Cottage Food Laws by State

Colorado Cottage Food Laws

Colorado has a unique per-product-type cap of $10,000 rather than a total revenue cap. No permit is required and online direct sales are permitted.

Annual cap

$10,000 per product type

Permit required

No

Venues

4

Last updated

2026

What You Can Sell

The following product types are permitted under the Colorado cottage food law.

Baked Goods

Permitted
  • Cakes and cupcakes
  • Cookies and brownies
  • Muffins and quick breads
  • Yeast breads and rolls
  • Fruit pies (cream and custard pies require refrigeration and are not permitted)
  • Cake pops and dipped treats
  • Donuts and pastries

Candies and Confections

Permitted
  • Chocolates and fudge
  • Hard candies and lollipops
  • Toffee and caramel (shelf-stable)
  • Cake truffles

Preserved and Dry Goods

Permitted
  • Jams, jellies, and preserves
  • Honey and honeycomb
  • Dried herbs and spices
  • Roasted nuts and trail mix
  • Granola and cereal
  • Popcorn and flavored popcorn
  • Dried pasta (no egg)
Note: Items must be shelf-stable.

Beverages

Permitted
  • Coffee (roasted or ground, not brewed)
  • Dry tea blends
Note: Brewed beverages and juices are not permitted.

What You Cannot Sell

These product types are not covered by the Colorado cottage food law and require a commercial kitchen license.

  • Meat, poultry, and seafood products
  • Dairy products (milk, cheese, butter)
  • Items requiring refrigeration (cream pies, cheesecakes)
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Fruit and vegetable juices
  • Canned low-acid vegetables

Where You Can Sell

Colorado permits cottage food sales at the following venues.

Direct from your home

Farmers markets

Roadside stands

Online with direct delivery

Online ordering with direct delivery to customers is permitted.

Annual Sales Cap

$10,000 per product type

Per product type, not total revenue. Each individual product line is capped at $10,000.

Permit and Registration

No permit or registration required

No permit, license, or registration is required to sell cottage food in Colorado.

What a Compliant Colorado 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

Produced: August 23, 2026

Sunflower Home Bakery

412 Maple Ave, Springfield, CO

(555) 010-0142

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

This product was produced in a home kitchen that is not subject to state licensure or inspection and that may also process common food allergens such as tree nuts, peanuts, eggs, soy, wheat, milk, fish, and crustacean shellfish. This product is not intended for resale.

Label Requirements

Every cottage food product sold in Colorado 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
Phone number
Date of production
"Not inspected" disclosure statement

Required Label Disclosure

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

This product was produced in a home kitchen that is not subject to state licensure or inspection and that may also process common food allergens such as tree nuts, peanuts, eggs, soy, wheat, milk, fish, and crustacean shellfish. This product is not intended for resale.

Quickly Cottage adds this to your label automatically.

Generate your Colorado label in minutes

Ingredient lists, allergens, and the required disclosure — built in automatically.

Colorado Cottage Food — Common Questions

No. Colorado does not require any permit, license, or registration for cottage food producers.

Yes. Colorado allows online ordering with direct delivery to customers, which is more permissive than many other states.

Yes. Farmers markets are a fully permitted venue for Colorado cottage food sellers.

Colorado's annual cap is $50,000 in gross revenue. Sellers who exceed this must obtain a standard food processing license.

Law reference: Colorado Cottage Foods Act (Colorado Revised Statutes, Section 25-4-1614) · Last updated 2026 · Always verify requirements with your state's department of agriculture before selling.

Generate your Colorado labels in minutes

Quickly Cottage builds your ingredient list from the brands you actually use, and generates a label with the Colorado-required disclosure already included. Start free.