Cottage Food Laws by State
Ohio Cottage Food Laws
Ohio treats a home cook who makes only non-potentially hazardous foods as a cottage food production operation, which sits outside the state's food processing establishment licensing. The Department of Agriculture can still sample your products to check that they are properly labeled and not adulterated. Ohio's cottage food statutes and rules reviewed here set no dollar sales cap.
Permit
None
Training
Not required
Home inspection
No
Across state lines
Not allowed
Verified against official sources on 2026-10-21.
Where You Can Sell in Ohio
Cottage food sellers can offer labeled products at farmers markets without a retail food license, and licensed retail food establishments and food service operations may sell or use properly labeled cottage products. Every package needs your name and address, product name, ingredients, net weight, and a ten-point statement that the product is home produced.
| Channel | Status |
|---|---|
| From home | Allowed |
| Farmers markets |
Conditions apply
ORC 3717.22 exempts farmers market sellers who offer only fresh produce, cottage food products, and certain syrups and honey from retail food licensing. |
| Retail stores |
Conditions apply
Properly labeled products are acceptable for licensed retail food establishments (ORC Chapter 3717) to sell. |
| Restaurants |
Conditions apply
Properly labeled products are acceptable for licensed food service operations to use in preparing and serving food. |
What You Can Sell in Ohio
The state keeps a short approved list: non-hazardous baked goods, jams, jellies, fruit butters, candy, granola, popcorn, snack mixes, roasted coffee, dry mixes, teas and herb blends, plus flavored honey and maple sugar from exempt producers. Anything acidified, low-acid canned, or needing temperature control is out, and vacuum or other reduced oxygen packaging is not allowed.
Only non-potentially hazardous foods on the Ohio Department of Agriculture approved list; acidified, low-acid canned and potentially hazardous foods are not allowed.
Bread
Candy
Dry goods
Preserves
Snacks
Not allowed
Limits and Requirements
Annual sales cap
- Food must be produced in your home
- Products are subject to sampling by the Ohio Department of Agriculture for misbranding or adulteration
- No acidified foods, low-acid canned foods, or potentially hazardous foods
- No reduced oxygen packaging, including vacuum packaging
- Label must carry the home-produced statement in ten-point type
How to Start Selling in Ohio
-
1
Check your product against the approved list
Compare each item with Ohio Administrative Code rule 901:3-20-04; the director can add items by rule but never potentially hazardous ones.
-
2
Make food in your home kitchen
The law covers food produced in your own home; avoid reduced oxygen packaging.
-
3
Label every product
Include the items in ORC 3715.023 and the federal label rules in 21 CFR Part 101 required by OAC 901:3-20-02.
-
4
Choose where to sell
Direct sales and farmers markets are covered by ORC 3717.22; licensed retail food establishments may sell labeled products.
-
5
Check local rules
Ask your city or county about zoning and any local requirements before selling.
What a Compliant Ohio 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, OH
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 is home produced.
Label Requirements
Every cottage food product sold in Ohio 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 |
Ohio Labeling Notes
- OAC 901:3-20-02 requires the ORC 3715.023 label information in addition to federal food labeling rules.
Required Label Disclosure
This exact text must appear on every label you sell in Ohio.
This product is home produced.
Quickly Cottage adds this to your label automatically.
Generate your Ohio label in minutes
Ingredient lists, allergens, and the required disclosure — built in automatically.
Ohio Cottage Food — Common Questions
A cottage food production operation is excluded from the definition of a food processing establishment (ORC 3715.021, version effective Sept 30, 2025), so no ODA license is needed.
The limit is in gross sales.
Not allowed: Potentially hazardous foods; Acidified foods; Low-acid canned foods; Products packed using reduced oxygen packaging.
Resources and Law History
2025
ORC 3715.021 version effective Sept 30, 2025 (House Bill 96) continues to exclude cottage food production operations from the food processing establishment definition.
2016
Current OAC Chapter 901:3-20 rules (labeling, sampling) effective Jan 22, 2016; rules first effective 2009.
Law reference: Ohio Cottage Food Law (Ohio Revised Code Chapter 3715 (sections 3715.01, 3715.021, 3715.023, 3715.025)) · Last updated 2026 · Always verify requirements with your state's department of agriculture before selling.
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