Ohio Cottage Food Law (2026): What You Can Sell, Labels and Where to Sell

Last verified: October 27, 2026 · Written by the UrbanAgLaw.org Editorial Team

Peach and blackberry cobbler with a golden crumble topping

Quick answer: Ohio lets you make certain shelf-stable foods in your own home kitchen and sell them without a license from the local health department. The list includes baked goods such as bread, cookies, cakes and fruit pies, candy, granola, popcorn, jams, jellies and roasted coffee. Every product needs a label that includes the statement “This Product is Home Produced,” and everything must be sold inside Ohio. Whether you can sell online is not settled, so ask before you take orders on the internet.

At a glance

License or permit: Normally none from the local health department. A temporary or mobile license is needed to sell at events such as craft fairs, and an Ohio Department of Agriculture Home Bakery license is needed for baked goods that require refrigeration
Annual sales limit: Not mentioned in the local health department guidance we read
Allowed foods: Non-TCS (not temperature-controlled for safety) foods on the Ohio list, such as bread, cookies, cake, fruit pie, candy, granola, popcorn, dry mixes, jams and jellies, and roasted coffee
Where you can sell: From your home, at farm markets and farmers markets, to licensed restaurants and retail food establishments, and at some festivals; only inside Ohio
Online sales: Not settled; one county health department says cottage foods may not be sold on the internet
Training required: Not stated as a requirement in the guidance we read

Who the Ohio cottage food law covers

Ohio’s cottage food rules come from section 3715.025 of the Ohio Revised Code and the rules of the Ohio Department of Agriculture (chapter 901:3-20 of the Ohio Administrative Code). A cottage food production operation is a person who makes non-TCS foods from the approved list in their home. According to Hamilton County Public Health, “home” means the primary residence occupied by the owner, and you may prepare food only in your own residential kitchen. The home may have only one stove or oven used for cooking (a double oven is acceptable), commercial cooking equipment is not allowed, and the home must be in Ohio.

What you can sell

Is it covered by the Ohio cottage food rules?
Food	Allowed?
Bread, brownies, cookies, cake, fruit pie and cobbler	Yes
Unfilled baked donuts, pizzelles and waffle cones	Yes waffle cones may be dipped in candy or chocolate
Candy and freeze-dried candy	Yes
Granola and granola bars	Yes bars may be dipped in candy or chocolate
Popcorn, kettle corn, popcorn balls and caramel corn	Yes
Roasted coffee, whole or ground	Yes flavoring permitted
Fruit jam, jelly, fruit butter and non-acidified fruit chutney	Yes
Dry baking mixes, dry cereal, dry soup mixes, dry tea blends, dry herbs and seasoning blends	Yes
Nut snack mixes with seasonings	Yes
Flavored honey or maple sugar	Conditions only from an exempt beekeeper or exempt syrup producer
Cheesecake, custard, cream, meringue or pumpkin pie	License needed baked goods that need refrigeration require an ODA Home Bakery license
Foods packaged by vacuum sealing (reduced oxygen packaging)	No

White ceramic bowl of freshly popped popcorn — Popcorn, kettle corn and caramel corn are on Ohio’s list of allowed cottage foods.

This is a summary of the list in the county guidance. Foods that need refrigeration, such as cream-filled or custard items, are outside the cottage food exemption. If a product is not clearly on the list, ask the Ohio Department of Agriculture or your local health department before you sell it.

Sales limits and licensing

The county guidance we read does not mention an annual sales limit. A cottage food operation is normally exempt from licensing by the local health department, but there are two exceptions. If you sell at an event such as a craft fair, a religious festival or an art show, you must get a temporary or mobile license from your local health department. If you want to bake goods that need refrigeration, you need a Home Bakery license from the Ohio Department of Agriculture, plus a temporary or mobile license if you set up outside your home. Some health departments ask for notice before a temporary event, so contact yours early.

Ohio cottage food label requirements

Cottage foods must be packaged and labeled before they leave your home. A product that is not labeled properly is considered misbranded and may not be sold. The label must include:

the name of the food product;
the name and address of your cottage food production operation;
all ingredients in descending order by weight, including sub-ingredients;
the net weight or net volume in U.S. and metric units;
the statement “This Product is Home Produced” in 10-point type;
a nutrition facts panel if you make any nutritional claim, such as low fat or low sodium;
an allergen statement that uses the word “Contains” followed by the common name of each allergen, next to the ingredient list.

The nine major allergens are milk, tree nuts, eggs, peanuts, fish, wheat, shellfish, soybeans and sesame.

Product nameCinnamon Kettle Corn

IngredientsPopcorn, sugar, vegetable oil, cinnamon, salt

Required statementThis Product is Home Produced
10-point type

AllergensContains: none of the nine major allergens
use “Contains:” followed by each allergen when a product has one

Name and addressExample Home Kitchen
123 Sample Street, Anytown, OH 00000

Net weightNet wt. 4 oz (113 g)

Example label with the parts the county guidance lists. The product and the business name and address are made up.

Where you can sell

Cottage foods may be sold only inside Ohio. Hamilton County Public Health lists these places:

directly to the end customer from your home;
through licensed food operations and retail food establishments;
at farm markets and farmers markets;
to a licensed restaurant, to sell or to use in its food;
at a festival or celebration organized by a political jurisdiction for no more than seven days.

Metal scoop of roasted coffee beans in a pile of beans — Roasted coffee, whole or ground, is on Ohio’s cottage food list.

Online sales: Hamilton County Public Health says cottage foods may not be sold on the internet. Other guides treat in-state online sales as acceptable, and we could not find a statement on online sales in the statute text. Ask the Ohio Department of Agriculture or your local health department before you take orders online or ship anything.

Training and insurance

The guidance we read does not make a food safety course a condition of selling, although some health departments offer one. A basic course and product liability coverage are still worth considering, and some markets ask for them. See our guide to liability, risk and insurance.

Local rules and HOAs

Your city or county may have zoning or home business rules, and private rules apply too, so check your HOA covenants and lease. For general background, see our planning and zoning guide.

Frequently asked questions

Can I sell food from home in Ohio?

Yes, if it is a food on Ohio’s cottage food list, made in your own residential kitchen, labeled correctly and sold inside Ohio.

Do I need a license to sell baked goods from home in Ohio?

Normally not from the local health department. You do need a temporary or mobile license for events such as craft fairs, and an ODA Home Bakery license if the baked goods need refrigeration.

Is there a sales limit for Ohio cottage food?

The county guidance we read does not mention one.

Can I sell cottage food online in Ohio?

This is not settled. One county health department says no. Ask the Ohio Department of Agriculture or your local health department before you sell online.

Can I sell to restaurants and stores?

Yes. Ohio’s list includes licensed restaurants and retail food establishments, as long as your products are properly labeled.

Can I sell roasted coffee or popcorn?

Yes. Roasted coffee, popcorn, kettle corn, popcorn balls and caramel corn are on the list.

Note on conflicting sources

Guides online disagree about online and mail-order sales, and some describe a license route for foods that need refrigeration that differs from the county guidance. We could not open the statute or the administrative rule text, so we built this page on the 2026 Hamilton County Public Health cottage food pamphlet, which summarizes the state rules, plus citations of the rule chapter. Confirm the details, especially online sales, labels and the food list, with the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

Official sources

Ohio Revised Code, section 3715.025 (cottage food production operations) and section 3715.023
Ohio Administrative Code, chapter 901:3-20 (Ohio Department of Agriculture)
Hamilton County Public Health, Cottage Food Operation pamphlet (2026)
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA): Food Allergies (FASTER Act, sesame)

This page is general information, not legal advice. Laws change, so check the official sources above or contact the Ohio Department of Agriculture or your local health department before you start selling.