David B

Ultimately it is up to the county to decide what the rules are, and it does differ between counties, but I’ve never heard of a county saying that. Are you sure they weren’t referring to prepackaged goods that you may be reselling? I guess I could see them making a case that you could list “Nestle’s chocolate chips” and that the consumer could find…[Read more]

1) Yes
2) Yes
3) No
4) You should contact your local planning division and see if there are any other requirements for your area. Otherwise, you’re good to go!
5) As long as your church is hosting a public event, then you should be able to sell at it. However, are you profiting or just selling there as a charitable donation to the church? If it’s…[Read more]

I’d say you’d start with familiarizing yourself with the law, and then getting your training. Then you should contact your planning division to see if there are any other requirements.

Actually none of these items would be allowed — sorry.

Technically, yes you do.

No, pumpkin pies are not allowed. There is sometimes confusion because you might see a table of unrefrigerated pumpkin pies for sale at Walmart. However, these pies have chemicals in them to keep them stable, whereas homemade pies need refrigeration.

No, meat jerkies are not allowed… in fact, nothing containing meat would be allowed. Sorry, that’s just the way the law is.

Jan, unfortunately Santa Clara county seems to be the most restrictive county in the state. They are very strict, at least regarding the cottage food laws.

In short, this cottage food law would not apply to you. Not that it would matter anyway… Santa Clara’s cottage food permit fees are very expensive.

Fortunately, there is an exemption for…[Read more]

As long as your caramel sauce is considered non-potentially hazardous confectionary good, then you should be able to sell as a cottage food operation using the laws described on this site. Caramel sauces may be a little more borderline, and your health department may require that it be lab-tested before approving your registration.

If you run a cottage food operation, then you can legally only make food from your home kitchen. To make your product in a commercial kitchen, you need to be operating under a different license (which would also allow you to ship out-of-state).

The reason you can’t find anything about out-of-state sales is because those are not allowed under the…[Read more]

Erik, all your food prep needs to happen in your home kitchen. You can give out samples, but they need to be prepackaged at home. To make the samples on-site, you would need a different kind of license.

On a different note, I’m surprised that you even got pancakes approved. They are not baked and have a higher moisture content than most…[Read more]

Crystal, I can tell you that a cottage food permit is for those only preparing food in their home kitchen. Since you are not doing this, then the law won’t apply to you. As for what’s the best way for you to sell your pre-made goods, I really have no idea. I am totally unfamiliar with the process for using your home as a sales venue outside of the…[Read more]

No, items with meat in them are not allowed.

Generally, PHFs need to be refrigerated and non-PHFs do not require refrigeration. California does not allow pickles as a cottage food, and would also not allow cut produce, unless it’s been baked or prepared in some way to make it shelf-stable. To sell your items, you need to setup a standard food business and make your items from a commercial kitchen.

You can call your planning division to find out if you are required to get a business license. It’s quite possible that you would be. If you are, you can use this website to learn about starting a small business.

I am not familiar with Arizona’s tax laws, but in general, many cottage food operations are exempt from sales tax, because the food…[Read more]