Cottage Food Laws by State
Colorado Cottage Food Laws
Colorado's Cottage Foods Act lets residents sell certain homemade foods straight to consumers without a license or health department inspection. Today the limit is $10,000 in net revenue per calendar year for each eligible product. A law signed in June 2026 changes this on January 1, 2027, adding annual state registration, a $150,000 gross cap, and some refrigerated foods.
Annual sales cap
$10,000 per product
Permit
None
Training
Required
Home inspection
No
Across state lines
Not allowed
Wholesale
Not allowed
Verified against official sources on 2026-10-21.
Where You Can Sell in Colorado
You must sell directly to the person who will eat the food, and they cannot resell it. Sales are limited to Colorado and may not involve interstate commerce, and the food must be delivered from you to the buyer. Display a sign at the point of sale saying the food comes from an unlicensed, uninspected home kitchen. You must be a Colorado-resident individual or a small Colorado LLC.
| Channel | Status |
|---|---|
| From home |
Conditions apply
Foods may be made in your primary-residence kitchen or in a commercial, private, or public kitchen. |
| Wholesale | Not allowed |
What You Can Sell in Colorado
Current law allows nonpotentially hazardous foods that need no refrigeration, such as baked goods, candies, tortillas, jams, honey, nuts, spices, teas, flour, dehydrated produce, and pickled fruits and vegetables. Whole eggs are allowed up to 250 dozen a month. Starting in 2027, producers may also sell one type of packaged refrigerated food, such as tamales, with up to five variations.
Through 2026, only nonpotentially hazardous foods that need no refrigeration, including the listed items; from January 1, 2027, certain packaged refrigerated foods are also allowed.
Bread
Candy
Condiments
Dry goods
Preserves
Other
Allowed with conditions
- Packaged foods needing time and temperature control (tamales, burritos, tortas) — Not allowed until January 1, 2027. After that, one type of product with up to five variations, with a specialized food safety course, meat that is federally inspected or exempt, and no cooling and reheating.
Not allowed
Limits and Requirements
Annual sales cap
$10,000 per product
- Net revenue of $10,000 or less per calendar year from each eligible food product (changes Jan 1, 2027)
- Sell directly to informed end consumers, who may not resell the product
- Sold only in Colorado; no interstate commerce
- Producer must be a Colorado-resident individual or a Colorado LLC with two or fewer members, all Colorado residents
- Foods must be delivered directly from the producer to the consumer
- Products are subject to sampling and inspection if mislabeled, after a complaint, or if tied to illness
How to Start Selling in Colorado
-
1
Take a food safety course
Complete a course comparable to a CSU Extension or public health agency course; CSU Extension offers a 3.5-hour cottage foods course with a 3-year certificate.
-
2
Confirm your products qualify
Check your foods against the statute list; refrigerated foods are only allowed from January 1, 2027.
-
3
Check eligibility
Be a Colorado-resident individual or a Colorado LLC with two or fewer Colorado-resident members.
-
4
Create compliant labels and a sign
Affix the required label to each product and display the disclaimer sign at the point of sale.
-
5
Register with CDPHE in 2027
Starting January 1, 2027, register annually with CDPHE before selling and list the types of food you plan to sell.
What a Compliant Colorado Label Looks Like
Quickly Cottage builds your ingredient list, detects allergens, and adds the required disclosure automatically.
Product
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake Pops
Produced: October 24, 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:
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 |
Colorado Labeling Notes
- A sign or card at the point of sale must state: This product was produced in a home kitchen that is not subject to state licensure or inspection. This product is not intended for resale.
- From January 1, 2027, labels must also show your CDPHE registration number, the county where the food was prepared, and a CDPHE-provided website address for reporting illness and verifying registration.
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 license or permit is required today. Starting January 1, 2027, producers must register with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment every year before selling and put the registration number on labels.
The limit is $10,000 per product in gross sales.
Take a food safety course comparable to a Colorado State University Extension or public health agency course; CSU Extension's cottage foods course runs 3.5 hours and its certificate is valid for 3 years.
Not allowed: Foods that require refrigeration (potentially hazardous) until January 1, 2027.
Resources and Law History
2012
Colorado Cottage Foods Act enacted in section 25-4-1614.
2026
HB26-1033 (Tamale Act), signed June 4, 2026, allows packaged refrigerated foods, requires annual CDPHE registration, and raises the cap to $150,000 gross per year, inflation-adjusted. The amended statute takes effect January 1, 2027.
Law reference: Colorado Cottage Foods Act (C.R.S. 25-4-1614 (Colorado Cottage Foods Act)) · Last updated 2026 · Always verify requirements with your state's department of agriculture before selling.
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