A state-by-state index of cottage-food and commercial licensing rules, each verified state pointing straight to its own official source.
Real help from real food people
Chef Diego runs a real food plant. If this page didn't get you there, tell us — a person reads every message.
Food licensing is set state by state, not federally, so the rules for what you can make at home, how much you can sell, and when you need a commercial license all change the moment you cross a state line. This index carries one verified record per state — the cottage-food sales cap, whether time/temperature-control foods are allowed, and the pages you use to register or license — and every rule links back to the state's own site, which is always the final word. Find your state below; where a record still reads "Not yet verified," start with that state's food-safety agency, and if you are not yet sure which licenses apply at all, the lesson on state and local licenses lays out the order.
Confirm every rule at the state's own source before you rely on it.
Cottage-food and commercial licensing rules differ by state and change often — caps get raised, product lists get rewritten, whole programs get replaced. Each verified state below links straight to that state's own pages, which are the source of truth. A state marked "Not yet verified" is one we haven't checked line by line yet; for those, go to the state's food-safety agency directly.
| $75,000 (Class A) / $150,000 (Class B) | No | Commercial license | 2026-07-15 | |
| $250,000 | No | Commercial license | 2026-07-15 | |
| No cap | No | Commercial license | 2026-07-15 | |
| No cap | No | Commercial license | 2026-07-15 | |
| No cap | No | Commercial license | 2026-07-15 | |
| No cap | No | Commercial license | 2026-07-15 | |
| No cap | No | Commercial license | 2026-07-15 | |
| No cap | No | Commercial license | 2026-07-15 | |
| $150,000 | Yes | Commercial license | 2026-07-15 | |
| $5,000 | No | Commercial license | 2026-07-15 | |
| AlabamaALNot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| AlaskaAKNot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| ArizonaAZNot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| ArkansasARNot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| ColoradoCONot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| ConnecticutCTNot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| DelawareDENot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| District of ColumbiaDCNot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| HawaiiHINot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| IdahoIDNot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| IndianaINNot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| IowaIANot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| KansasKSNot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| KentuckyKYNot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| LouisianaLANot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| MaineMENot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| MarylandMDNot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| MassachusettsMANot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| MichiganMINot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| MinnesotaMNNot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| MississippiMSNot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| MissouriMONot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| MontanaMTNot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| NebraskaNENot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| NevadaNVNot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| New HampshireNHNot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| New JerseyNJNot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| New MexicoNMNot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| North DakotaNDNot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| OklahomaOKNot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| OregonORNot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| Rhode IslandRINot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| South CarolinaSCNot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| South DakotaSDNot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| TennesseeTNNot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| UtahUTNot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| VermontVTNot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| VirginiaVANot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| WashingtonWANot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| West VirginiaWVNot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |
| WyomingWYNot yet verified | — | — | Start with your state's food-safety agency | — |