Coos County cottage food law.
Coos County is a county in New Hampshire (pop. 31,430). New Hampshire has a Good-tier law with a solid baseline (often $50K+ cap). Coos County bakers should check both state registration and local health department permitting. Use the links below to check current requirements before you bake.
Coos County cottage food reports
Full statute, all counties in New Hampshire, and authoritative source URLs.
State PDF
Zoning, permits, health department rules, and local sources for Coos County.
County PDFTier: Good
New Hampshire has a Good-tier cottage food law — solid baseline with moderate restrictions, typically a high sales cap (often $50K+) and standard direct-to-consumer rules. Workable for most home bakers with reasonable scale plans.
View state law →Health department
Many states delegate cottage food registration and inspection to the county health department. Contact theirs for the local process.
Home occupation rules
The county or city zoning code governs whether you can run a home-based food business — customer visits, signage, employees, floor area.
Home kitchen, inspection, and zoning rules for Coos County
New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated Title X — Public Health, Chapter 143-A — Food Service Licensure, Section 143-A:12 — Homestead Food License Required
Full New Hampshire state report (with PDF download) →Verbatim excerpt143-A:12 Homestead Food License Required. I. In this subdivision: (a) "Homestead food operation" means a person who produces homestead food products, excluding potentially hazardous food, only in the home kitchen of that person's primary residence in New Hampshire. (b) "Potentially hazardous food" means foods requiring temperature control for safety because they are capable of supporting the rapid growth of pathogenic or toxigenic microorganisms, and the growth of toxin production of clostridium botulinum. Potentially hazardous foods also include processed acidified and low acid canned foods. (c) "Homestead food products" means all food except potentially hazardous food, and as defined in rule by the commissioner of the department of health and human services through rulemaking under RSA 143-A:13. II. Homestead food operations selling less than the maximum annual gross sales of food as defined in RSA 143-A:5, VII, excluding potentially hazardous food, from the homestead residence, at the owner's own farm stand, at farmers' markets, or at retail food stores are exempt from licensure and departmental inspection under this subdivision, except that the department may inspect when the department has reason to suspect an imminent health hazard as defined in RSA 143-A:3, IV-b. III. Homestead food operations that exceed the maximum annual gross sales of food as defined in RSA 143-A:5, VII or homestead food operations who wish to sell food products, excluding potentially hazardous food, to restaurants or other retail food establishments, over the Internet, by mail order, or to wholesalers, brokers, or other food distributors who will resell the homestead product shall be licensed under RSA 143-A:4. IV. All homestead food products sold in packages from the home kitchen, farm stand of a homestead food operation, at farmers' markets, or at retail food stores shall have individual labels on each package containing the following information: name, address, and phone number of the homestead food operation; name of the homestead food product; the ingredients of the homestead product, in descending order of predominance by weight; and allergy information. Products made by homestead food operations exempt from licensure shall also be clearly labeled with the following statement: "This product is exempt from New Hampshire licensing and inspection." Products made by nonexempt homestead food operations shall also be clearly labeled with the following statement: "This product is made in a residential kitchen licensed by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services."
Source: law.justia.com/codes/new-hampshire/2023/title-x/chapter-143-a/section-143-a-12/ →
Coos County cottage food — FAQ
What is the New Hampshire cottage food sales cap?
New Hampshire state law caps cottage food sales at Tiered. County rules may add permits or zoning limits on top.
Where to verify Coos County rules
Compare neighboring counties
Other New Hampshire counties
Coos County vs. bordering counties
| Regulation | Coos County This county | Carroll County | Grafton County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home kitchen allowed | — | Yes | Yes |
| Separate dedicated kitchen | — | No | No |
| Pets allowed | — | Not specified in state law. | Pets must be excluded from the food production area during all food production activities. |
| Inspection required | — | Upon-complaint | Upon-complaint |
| On-site customer pickup | — | Yes | Conditional |
| On-site signage | — | Conditional | Conditional |
| Delivery / pickup | — | Below threshold: sales from homestead, farm stand, farmers markets, and retail stores allowed without license. Above threshold: Class H lic… | Homestead food products may be sold from the homestead residence, at the owner's farm stand, at farmers markets, and at retail food stores … |
| Home occupation permit | — | Conditional | Varies |
| Local business license | — | Varies | Varies |
| Restrictions | — | Must be primary home kitchen. Non-potentially hazardous homestead food products only. Below the sales cap threshold: no license required fo… | Production must occur in the operator's primary residence home kitchen or a designated food production area within the primary residence. A… |
| Food storage | — | Products must be non-potentially hazardous. | Food, equipment, and utensils must be stored in a manner that prevents contamination. |
| Population | 31,430 | 50,679 | 90,836 |
Cottage food law and municipal zoning interact in non-obvious ways. Before investing in equipment or marketing, talk to New Hampshire's department of agriculture, your local health department, and your county or city's planning office. Crosodo is a clothing brand for cottage bakers, not a law firm.