Cottage Food Laws by State
Georgia Cottage Food Laws
Georgia lets individuals make non-potentially hazardous foods in a home kitchen and sell them without a state license or fee, thanks to HB 398, which took effect July 1, 2025. The statute sets no sales cap. The state agriculture department can still inspect after a complaint or illness report, and its cottage food page points to ANSI-accredited food safety training.
Annual sales cap
No cap
Permit
None
Training
Required
Home inspection
No
Online sales
Allowed
Shipping
Allowed
Verified against official sources on 2026-10-21.
Where You Can Sell in Georgia
You may sell directly to buyers, including online and by mail order, or to retail food establishments such as grocery stores and restaurants. A city or county can choose to ban sales through those third-party vendors, so check locally. Labels need your contact details or a state-issued ID number plus a statement that the item came from an uninspected residence and may contain allergens.
| Channel | Status |
|---|---|
| Events & festivals | Allowed |
| Online orders |
Conditions apply
The required label information must appear on the webpage where the item is offered. |
| Retail stores |
Conditions apply
Stores must post signage that cottage food is not subject to commercial food inspection and display it in a separate, labeled section or case; a city or county may ban third-party sales by ordinance. |
| Restaurants |
Conditions apply
Treated as third-party vendors; a city or county may ban third-party sales by ordinance. |
What You Can Sell in Georgia
The test is whether a food or nonalcoholic drink needs temperature control for safety. Examples named in the law include breads, rolls, biscuits, cakes without refrigerated fillings, jams, dried fruit, granola, nuts, dill pickles, fudge, roasted coffee beans, dry pasta, and popcorn. Alcohol, cannabis foods, and raw milk are excluded.
Any non-potentially hazardous food or nonalcoholic beverage that needs no temperature control for safety, produced and packaged at your residence, excluding alcohol, cannabis foods and raw milk.
Allowed with conditions
- Baked goods with fillings — Not allowed if the filling requires refrigeration or has high moisture content.
- Fruit butters — Excluded from the jam, jelly and preserves category when reduced sugar or pectin may affect commercial sterility.
Not allowed
Limits and Requirements
Annual sales cap
No cap
- Food must be produced and, if packaged, packaged at your own residential property
- Only non-potentially hazardous foods; alcohol, cannabis foods and raw milk are excluded
- Producer must be an individual working in a home kitchen
- Cities and counties may prohibit sales through third-party vendors such as stores and restaurants
- Business licensing, zoning, tax and federal law still apply
- The department may inspect the areas of your home you use after a complaint or illness report
Local rules: Cities and counties cannot otherwise regulate cottage food or stop commercial delivery companies from carrying it, but they may adopt an ordinance after public notice and hearing banning third-party vendor sales. General business licensing and zoning rules still apply, so check locally.
How to Start Selling in Georgia
-
1
Confirm your food qualifies
Check that the product needs no refrigeration or other temperature control for safety and is not alcohol, cannabis or raw milk.
-
2
Complete food safety training
The Department of Agriculture cottage food page says to finish an ANSI-accredited food safety program; a food handler course is accepted. Use its directory of accredited providers.
-
3
Decide on an identification number
If you prefer not to print your address, submit the written request or form to the Department of Agriculture for an identification number.
-
4
Label every product
Include your business name and contact details (or ID number) and the residential-property statement in at least 10 point font.
-
5
Check local rules
Ask your city or county about business licenses, zoning, and whether it has banned sales through stores or restaurants.
-
6
Contact the program with questions
Email cottagefoodinfo@agr.georgia.gov or call (404) 656-3627.
What a Compliant Georgia Label Looks Like
Quickly Cottage builds your ingredient list, detects allergens, and adds the required disclosure automatically.
Product
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake Pops
Net Wt: 8 oz (227g)
Sunflower Home Bakery
412 Maple Ave, Springfield, GA
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:
MADE IN A COTTAGE FOOD OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO STATE FOOD SAFETY INSPECTIONS
Label Requirements
Every cottage food product sold in Georgia 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 |
| "Not inspected" disclosure statement |
Georgia Labeling Notes
- Information goes on the package label, on the bulk container, on a placard at the point of sale for unpackaged items, or on the webpage for online sales.
- For telephone or custom orders, you may skip the label but must tell the buyer the item is made at an uninspected residence and may contain allergens, and keep the information available on request.
- Stores that carry your goods must keep them in a separate, conspicuously labeled section or display case.
Required Label Disclosure
This exact text must appear on every label you sell in Georgia.
MADE IN A COTTAGE FOOD OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO STATE FOOD SAFETY INSPECTIONS
Quickly Cottage adds this to your label automatically.
Generate your Georgia label in minutes
Ingredient lists, allergens, and the required disclosure — built in automatically.
Georgia Cottage Food — Common Questions
Georgia no longer requires a state cottage food license or fee as of July 1, 2025 (HB 398); you may optionally request an identification number from the Department of Agriculture to put on labels instead of your address.
Georgia does not set a dollar cap on cottage food sales.
The Georgia Department of Agriculture cottage food page says operators must complete an ANSI-accredited food safety program, and a food handler course is acceptable; cost varies by provider.
Online sales are allowed. Shipping is allowed. The required label information must appear on the webpage where the item is offered.
Not allowed: Alcoholic beverages; Foods containing cannabis; Raw milk; Potentially hazardous foods that need temperature control for safety; Pet food and treats (these need a feed license instead).
Resources and Law History
2025
HB 398, signed May 13, 2025 and effective July 1, 2025, removed state licensing, allowed sales to retailers and restaurants, added optional identification numbers, and let localities opt out of third-party sales.
Law reference: Georgia Cottage Food Law (O.C.G.A. 26-2-470 through 26-2-478 (HB 398, 2025)) · Last updated 2026 · Always verify requirements with your state's department of agriculture before selling.
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