Cottage Food Laws by State
Illinois Cottage Food Laws
Illinois lets you make almost any food at home for sale, with no dollar cap on sales. The catch is paperwork and training: you register each year with your local health department and must hold a Certified Food Protection Manager certificate. There is no routine home inspection, and registration covers sales anywhere in the state.
Annual sales cap
No cap
Permit
Required
Training
Required
Home inspection
No
Online sales
Allowed
Shipping
Allowed
Across state lines
Not allowed
Wholesale
Not allowed
Verified against official sources on 2026-10-21.
Where You Can Sell in Illinois
Sales must go straight to the person who will eat the food. Farmers markets, fairs, events, your own doorstep, delivery, online orders, and in-state shipping are all fine. Selling to stores, bakeries, or restaurants for resale is not, and nothing may cross state lines. Post the home-kitchen notice wherever you sell.
| Channel | Status |
|---|---|
| From home |
Conditions apply
Allowed if you follow local zoning rules that are not inconsistent with state law; pickup from your home or farm is permitted. |
| Farmers markets | Allowed |
| Events & festivals |
Conditions apply
Fairs, festivals, and public events are allowed; selling at events outside your county is fine with one registration, and notifying that county's health department is advised. |
| Online orders |
Conditions apply
Sales must stay inside Illinois, and the home-kitchen notice must appear on your shop page at the point of sale. |
| Retail stores | Not allowed |
| Wholesale | Not allowed |
| Restaurants | Not allowed |
What You Can Sell in Illinois
The law works by exclusion: anything is allowed unless listed as prohibited, such as meat, fish, cheesecake, custard pies, sprouts, cut leafy greens, alcohol, and kombucha. Dairy and eggs appear only as ingredients in safe baked goods, candy, or frosting. Pickles, ferments, and canned tomatoes need a tested recipe or a lab pH result.
Any food or drink is allowed unless the statute lists it as prohibited, and the food must be physically altered or processed by you.
Allowed with conditions
- Acidified and fermented foods (pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, fermented hot sauce) — Use a USDA or extension-tested recipe exactly, or submit a food safety plan with a lab pH test (4.6 or below); uncanned versions must be kept at 41 F or below.
- Canned tomatoes and tomato products — Follow a USDA or extension-tested recipe exactly, or have a lab pH test showing adequate acidification.
- Frostings and icings — No raw eggs; buttercream with butter or cream is allowed; cream cheese frosting must be kept at 41 F or below.
- Baked goods with cheese — Only non-potentially hazardous versions (for example cheddar sourdough); the health department may require a water activity test.
- Fresh-pressed juice and bottled drinks — Bottled and labeled at your home kitchen, kept at 41 F or below; unpasteurized juice needs the federal warning; made-to-order juice at a market is not allowed.
- Other foods the health department deems TCS (for example vegan soups, hummus) — May be required to be stored, transported, and sold at 41 F or below unless a pH or water activity test shows they are safe at room temperature.
Not allowed
Limits and Requirements
Annual sales cap
No cap
- No annual sales cap, but sales must be direct to consumers for their own use, never for resale
- Food must be made in the kitchen of your primary residence (farmers may use an appropriately equipped farm kitchen)
- Register in the county where you live; one registration covers one home kitchen
- Sales only inside Illinois; no shipping or delivery out of state
- Third parties may not repack, sell, or distribute your products
- Product must be pre-packaged and labeled unless a local health department grants an exception
- Sales tax and income tax may apply
Local rules: State law preempts local rules that conflict with it, but cities and counties can still regulate zoning, outdoor signage, customer traffic, and permits for street carts or public property. Chicago may apply home occupation rules.
How to Start Selling in Illinois
-
1
Get your CFPM certificate
Take an ANSI-accredited Certified Food Protection Manager course and pass the proctored exam. Anyone who prepares or packages your food needs one too.
-
2
Apply with your local health department
Register in the county or city where you live. Fee is up to $50 and can take up to six weeks; renew every year.
-
3
Add testing paperwork if needed
Acidified, fermented, or tomato products need a tested recipe or a food safety plan with a lab pH test.
-
4
Check zoning and local permits
Confirm home-business, signage, and street-cart or peddler rules with your municipality.
-
5
Label and sign your products
Use the required label and display the home-kitchen notice at every point of sale, online or in person.
What a Compliant Illinois 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)
Produced: October 23, 2026
Sunflower Home Bakery
Permit #CF-10293
Springfield, IL, 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:
This product was produced in a home kitchen not inspected by a health department that may also process common food allergens. If you have safety concerns, contact your local health department.
Label Requirements
Every cottage food product sold in Illinois 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 |
| Product name |
| Net weight |
| City name |
| County name |
| Permit number |
| Date of production |
| "Not inspected" disclosure statement |
Illinois Labeling Notes
- A sign with a similar home-kitchen notice (at least 8 x 10 inches in person) is required at the point of sale; online it goes on the shop page.
- The health department where you sell may allow unpackaged products (such as wedding cakes) if prominent written notice gives the label information.
- Shipped items must be sealed so tampering is visible.
Required Label Disclosure
This exact text must appear on every label you sell in Illinois.
This product was produced in a home kitchen not inspected by a health department that may also process common food allergens. If you have safety concerns, contact your local health department.
Quickly Cottage adds this to your label automatically.
Generate your Illinois label in minutes
Ingredient lists, allergens, and the required disclosure — built in automatically.
Illinois Cottage Food — Common Questions
Register each year with the local health department in the county or city where you live; the fee is capped at $50 by law, and no home inspection is done at registration.
Illinois does not set a dollar cap on cottage food sales.
The operator and anyone who prepares or packages the food must hold an ANSI-accredited Certified Food Protection Manager certificate (about 8 hours of coursework plus exam, usually $100 to $300, valid 5 years); a basic food handler card does not count.
Online sales are allowed. Shipping is allowed. Sales must stay inside Illinois, and the home-kitchen notice must appear on your shop page at the point of sale.
Not allowed: Meat, poultry, fish, seafood, shellfish; Dairy, except as an ingredient in non-hazardous baked goods or candy, or in frosting; Eggs, except in non-hazardous foods (such as dry noodles) or cooked-egg frosting; Pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, cheesecake, custard pie, cream pie, pastries with hazardous fillings or toppings; Garlic in oil (unless acidified); Low-acid canned foods; Sprouts; Cut leafy greens (unless dehydrated, acidified, or blanched and frozen); Cut or pureed fresh tomato or melon; dehydrated tomato or melon; frozen cut melon; Wild-harvested mushrooms; Alcoholic beverages and kombucha.
Resources and Law History
Who to contact
Illinois Department of Public Health, Food Safety (registration is through your local health department)
217-782-4977
Agency website2012
Cottage food law created for baked goods, jams, and jellies sold at farmers markets.
2018
Food Freedom Act (effective January 1, 2018) allowed all foods except a prohibited list.
2022
Home to Market Act (effective January 1, 2022) allowed direct sales statewide, including delivery, online, and in-state shipping, and clarified acidified foods and buttercream.
Law reference: Illinois Cottage Food Law (Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act, 410 ILCS 625/4 (Cottage food operation)) · Last updated 2026 · Always verify requirements with your state's department of agriculture before selling.
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