Colorado cottage food law for home bakers

The short version

Colorado runs the Cottage Foods Act on a per-product cap rather than a total for her business: today it is ten thousand dollars of net revenue for each kind of food she sells, and registration with the state is voluntary rather than required.

A 2026 law, the Tamale Act, changes this starting January 1, 2027: the per-product limit rises to one hundred fifty thousand dollars of gross revenue with yearly inflation adjustments after that, registration becomes mandatory before her first sale, and she gains the right to sell up to five variations of one food that needs time and temperature control, such as tamales.

Registering

The rule is administered by Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment; the guide reads C.R.S. § 25-4-1614 (Colorado Cottage Foods Act, added by SB 12-048 eff. 2012-03-15, cap and definitions last amended by SB 15-085 and HB 15-1102 eff. 2015-08-05, further amended by SB 16-058 eff. 2016-05-04); House Bill 26-1033 (the Tamale Act) amends the cap, registration and eligible foods effective 2027-01-01.

Nothing stops her from selling today without registering anywhere, though a food safety course from the state extension service or a public health agency is required before she starts, and she has to keep that certification current. From January 1, 2027 she must register with the department every year before selling anything, and the state will issue her a registration number to put on her label.

Where you can sell, and whether online counts

She can take orders online and choose how she gets the food to the buyer, as long as the whole transaction starts and ends inside Colorado and never crosses a state line. Selling to a grocery store, restaurant or other retailer is off the table entirely, and whoever buys from her is not allowed to resell it.

What goes on the label

The disclaimer above has to be printed on every product, along with her name, the address where she made it, a phone number or email, the date it was made and a full ingredient list. At the point of sale she also needs a shorter placard or sign carrying the same core warning.

"This product was produced in a home kitchen that is not subject to state licensure or inspection and that may also process common food allergens such as tree nuts, peanuts, eggs, soy, wheat, milk, fish, and crustacean shellfish. This product is not intended for resale."

• Identification of the product
• Her name, the address where the food was prepared, and a current phone number or email address
• The date the food was produced
• A complete list of ingredients
• The disclaimer above

What you can bake and sell

Most shelf-stable baked goods, jams, candies and dried foods qualify, along with a modest number of eggs each month. Anything that needs refrigeration once finished, most meats, real buttercream, and a long list of sauces and cut produce stay off her list until the Tamale Act's narrow carve-out for a single time-and-temperature-control food arrives in 2027.

• Allowed: Non-refrigerated, non-potentially-hazardous foods: pickled fruits and vegetables, spices, teas, dehydrated produce, nuts, seeds, honey, jams, jellies, preserves, fruit butter, flour, baked goods including candies, fruit empanadas and tortillas, and up to two hundred fifty dozen whole eggs a month
• Not allowed: Meat products of any kind, including as an ingredient or topping; baked or fried goods filled or topped with cream, custard or meringue; buttercream made with real butter; sauces, condiments and beverages; pumpkin, sweet potato and cream pies; cut fresh produce or juice; and anything containing CBD or THC

The sales cap

Colorado caps cottage food sales at $10,000 a year until December 31, 2026, then $150,000 from January 1, 2027, counted as Counted separately for each eligible food product she sells, net revenue today and gross revenue from January 1, 2027, never combined into one household or business total.

Work out how much room you have left this year with the cottage food sales cap checker.

What changed

January 1, 2027: House Bill 26-1033 (the Tamale Act) lets her also make and sell up to five variations of one food that needs time and temperature control, such as tamales, burritos or tortas, makes annual registration with the department mandatory before she sells anything, raises the per-product limit from ten thousand dollars net to one hundred fifty thousand dollars gross with yearly inflation adjustments after that, and adds her registration number and a state website address to the label.

Questions people ask

Do I need to register to sell cottage food in Colorado?

No, Colorado does not require registration. None mandatory today. The department or a local health agency may run a voluntary electronic registry and she may join it, but nothing in the statute requires her to before selling. Starting January 1, 2027, the Tamale Act makes annual registration with the department mandatory before she sells anything, and the department issues her a registration number. Fee: Not stated for today's voluntary registry, and the 2027 mandatory registration has no posted fee yet.

Has the cottage food sales cap in Colorado changed over time?

$150,000 a year from January 1, 2027, up from $10,000 on August 5, 2015, counted as Counted separately for each eligible food product she sells, net revenue today and gross revenue from January 1, 2027, never combined into one household or business total.

Can I take orders online in Colorado?

Yes, you can take orders online. You can hand an order over in person or send it anywhere inside the state.

Can I deliver or ship cottage food in Colorado?

Delivery is allowed. Shipping inside the state is allowed.

What does my Colorado cottage food label need to say?

The label must say: This product was produced in a home kitchen that is not subject to state licensure or inspection and that may also process common food allergens such as tree nuts, peanuts, eggs, soy, wheat, milk, fish, and crustacean shellfish. This product is not intended for resale.

Sources

• C.R.S. § 25-4-1614, 2024 Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 25 (official codification)content.leg.colorado.gov
• CDPHE, Cottage Foods Actcdphe.colorado.gov
• House Bill 26-1033 (the Tamale Act), enrolled textleg.colorado.gov