New York cottage food law for home bakers

The short version

New York registers home processors for free, sets no sales cap, and lets you sell from home, online, by delivery and to local shops, all inside the state.

Allow up to sixteen weeks for the registration to come back, and read the frosting rule before planning a cake menu.

Registering

The rule is administered by New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets; the guide reads Agriculture and Markets Law, Article 20-C home processor exemption.

The Home Processor registration is free, has no expiry date, and covers one kitchen; moving means registering again. The Department says to allow up to sixteen weeks.

Where you can sell, and whether online counts

Internet sales are allowed within New York State only, and shipping out of state is not permitted. Inside the state you may deliver, sell at markets and supply local retail.

What goes on the label

No fixed sentence, but a home-kitchen phrase at least one sixteenth of an inch tall, your name and full address, and the allergens named inside the ingredient list.

One of three phrasings the Department accepts: Made at Home by [name], Made in the Home Kitchen of [name], or Made in a Home Kitchen, at least one sixteenth of an inch tall

• The common name of the product
• Ingredients in descending order by weight
• Net quantity
• Your name and full address
• The allergens, named in the ingredient list

What you can bake and sell

Breads, cookies, cakes, brownies and double-crust fruit pies are in. Buttercream and cream cheese frostings made at home are out, as are tempered chocolate coatings and any single-crust or custard pie; a shortening, sugar and meringue-powder frosting, or a commercial one, is the way round it.

• Allowed: Breads, rolls, cookies, cakes, brownies and double-crust fruit pies
• Not allowed: Homemade buttercream or cream cheese frostings, tempered chocolate coatings, single-crust, custard or meat pies

The sales cap

New York sets no cap on cottage food sales.

See what your state allows, online orders included, with the cottage food sales cap checker.

Questions people ask

Do I need to register to sell cottage food in New York?

Yes, New York requires registration before the first sale. Home Processor registration for the kitchen you bake in; a move means a new registration. Fee: Free.

What is the cottage food sales cap in New York?

New York sets no cap on cottage food sales.

Can I take orders online in New York?

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 York?

Delivery is allowed. Shipping inside the state is allowed.

What does my New York cottage food label need to say?

The label must say: Made in a Home Kitchen

Sources

Laws change; check the linked source before you sell.

• Agriculture and Markets: Home Processingagriculture.ny.gov