35-6 framework for nonpotentially hazardous foods, labels must include product content, sources, and potential allergens, plus the statement: 'This product was made in a non-commercial kitchen that may not be subject to inspection and may contain cross-contact allergens not included in the allergen statement.' For potentially hazardous cottage foods, labeling standards will be set by the Department of Agriculture by legislative rule.

Walk the fields in the West Virginia 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.

• WV cottage food — last verified 2026-10-15
• W. Va. Code §19-40-1 through §19-40-6 (Article 40, Cottage Foods, enacted 2026); §19-35-6 (Nonpotentially hazardous foods at farmers markets)
• West Virginia Department of Agriculture
• West Virginia extension
• West Virginia cottage food state guide
• Selling cottage food in West Virginia
• West Virginia labeling guide
• All 50 states — dried starter hub