Guide
New Hampshire cottage food law for home bakers
What a home baker in New Hampshire needs before the first sale: Non-exempt Homestead Food Operation (Class H food service license); a separate, unlicensed exempt track is described in notes, the sales cap, online orders, delivery, and the exact label line, each with its source.
This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice. Laws change; check the linked source before you sell. Last reviewed September 25, 2026.
The short version
New Hampshire splits its cottage food rule in two. Selling only from your own home, your farm stand, a farmers' market, or a retail store stays exempt from any state license. The moment you want to sell to a restaurant, another store, over the internet, by mail order, or to a wholesaler who resells your food, you need a Class H homestead food license instead, which costs $150 a year and follows you through an inspection process lighter than a full food establishment's.
Either way, the food itself is limited to a short, shelf-stable list: baked goods, fruit pies, candy, dry spice mixes, vinegars and mustards, and jams and jellies. Nothing that needs the refrigerator qualifies, and canned low-acid or acidified foods are off the list entirely.
Registering
The rule is administered by New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Food Protection Section; the guide reads RSA 143-A:5, VII, RSA 143-A:12, and RSA 143-A:13, implemented by N.H. Code Admin. Rules He-P 2310 and He-P 2311.
The Class H application skips the plan-review and wastewater paperwork a full restaurant license needs, but still asks for a finished product label and your full product list, and a food-safety review of any recipe that is not already on the National Center for Home Food Preservation's approved list.
Where you can sell, and whether online counts
A Class H license is what opens the door to selling online, by mail order, to a store or restaurant, or to a wholesaler or distributor who resells the product; without it, you are limited to selling straight from your home, your farm stand, a farmers' market, or a retail store. The law does not say whether a New Hampshire license reaches a buyer in another state.
What goes on the label
The exempt-only track carries its own shorter statement, 'This product is exempt from New Hampshire licensing and inspection,' in the same 10-point contrasting type; once you are licensed, the label instead has to name the Department that licensed you.
"This product is made in a residential food production area licensed by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services."
- Your name, physical or e-mail address, and phone number
- The name of the homestead food product
- Ingredients in descending order of predominance by weight
- Net weight, volume, or count, in both US customary and metric units
- Each major food allergen present, unless it is already named in the ingredient list
- The required statement, in at least 10-point type in a color that contrasts clearly with the background
- A product code with the date of manufacture, container size, and lot or batch number
What you can bake and sell
- Allowed: Baked items such as breads, rolls, muffins, cookies, brownies and cakes; double-crusted fruit pies; candy and fudge; packaged dry products like spices and herbs; acid foods such as vinegars and mustards; and jams and jellies
- Not allowed: Any potentially hazardous food, including anything that needs refrigeration, and processed acidified or low-acid canned foods
The sales cap
New Hampshire sets no cap on cottage food sales; neither RSA 143-A:5 nor RSA 143-A:12 states a sales cap today. The date used is the effective date of the 2023 amendment (2023, 180:1, 2) shown in RSA 143-A:5's own source history; the amendment's content was not independently read beyond confirming no cap appears in the current text.
Work out how much room you have left this year with the cottage food sales cap checker.
Questions people ask
Do I need to register to sell cottage food in New Hampshire?
Yes, New Hampshire requires registration before the first sale. Apply for a Class H food service license, meeting the same application requirements as any food establishment except the plan-review and wastewater items, plus submit one finished product label and a list of everything you plan to make. A recipe not already approved by the National Center for Home Food Preservation needs a process review by a food processing authority before you can produce it. The fee is $150. Set by the Department of Health and Human Services, due every year.
Has the cottage food sales cap in New Hampshire changed over time?
No cap from October 3, 2023.
Can I take orders online in New Hampshire?
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 New Hampshire?
The rule does not address delivery. Shipping inside the state is allowed.
What does my New Hampshire cottage food label need to say?
The label must say: This product is made in a residential food production area licensed by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services.
Sources
We are building a shop for home bakers.
Read our story or put your name on the founding bakers list.