High-acid preserve · food 22 of 42
Can I sell jam and jelly from home?
jam and jelly is sellable in every US jurisdiction we track — outright in 1 states and conditionally in the other 50 (usually with a pH, water-activity, or process requirement).
Second only to baked goods in most state data
Free with a Crosodo account. 5-page national report with all 51 US jurisdictions.
National picture
Allowed outright1
Conditional50
Prohibited0
Out of 51 US jurisdictions
Why it's treated this way
The food-safety reasoning
High-sugar or high-acid preserves (jam pH < 4.6, jelly, marmalade) prevent Clostridium botulinum spore germination. Sugar concentration also reduces water activity below the threshold for bacterial growth. Water-bath canning at 212°F destroys mold and yeast.
What can go wrong
Real risks in a home kitchen
Under-processing (short boil, unsealed lid) allows mold growth. Low-sugar or 'no-sugar' recipes shift into TCS territory unless commercially formulated. Some states require batch pH logs.
Jump to state law
Where jam and jelly is most often sellable
Open the full state guide for sales caps, registration, and county pages — then download that state's label template before market day.
All 51 US jurisdictions
Jam and jelly — Allowed / Conditional / Not allowed
Click any state name for the full cottage food guide (cap, registration, counties). Pair with a state label template once you know you can sell.
| State | Verdict | Notes | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Okay | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | AS 17.20.332 |
| Alabama Good | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | Ala. Code §22-20-5.1 |
| Arkansas Freedom | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | A.C.A. §20-57-201 (Act 1040 of 2021) |
| Arizona Great | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | A.R.S. §36-931 / §36-932 |
| California Good | Yes | Jams and jellies explicitly approved in the California cottage food list.· state override | Cal. Health & Safety Code §113758 |
| Colorado Great | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | C.R.S. §25-4-1614 |
| Connecticut Okay | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | Conn. Gen. Stat. §21a-62a |
| District of Columbia Okay | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | D.C. Code §7-742.02 |
| Delaware Good | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | 16 Del. Admin. Code 4458A |
| Florida Great | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | Fla. Stat. §500.80 |
| Georgia Okay | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | O.C.G.A. §26-2-470 et seq. (eff. July 2025); prior: GA R&R 40-7-19 |
| Hawaii Poor | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | HAR §11-50-3 |
| Iowa Good | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | Iowa Code §137F.1 / §137F.20 |
| Idaho Great | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | IDAPA 16.02.19 (Idaho Food Code, cottage food provisions) |
| Illinois Great | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | 410 ILCS 625/4 (Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act, §4) |
| Indiana Great | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | Ind. Code §16-42-5.2 |
| Kansas Great | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | K.S.A. §65-657 |
| Kentucky Okay | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | KRS §217.137 |
| Louisiana Okay | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | La. R.S. §40:4.13 |
| Massachusetts Okay | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | 105 CMR 590.009(D) |
| Maryland Good | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | MD COMAR 10.15.03.27 |
| Maine Freedom | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | 7 M.R.S.A. §282 (Food Sovereignty Act) |
| Michigan Great | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | MCL §289.4102 |
| Minnesota Great | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | Minn. Stat. §28A.152 |
| Missouri Great | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | Mo. Rev. Stat. §196.298 |
| Mississippi Good | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | Miss. Code Ann. §75-29-951 |
| Montana Freedom | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | Mont. Code §50-50-116 and §50-50-117 (cottage food); Mont. Code §§50-49-201 et seq. (Local Food Choice Act) |
| North Carolina Good | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | 02 NCAC 9C.0307 |
| North Dakota Freedom | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | N.D. Cent. Code §23-09.5-01 through §23-09.5-02 |
| Nebraska Good | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | Neb. Rev. Stat. §81-2,280 (producer of food at private home); §81-2,239 et seq. (Nebraska Pure Food Act) |
| New Hampshire Good | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | RSA §143-A:12 |
| New Jersey Poor | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | N.J.A.C. 8:24-11 et seq. |
| New Mexico Great | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | NMSA §25-12-3 (Homemade Food Act) |
| Nevada Okay | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | NRS §446.866 (repealed 2025; superseded by AB352/chapter 420 & 512, Statutes of Nevada 2025) |
| New York Good | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | N.Y. Agric. & Mkts. Law §251-z-4; 1 CRR-NY 276.4 |
| Ohio Good | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | O.R.C. §3715.023; §3715.025; Ohio Admin. Code Ch. 901:3-20 |
| Oklahoma Freedom | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | 2 O.S. §5-4.1 through §5-4.6 (Homemade Food Freedom Act) |
| Oregon Good | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | ORS §616.723 |
| Pennsylvania Good | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | 3 Pa.C.S. §§5721–5737 |
| Rhode Island Poor | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | R.I. Gen. Laws §21-27-6.2 |
| South Carolina Good | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | S.C. Code §44-1-145 |
| South Dakota Good | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | SDCL §34-18-35 |
| Tennessee Good | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | Tenn. Code §53-1-125 (Food Freedom Act) |
| Texas Great | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | Tex. Health & Safety §437.001 et seq. |
| Utah Freedom | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | Utah Code §4-5-501 |
| Virginia Good | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | Va. Code §3.2-5130 |
| Vermont Okay | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | 18 V.S.A. §4351; Act 42 (2025) cottage food operator exemption |
| Washington Good | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | RCW §69.22.010–.040 |
| Wisconsin Freedom | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | Wis. Stat. §97.29 |
| West Virginia Good | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | 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) |
| Wyoming Freedom | Conditional | High-acid preserves are commonly allowed but many states require a pH log or approved recipe. | Wyo. Stat. §11-49-101 through §11-49-104 (Wyoming Food Freedom Act) |
Take it with you
Get the jam and jelly report as a PDF
5-page national report — verdict tiles, food-safety reasoning, and the complete 51-jurisdiction table with statute citations.
Download the PDFOr read the deeper writeup on the blog post.
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Want all 42 foods in one PDF?
Can I Sell This? The Cottage Food Rulebook
A single 100+ page reference — every food, every state, every verdict, with the sanitation reasoning behind each yes, no, and conditional. Same data as this page, plus 41 other foods.
Fine print
This is a summary of state cottage food statutes as of July 2026, not legal advice. Statutes change; municipal zoning codes update quarterly. Verify with your state's department of agriculture, your local health department, and your city or county's planning office before selling. Crosodo is a clothing brand for cottage bakers, not a law firm.