Cottage Food Laws by State
Minnesota Cottage Food Laws
Minnesota lets home cooks sell low-risk foods without a commercial kitchen or inspection, but you do have to register with the state agriculture department every year. The rules split sellers into two tiers by gross sales, and the overall ceiling is $78,000 per calendar year.
Annual sales cap
$78,000
Permit
Required
Training
Required
Home inspection
No
Online sales
Allowed
Shipping
Not allowed
Verified against official sources on 2026-10-21.
Where You Can Sell in Minnesota
You can sell in person at farmers markets, community events, and from your home if your locality allows it. Online orders are fine, but you must hand the product over yourself or through an employee; mailing human food is not allowed under today's rules. A sign stating the food is homemade and uninspected is required where you sell.
| Channel | Status |
|---|---|
| From home |
Conditions apply
Subject to local zoning and licensing ordinances. |
| Farmers markets | Allowed |
| Events & festivals | Allowed |
| Online orders |
Conditions apply
Orders can be taken online, but the homemade statement must appear on your webpage and the product must be delivered in person by you or an employee. |
What You Can Sell in Minnesota
Stick to foods that do not need refrigeration for safety, such as breads, cookies, cakes, and some jams. Home-canned pickles, vegetables, and fruits qualify only if they are acidic enough or low enough in water activity, and they must stay in Minnesota. Pet treats made at home are also permitted.
Any food that is not potentially hazardous, plus qualifying acidified or low-water-activity home-canned items.
Bread
Preserves
Other
Allowed with conditions
- Home-canned pickles, vegetables, fruits — Must meet the pH or water activity limit and be processed and canned in Minnesota; not sold outside the state.
Not allowed
Limits and Requirements
Annual sales cap
$78,000
- Gross sales may not exceed $78,000 per calendar year
- Register annually before you sell, even at very low volume
- Human food cannot be mailed or shipped; deliver it in person
- Seller must be an individual, sole proprietor, single-member LLC, or two-person LLC from the same residence
- Not available to anyone who holds an MDA food handler license
- Sales tax and income tax may apply
Local rules: Selling from home is allowed only to the extent local ordinances permit. Check your city, county, or township for licensing, zoning, and sanitation rules.
How to Start Selling in Minnesota
-
1
Estimate your sales tier
Tier 1 is $7,665 or less in gross annual sales; Tier 2 is $7,666 to $78,000.
-
2
Complete the required training
Tier 1: the MDA online training and exam, yearly. Tier 2: an MDA-approved food safety course, repeated every three years.
-
3
Register with the MDA
Apply through the MDA cottage food registration page. Fee is none for Tier 1 and $50 for Tier 2; processing usually takes 3 to 4 weeks. Registration runs April 1 to March 31.
-
4
Check local rules
Confirm city, county, or township licensing and zoning limits before selling from home.
-
5
Label products and post a sign
Use the required label and show the homemade statement on a sign at the point of sale or on your website.
-
6
Ask about sales tax
Contact the Minnesota Department of Revenue to see whether your sales are taxable.
What a Compliant Minnesota 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
Permit #CF-10293
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:
These products are homemade and not subject to state inspection.
Label Requirements
Every cottage food product sold in Minnesota 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 |
| Date of production |
| Permit number |
| "Not inspected" disclosure statement |
Minnesota Labeling Notes
- A legible sign with the same statement must be displayed at the point of sale; online sellers put it on their webpage.
- Home-canned items carry the same label information on each container.
Required Label Disclosure
This exact text must appear on every label you sell in Minnesota.
These products are homemade and not subject to state inspection.
Quickly Cottage adds this to your label automatically.
Generate your Minnesota label in minutes
Ingredient lists, allergens, and the required disclosure — built in automatically.
Minnesota Cottage Food — Common Questions
Register with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture each year before selling; the fee is $0 for Tier 1 (sales up to $7,665) and $50 for Tier 2 ($7,666 to $78,000).
The limit is $78,000 in gross sales.
Tier 1 completes the free online MDA training and exam every year; Tier 2 takes an MDA-approved food safety course once every three years while actively selling.
Online sales are allowed. Shipping is not allowed. Orders can be taken online, but the homemade statement must appear on your webpage and the product must be delivered in person by you or an employee.
Not allowed: Potentially hazardous (time/temperature control) foods.
Resources and Law History
2015
Cottage food exemption created in section 28A.152.
2021
Amendments adjusted the sales cap, registration, and training provisions.
2025
Laws 2025 chapter 34 (HF 2446) rewrote the program: one registration tier, a $30 yearly fee, allowed shipping, and advanced training. Effective August 1, 2027; the cap becomes inflation-adjusted every two years starting 2027.
Law reference: Minnesota Cottage Food Law (Minnesota Statutes section 28A.152 (Cottage food exemption)) · Last updated 2026 · Always verify requirements with your state's department of agriculture before selling.
Generate your Minnesota labels in minutes
Quickly Cottage builds your ingredient list from the brands you actually use, and generates a label with the Minnesota-required disclosure already included. Start free.