California
Cottage Food Laws in California (2026 Guide)
Last reviewed July 12, 2026
By April Lee
The short answer
In California you sell homemade food as a Cottage Food Operation, registered through your county. Class A is a registration and self-certification; Class B adds a permit and kitchen inspection. You take a food handler course, stay under the 2026 cap ($88,878 Class A, $177,756 Class B), label everything 'Made in a Home Kitchen,' and sell within California only.
License
Class A Or Class B
No license or permit
Training
Required
Sales Cap
None
No annual sales limit
Sales Tax
No
On to-go baked goods
Inspection
Varies
Of your home kitchen
Income Tax
Yes
Report your net profit
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Add Traders Till As A Preferred Source on Google Prompt copiedDo I need a license to sell homemade food?
To sell cottage foods in California you must complete a Class A or Class B registration before you start.
Class A is a registration with self-certification through your county, with no routine inspection. Class B requires a permit and a kitchen inspection before you can sell. Which class you fall under depends on how you sell: Class A is direct-to-consumer only, while Class B also allows indirect sales to shops, cafes, and restaurants within California.
Do I need food-safety training?
Yes - California requires a food-safety (food handler) course before you sell.
Food handler / food processor course (ANSI-accredited) required within 3 months of registering; renew every 3 years. Also applies to employees and household members involved in preparing/packaging.
What foods can I sell from home?
You can sell shelf-stable foods that do not need refrigeration. Anything that must stay cold is generally off-limits.
You can sell
- Baked goods without cream, custard, or meat fillings (breads, biscuits, cookies, etc.)
- Candy and chocolate-covered nonperishables
- Dried fruit; dried pasta; dry baking/soup mixes
- Fruit pies (no pumpkin), fruit empanadas, fruit tamales
- Jams, jellies, preserves, fruit butters (only fruits allowed under 21 CFR Part 150)
- Nut mixes and nut butters (roasted/pasteurized nuts only)
- Granola, cereals, trail mix; popcorn
- Vinegar and mustard; dried tea and roasted coffee
- Honey and sorghum syrup (pure only, no added ingredients)
- Fruit/flavor extracts of at least 70 proof (35%) food-grade alcohol (approved flavors only)
- Frostings, icings, fondants, gum pastes without eggs, cream, or cream cheese
- Powdered beverage bases/mixes
You cannot sell
- Any food requiring refrigeration (TCS foods)
- Cream-, custard-, or meat-filled items; cheesecakes; pumpkin/sweet potato pie
- Most canned goods (low-acid canning: salsa, pickles, hot sauce, pepper jelly)
- Fresh/perishable products needing temperature control
Do I have to charge sales tax?
Plain baked goods sold to-go are usually not taxable, but candy and confections are.
Cold/room-temperature baked goods sold to-go are exempt. Hot foods or food eaten on-site are taxable; a combo package containing hot food becomes taxable. Class A direct sales of room-temperature products generally require no sales tax.
How much can I sell per year?
California does not set an annual sales cap for cottage food operations.
Caps adjust annually for inflation (California CPI, HSC 113758). Effective Jan 1, 2026 the adjusted limits are $88,878 (Class A) and $177,756 (Class B); the 2025 figures were $86,206 / $172,411 (exact, per the same PDF). Sales tax collected does NOT count toward the cap; shipping charged to the customer does.
Free California checklist
10 Things You Need to Do to Start a Cottage Food Business in California
Do I need a local business license?
Your city or county may require a local business license on top of state cottage food rules.
Two different local things: (1) the CFO registration (Class A) or permit (Class B) is handled by your COUNTY environmental health; (2) a general business license may be required by your city/county. The incorporated-vs-unincorporated split matters - see the LA County data file.
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Want to check your own county or city?
I'm looking at this article on Traders Till about California's cottage food law. I'd like to understand whether my county or city adds any requirements beyond the state rules (a local business license, health department registration, or zoning rule) for a home food business in [Your County or City].
Treat the answer as a starting point, then confirm it directly with your county or city government before you rely on it.
Will my kitchen be inspected?
Whether your kitchen is inspected depends on what you make - see the details below.
Class A operations are not inspected (registration only). Class B operations require a kitchen inspection before permitting.
How do I label my products?
Every package must carry a specific cottage food statement, word for word, plus your standard label details.
Required on every package - exact wording
“Made in a Home Kitchen”
Your label must also list
- The words 'Made in a Home Kitchen' (or 'Repackaged in a Home Kitchen' as applicable) on the principal display panel in 12-point type
- The product (common) name
- Your cottage food operation's name, city, and zip code (street address also required if the CFO isn't listed in a current telephone directory)
- Your registration or permit number AND the county that issued it
- Ingredients in descending order by weight (if 2+ ingredients)
- Net quantity in BOTH U.S. (e.g., lb) and metric (g) units
- Allergen declaration (major allergens)
Where am I allowed to sell?
You can sell directly to customers in person, and in many states online or by mail within the state.
Class A: direct to consumer only (home, farmers markets, events, online with in-state delivery). Class B: also indirect - sell to CA retail stores, cafés, and restaurants. Interstate sales are not permitted.
In person
Home, farmers markets, farm stands, fairs, and events.
Online (in-state)
Online orders are allowed within the state only.
Shipping out of state
Do I owe income tax on what I sell?
Yes - California has a state income tax, so the profit from your sales is reportable on your state return.
On top of any sales tax, California collects a state income tax. The net profit from your cottage food sales is taxable income, so keep clear records of what you earn and what you spend on ingredients, packaging, and supplies.
What this actually means in California
The thing I flag hardest here is shipping. California lets you ship, but only inside the state, and that limit matters more than it looks. Nothing stops you at checkout from mailing an order across the country, but the moment a package crosses a state line you have stepped into that state’s cottage food rules too, not just California’s, so I steer people away from interstate shipping entirely. If you truly want to sell across state lines, treat it as its own research project, not something you do casually off a California registration. The other thing that catches people is that this is a county program, not a state one: where you register, and whether an inspector ever sees your kitchen, comes down to your county and whether you are Class A or Class B.
Official contacts
Cottage food program
Your COUNTY environmental health department (CDPH oversees statewide)
www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CEH/DFDCS/Pages/FDBPrograms/FoodSafetyProgram/CottageFoodOperations.aspx
(800) 495-3232
CDPH Food & Drug Branch, for state-level and approved-foods questions only; registration and permits are handled by your county
FDBRetail@cdph.ca.gov
CDPH asks that all cottage food questions/issues go here
Sales tax
California Dept. of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA)
www.cdtfa.ca.gov
1-800-400-7115
CDTFA customer service
Sources & citations
- .gov Cottage Food Operations - CDPH www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CEH/DFDCS/Pages/FDBPrograms/FoodSafetyProgram/CottageFoodOperations.aspx
- .gov CFO Adjusted Gross Annual Sales Limit (2026) www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CEH/DFDCS/CDPH%20Document%20Library/FDB/FoodSafetyProgram/CottageFood/CFOAdjustedGrossAnnualSalesLimit2026.pdf
- .gov Tax Guide for Grocery Stores - CDTFA www.cdtfa.ca.gov/industry/grocery-stores
- .gov Sales and Use Tax Regulation 1602, Food Products - CDTFA www.cdtfa.ca.gov/lawguides/vol1/sutr/1602.html
Free PDF checklist
10 Things You Need to Do to Start a Cottage Food Business in California
The exact, in-order steps to get selling legally in California - printable and ready to check off.
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