Cottage Food Laws by State

California Cottage Food Laws

California splits home food businesses into two classes. Class A operators register with their local environmental health office and sell directly to customers, while Class B operators hold a permit and may also sell through restaurants and shops. Both classes work under yearly sales limits that rise with inflation; for 2026 they are $88,878 and $177,756, and both renew every year.

Annual sales cap

$88,878 (Class A) / $177,756 (Class B) for 2026

Permit

Required

Training

Required

Online sales

Allowed

Shipping

Allowed

Wholesale

Allowed

Verified against official sources on 2026-10-21.

Where You Can Sell in California

Direct sales cover farmers markets, farm stands, bazaars, subscriptions, and phone or online orders, and they can be filled in person, by mail, or through a delivery service, anywhere in California. A permit from one county is good statewide. Class B operators can add indirect sales to restaurants and retail shops. Counties handle the paperwork, so ask your local environmental health department about fees.

Channel Status
From home Allowed
Farmers markets Allowed
Events & festivals Allowed
Roadside stands Allowed
Online orders Conditions apply

Phone, internet, and other digital orders count as direct sales.
Retail stores Conditions apply

Class B only: indirect sales through retail shops are allowed with a Class B permit.
Wholesale Conditions apply

Class B only. Class A is limited to direct sales to consumers.
Restaurants Conditions apply

Class B only: indirect sales to retail food facilities such as restaurants are allowed with a Class B permit; unpackaged product served there requires telling customers it came from a home kitchen.
Delivery: yes Home pickup: yes Mail order / shipping: yes

What You Can Sell in California

Only items on the state's Approved Cottage Foods List qualify, and they must be foods that stay safe without refrigeration. That includes breads, cakes, cookies, candy, jams, honey, dried goods, roasted nuts, vinegars, and some frostings. Baked goods with cream, custard, or meat fillings are out, and pies must be fruit-filled only. Sellers can ask CDPH to add new products.

Only non-potentially hazardous foods in the categories on CDPH's Approved Cottage Foods List; other foods must be requested for addition to that list.

Bread

Baked goods without cream, custard, or meat fillings (bread, cakes, cookies, brownies, muffins, pastries, tortillas, fruit pies) Frostings, icings, fondant, and gum paste without eggs, cream, or cream cheese

Candy

Candy and confections (fudge, caramels, toffee, brittles, hard candy, marshmallows without eggs, chocolate-covered nonperishables)

Condiments

Mustards (plain, without eggs) Vinegars, including fruit-infused vinegars from high-acid fruits Extracts of at least 70 proof from listed fruits, vanilla, chocolate, and cinnamon or clove

Dry goods

Dried, dehydrated, and freeze-dried foods (baking mixes, cereals, granola, roasted coffee, tea, pasta, herbs, spice mixes) Powdered beverage bases and mixes

Preserves

Fruit butters, preserves, jams, and jellies made from fruits listed in 21 CFR Part 150 Pure honey and sorghum syrup

Snacks

Popcorn Potato chips Roasted or pasteurized nuts, nut mixes, and nut butters

Allowed with conditions

  • Pies — Fruit pies only; pumpkin pie is not allowed.
  • Empanadas, samosas — Fruit fillings only.
  • Frostings and icings — Eggs only as meringue powder, powdered eggs, or pasteurized eggs; no cream or cream cheese.
  • Honey and sorghum syrup — Pure product only, no added ingredients.
  • Jams and jellies — Only fruits named in 21 CFR Part 150.

Not allowed

Baked goods with cream, custard, or meat fillings Pumpkin pie Foods not on the CDPH Approved Cottage Foods List (potentially hazardous foods)

Limits and Requirements

Annual sales cap

$88,878 (Class A) / $177,756 (Class B) for 2026

  • Gross annual sales are capped (Class A $88,878, Class B $177,756 for 2026) and adjusted each year for inflation
  • No more than one full-time-equivalent employee, not counting family or household members
  • Production must take place in the registered or permitted area of the operator's own private home
  • Class A may sell only directly to consumers; indirect sales through retailers need Class B
  • No cottage food prep during other domestic kitchen activities; no infants, small children, or pets in the kitchen while working; no smoking
  • Only foods on the CDPH Approved Cottage Foods List are allowed

Local rules: Registration and permitting are handled by the county or city environmental health department, so fees and forms differ by location. A registration or permit from one county is valid to sell throughout California.

How to Start Selling in California

  1. 1

    Pick your class

    Class A sells directly to consumers only. Class B can also sell through restaurants and shops. Check the current-year sales limit on CDPH's adjusted-limit page.

  2. 2

    Check your recipes against the approved list

    Confirm every product fits a category on the CDPH Approved Cottage Foods List. If not, CDPH has a form (CDPH 8764) to request an addition.

  3. 3

    Contact your local environmental health department

    CDPH does not register or permit cottage food operations. Class A files a self-certification checklist; Class B applies for a permit. Ask the local office about fees and forms.

  4. 4

    Complete training

    Take an ANSI-accredited food handler course (accepted by CDPH) within three months of registration or permit, and again every three years. Keep the card; each person who prepares or packages food needs one.

  5. 5

    Label every product

    Include 'Made in a Home Kitchen', your registration or permit number, and the county that issued it, plus the other required label items.

  6. 6

    Renew each year

    Registrations and permits must be renewed annually.

What a Compliant California Label Looks Like

Quickly Cottage builds your ingredient list, detects allergens, and adds the required disclosure automatically.

Product

Chocolate Cake Pops

Ingredients

Devil's Food Cake Mix Betty Crocker
Dark Chocolate Melting Wafers Ghirardelli
Rainbow Jimmies Sprinkles Wilton
Red Food Color McCormick

Chocolate Cake Pops

Net Wt: 8 oz (227g)

Sunflower Home Bakery

Permit #CF-10293

412 Maple Ave, Springfield, CA, Franklin County

Ingredients:

Enriched Bleached Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Sugar, Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Leavening (Baking Soda, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Corn Starch, Salt, Soybean Oil; Sugar, Unsweetened Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Milkfat, Soy Lecithin, Vanilla; Sugar, Corn Starch, Vegetable Oil (Palm), Confectioner's Glaze, Carnauba Wax, FD&C Colors; Water, Propylene Glycol, FD&C Red 40.

Contains:

Wheat Milk Soy

Made in a Home Kitchen

Label Requirements

Every cottage food product sold in California must have a label that includes the following.

Required field
All 9 FDA major allergens present
Complete ingredient list, in descending order by weight
Business name
Business address
Product name
Net weight
City name
County name
Permit number
"Not inspected" disclosure statement

California Labeling Notes

  • A Nutrition Facts panel is generally not required unless the label makes a nutrient content or health claim.
  • Labels must be legible and in English; packaging that touches food must be food-grade.
  • If product is served unpackaged at a permitted retail food facility or used as an ingredient there, customers must be told it was made in a cottage food home kitchen.

Required Label Disclosure

This exact text must appear on every label you sell in California.

Made in a Home Kitchen

Quickly Cottage adds this to your label automatically.

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California Cottage Food — Common Questions

Class A operators register with their local environmental health department and submit a self-certification checklist; Class B operators obtain a permit from the local agency. Registration or permit is renewed every year, and one county's approval is valid statewide.

The limit is $88,878 (Class A) / $177,756 (Class B) for 2026 in gross sales.

Anyone who prepares or packages cottage food completes a food processor course (CDPH accepts an ANSI-accredited food handler course) within three months of registration or permit, then every three years; CDPH describes the cost as minimal.

Online sales are allowed. Shipping is allowed. Phone, internet, and other digital orders count as direct sales.

Not allowed: Baked goods with cream, custard, or meat fillings; Pumpkin pie; Foods not on the CDPH Approved Cottage Foods List (potentially hazardous foods).

Resources and Law History

The law

California Retail Food Code, Health and Safety Code sections 113758 and 114365 to 114365.2

Who to contact

California Department of Public Health, Food and Drug Branch (local environmental health departments register and permit)

800-495-3232

Agency website

  1. 2012

    AB 1616 (California Homemade Food Act) created the cottage food operation program.

  2. 2022

    AB 1144 took effect January 1, 2022: split operations into Class A and Class B, raised the caps to $75,000 and $150,000 with yearly CPI adjustment, defined direct and indirect sales, allowed statewide sales, and required annual renewal.

  3. 2026

    CPI-adjusted limits of $88,878 (Class A) and $177,756 (Class B) apply from January 1, 2026. CDPH has proposed adding chocolate and nut spread to the approved list; the updated list is to be posted on or about November 16, 2026.

Sources

Law reference: California Homemade Food Act (California Retail Food Code, Health and Safety Code sections 113758 and 114365 to 114365.2) · Last updated 2026 · Always verify requirements with your state's department of agriculture before selling.

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Get started for free See the California label generator