Cottage Food Laws by State
Vermont Cottage Food Laws
Vermont exempts home cooks from food manufacturer licensing as long as gross receipts from cottage food products stay at $30,000 or less per year. There is no license fee, but the Department of Health expects an exemption filing and a short online training every year. Food has to be made in your own home kitchen or a kitchen on your property.
Annual sales cap
$30,000
Permit
Required
Training
Required
Wholesale
Not allowed
Verified against official sources on 2026-10-21.
Where You Can Sell in Vermont
Exempt food may not be sold to restaurants or other licensed food establishments. The Health Department's pages do not spell out rules for online orders, shipping, or markets, so confirm those with the Food and Lodging Program. Note that preparing food at home to cook later at a market or event falls under a separate Home Caterer License.
| Channel | Status |
|---|---|
| Farmers markets |
Conditions apply
Preparing food at home to cook later at a farmers market or special event requires a Home Caterer License; that is separate from the cottage food exemption. |
| Restaurants |
Conditions apply
Exempt food cannot be sold to restaurants or other licensed food establishments. |
What You Can Sell in Vermont
Products must be safe without refrigeration or time and temperature control. The law lists baked goods that are not potentially hazardous, candy, jams and jellies, dry herbs, trail mix, granola, cereal, mixed nuts, flavored vinegar, popcorn, coffee beans, and dry tea. Home-canned pickles, vegetables, and fruits qualify if acidic or dry enough and made from an approved or reviewed recipe.
Food that does not need refrigeration or time/temperature control for safety; the listed items are examples, and the Commissioner may add others.
Bread
Candy
Condiments
Dry goods
Preserves
Snacks
Allowed with conditions
- Home-canned pickles, vegetables, fruits — Must meet the pH or water activity limit and use a recipe approved by the National Center for Home Food Preservation or reviewed by a food processing authority.
Not allowed
Limits and Requirements
Annual sales cap
$30,000
- Annual gross receipts from cottage food products may not exceed $30,000
- Food must be made or packaged solely in your home kitchen or a kitchen on your personal property
- File the exemption form and complete training every year
- Cannot sell to restaurants or other licensed food establishments
- A health inspector may inspect your establishment to check compliance
- You are responsible for deciding whether your product qualifies; an optional Department product review form exists
How to Start Selling in Vermont
-
1
Check that your product qualifies
It must need no refrigeration or time/temperature control. Unsure? The Health Department offers an optional Cottage Food Product Review Request Form.
-
2
Take the online training
Complete the Department of Health's free License Exempt Food Processors and Cottage Food Operators training; it is repeated each year.
-
3
File your exemption
Submit the licensing exemption filing through the Health Department online portal before January 15 each year, attesting that you completed training.
-
4
Label every product
Include your name and address, product name, ingredients, allergens, net weight or volume, and the home-kitchen statement.
-
5
Know where you can sell
Do not sell to restaurants or licensed food businesses. Cooking later at a market or event needs a Home Caterer License.
What a Compliant Vermont 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, VT
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 home kitchen not inspected by the Vermont Department of Health.
Label Requirements
Every cottage food product sold in Vermont 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 |
Vermont Labeling Notes
- The statement must be at least 10-point type in a contrasting color.
- Bulk items may use a sign, placard, or table tent at the point of service instead of individual labels.
- Nutrition or health claims require a nutrition label.
Required Label Disclosure
This exact text must appear on every label you sell in Vermont.
Made in a home kitchen not inspected by the Vermont Department of Health.
Quickly Cottage adds this to your label automatically.
Generate your Vermont label in minutes
Ingredient lists, allergens, and the required disclosure — built in automatically.
Vermont Cottage Food — Common Questions
No license or fee, but you must file a licensing exemption form with the Vermont Department of Health each year (before January 15) through its online portal.
The limit is $30,000 in gross sales.
Complete the Health Department's free online License Exempt Food Processors and Cottage Food Operators training each year and attest to it in your filing.
Not allowed: Foods that require refrigeration or time/temperature control for safety.
Resources and Law History
2025
Act 42 (H.401), effective July 1, 2025, created the cottage food operation category, exempted operators with gross receipts of $30,000 or less from licensing, and replaced the old $125 per week bakery exemption; it requires an annual exemption filing with a training attestation.
Law reference: Vermont Cottage Food Law (Act 42 of 2025 (H.401), amending 18 V.S.A. 4301, 4303, 4353, 4358) · Last updated 2026 · Always verify requirements with your state's department of agriculture before selling.
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