California Cottage Food Labeling Requirements (2026)

California's AB 1616 divides cottage food operations into two categories based on how and where you sell. Class A operations sell directly to the end consumer — at farmers markets, farm stands, from your home, at bake sales, or through community events.

Class A sellers do not need a county permit to begin operating, though they must register with their local county environmental health department in most jurisdictions. The annual gross sales limit for Class A operations is $75,000 as of recent updates, though you should verify the current cap with your county since legislation has adjusted this threshold over time.

Class B operations are allowed to sell indirectly — meaning through third parties like retail shops, grocery stores, restaurants, or online platforms that ship statewide. To operate as a Class B seller, you must obtain a permit from your county environmental health department, and your kitchen may be subject to an inspection. The revenue limit for Class B operations is the same as Class A, but the permit process adds a layer of oversight that Class A does not require.

Both classes allow you to sell online, but Class A is restricted to direct-to-consumer transactions where you personally hand off the product. Class B can fulfill orders through a third-party retailer or ship through a logistics provider. If you plan to grow your cottage food business beyond local markets and direct sales, understanding the Class B pathway early will help you build your operation with the right permit structure in place.

Many California cottage food producers start as Class A and later upgrade to Class B as demand grows. The key practical difference on your label is the same — both classes require the same California-specific disclosure statement. Where Class B sellers need to pay extra attention is ensuring their label also satisfies the requirements of any retailer carrying their product, since retail buyers sometimes require additional information like barcodes or nutrition facts even when the law does not mandate them for cottage food.

Every package of cottage food you sell in California must include a specific set of label elements. The product name must appear prominently.

The net weight or net volume of the product must be stated in both US customary and metric units for products sold at retail, though some direct-sale exemptions apply. The name and address of your cottage food operation — meaning your home address — must appear on the label.

The ingredient list is one of the most critical elements and must follow federal FDA guidelines: all ingredients listed in descending order by weight, with sub-ingredients of compound ingredients fully declared in parentheses. This is where most cottage food producers make mistakes. If you use a boxed mix from Betty Crocker or a chocolate chip brand from Ghirardelli, every ingredient inside that product must appear in your ingredient list in the correct order — not just the brand name. Quickly Cottage handles this automatically by pulling the full ingredient lists from packaged products and merging them into a single correctly ordered list.

Allergen declarations are required and must identify any of the nine major allergens present: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame. California does not add allergens beyond the federal list, but the state takes allergen labeling seriously and county inspectors look for complete declarations. You can use the "Contains:" statement after the ingredient list or identify allergens in bold within the ingredient list itself — both formats are acceptable.

The California-specific disclosure statement is mandatory and must appear on every label regardless of class. It must read in a conspicuous location and use language that makes clear the product was made in a home kitchen. The exact required wording is detailed in the next section. Labels must also include the county health department permit number if you are a Class B operation.

California law requires a specific disclosure statement on every cottage food label. The required language is: "Made in a home kitchen that has not been inspected by the California Department of Public Health or local environmental health department." This statement must appear prominently on the label — it cannot be hidden in small print on the bottom of the package or buried among other text. California regulators and county environmental health officers look for this language specifically when evaluating cottage food labels at markets and during complaint investigations.

The statement must be legible and in a font size that is reasonably visible. While California law does not specify a minimum point size for this disclosure the way it does for some other label elements, the practical standard is that it must be readable without magnification by a customer handling the package. Many cottage food producers print this statement on a label band or sticker that wraps around the package, or include it as a dedicated line on their primary label panel.

Some county environmental health departments in California have developed their own supplemental guidance on label placement and font size. Los Angeles County, for example, has published cottage food guidance documents that provide additional specificity beyond the state law baseline. If you sell across multiple counties — which is permitted — you should ensure your label satisfies the most stringent local requirements you encounter, which in practice usually means following the state language exactly.

Quickly Cottage inserts the correct California disclosure statement automatically when you select California as your state. This means you never have to remember the exact wording or risk printing labels with outdated or incorrect language. The statement is formatted in a way that integrates cleanly with the rest of your label so it looks professional rather than like a compliance afterthought.

California's cottage food law specifies which types of food products may be produced and sold under the exemption. The permitted list covers non-potentially hazardous foods — meaning products that do not require refrigeration to remain safe. Common permitted products include baked goods like cookies, cakes, breads, muffins, brownies, and pastries that do not contain cream, custard, or meat fillings.

Jams, jellies, preserves, and fruit butters are permitted. Candy and confections including fudge, toffee, and brittles are allowed. Roasted nuts, granola, cereal, and trail mix are on the permitted list.

Dried pasta, dried herbs, spice blends, and honey are also included.

Products that are not permitted include anything that requires refrigeration for food safety — this rules out cheesecakes, cream-filled pastries, custard tarts, and items with fresh dairy fillings. Meat products, alcoholic beverages, canned low-acid foods like vegetables, and products that require pressure canning are prohibited. Cottage food producers often ask about frosted cakes: buttercream made entirely from butter and powdered sugar is generally considered shelf-stable and permitted, but cream cheese frosting falls into a gray area that many county health departments classify as potentially hazardous. When in doubt, contact your county environmental health department before adding a new product to your lineup.

California periodically reviews and updates the permitted product list. Before expanding your product offerings, verify the current list through the California Department of Public Health website or your county environmental health department. Some products that were previously excluded have been added to the permitted list through legislative amendments, and staying current with these changes can open new revenue opportunities for your business.

The permitted product list is also relevant to your label because the product name on your label should accurately describe what is inside the package. California does not have specific standardized identity rules for most cottage food categories, but using accurate descriptive names helps customers understand what they are buying and protects you from misbranding claims.

Class A cottage food operations in California are not required to obtain a permit before selling, but most counties require registration or notification with the local environmental health department. The registration process is typically straightforward — you fill out a form, pay a small fee in some counties, and receive acknowledgment that you are operating as a cottage food producer.

Some counties conduct a simple kitchen inspection as part of registration, while others rely on self-certification. Contact your specific county environmental health department to understand the local process.

The annual gross sales limit applies to your total cottage food revenue across all products and sales channels. Keeping accurate records of your sales is important both for compliance and for your own business planning. If you approach the revenue cap, you have options: you can stop taking new orders for the remainder of the year, or you can begin exploring the transition to a licensed commercial kitchen operation, which removes the revenue ceiling entirely. Some California cottage food producers use the revenue limit period to plan a move to a shared commercial kitchen or commissary arrangement that allows them to scale beyond cottage food restrictions.

Permitted sales channels for Class A include selling directly at farmers markets, certified farmers markets, farm stands, community events, fairs, and from your home. You can take online orders and accept payment online as long as you personally deliver the product or the customer picks it up directly from you. Class B adds the ability to sell through retail stores, restaurants, and other third-party channels anywhere in California. Neither class permits shipping out of state, which remains governed by federal law and the regulations of the destination state.

Quickly Cottage is designed to support California cottage food producers at every stage — from your first market appearance as a Class A seller to scaling your Class B operation through retail partners. The label generation tools ensure that as your product line grows, every new item you add gets a fully compliant label with all required California elements included.