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Free download · 6 pages · 1.4 MB

The Cottage Baker's Field Guide

A printable 6-page reference covering cottage food law in all 51 US jurisdictions. Tier classifications, statute citations, methodology, and primary sources — same data as the directory at/states, compressed into a single PDF you can fold and keep in the kitchen.

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Free. No email required. Last updated 2026.
Crosodo · Vol. 1 · 2026
The Cottage
Baker's
Field Guide.
A 50-state directory of cottage food law, made for home bakers.
For the cottage baker
What's inside

Six pages. Every US jurisdiction.

Page 01

Cover

Vol. 1 / 2026 / For the cottage baker. Croissant logo + the title + the tagline.

Page 02

What is cottage food law?

Methodology essay covering mechanics, enforcement, what cottage food law lets you do, and why states vary.

Page 03

The five tiers

Freedom, Great, Good, Okay, Poor — each tier explained with example states and what to expect.

Page 04

All 51 jurisdictions, part I

First 26 states with tier (color-coded), Institute for Justice grade, and statute citation. Dense, scannable.

Page 05

All 51 jurisdictions, part II

Remaining 25 states + DC with the same structure. Continues the alphabetical reference.

Page 06

Sources & fine print

Primary sources (state DPHs, Forrager, Institute for Justice, Cooperative Extension), the not-legal-advice disclaimer, and the imprint.

Who it's for

Built for the actual cottage baker.

The cottage baker thinking about going commercial

You bake for friends and family already. The directory shows you what your state actually allows, what it caps you at, and what the registration process looks like.

The home baker who already sells at the farmers market

You know your state's rules but want a one-pager you can keep in your kitchen. The Field Guide is that — a reference you can print, fold, and tape to the wall.

The food-policy curious

Cottage food law is a slice of state-level economic-liberty policy that most people have never heard of. The Field Guide is the fastest way to understand the full national picture.

The gift recipient

Pair the PDF with any Crosodo apparel for a thoughtful gift to a baker friend who's quietly running a real small business out of their home kitchen.

Methodology

How the data is sourced and tier-classified

Crosodo's tier system rests on three pillars: (1) breadth of allowed products, (2) the height of any sales cap, and (3) the number of permitted sales channels. We weight all three and round to a five-tier scale (Freedom, Great, Good, Okay, Poor).

We also publish each state's letter grade from the Institute for Justice's Cottage Food Report — an economic-liberty evaluation that tracks closely with our tier but uses a slightly different methodology.

Primary sources for each state: the state department of agriculture or public health (statutory and regulatory text, registration forms), Forrager.com (independent cottage food law tracker maintained since 2014), the Institute for Justice (letter-grade evaluations), and university Cooperative Extension services (educational materials). All sources are linked from each state page on the website.

Cottage food laws are amended every legislative session. We re-verify each state quarterly. Tell us if you spot something outdated: support@crosodo.com.

Frequently asked

About the field guide

Is the PDF really free?+
Yes. No email gate, no signup, no ads. Click the download button above and the PDF saves to your device. We make money from apparel — the directory and the field guide are free because the law shouldn't be the hard part of starting a baking business.
Can I share the PDF with other bakers?+
Yes — share freely. The Field Guide is licensed for personal and educational use. Print copies for your local farmers market, your cottage food group, or anyone else who'd benefit. For bulk reprints in a publication or course, email support@crosodo.com.
How often is the Field Guide updated?+
We re-verify each state quarterly and update the PDF when something material changes — a new statute, a removed sales cap, a registration URL change. The PDF version on this page is always the latest. Older versions aren't archived publicly.
Is the data legal advice?+
No. The Field Guide is an informational reference, not legal advice. Cottage food laws are amended frequently, local zoning rules vary, and tax treatment depends on your specific situation. Always confirm with your state department of agriculture and your local health department before relying on this data.
Why a PDF? Why not just the website?+
Both. The website is the primary reference and is more searchable, more linkable, and always current. The PDF is for printing — taping a tier comparison to your kitchen wall, leaving a copy at the farmers market, slipping a printed copy into a gift to a baker friend. They're complementary.
Can I get a print version mailed to me?+
Not yet — print fulfillment isn't part of the launch. The PDF is print-ready (US letter, color, 6 pages); any local print shop can produce a clean copy for ~$2.
Ready

Free, updated, and printable.

Click below to download. The PDF is around 1.4 MB. Hand-curated, not scraped. Verified quarterly.

Download the PDF →
Or browse the same data online at /states.