North Carolina cottage food law for home bakers

The short version

North Carolina inspects the home kitchen before you sell, for free, issues no permit, and sets no sales cap. Online orders, pickup, delivery and sales to shops are all open once the inspection is done.

The application takes eight to twelve weeks, and a household pet in the home is a no.

Registering

The rule is administered by North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; the guide reads North Carolina Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act; NCDA&CS Food Program, home processing.

You apply to the Department's Food Program; an inspector visits, leaves a report and a Notice of Inspection, and charges nothing. Plan on eight to twelve weeks. The home must be free of pests including privately owned pets, and a private well needs a coliform and E. coli test from the last year.

Where you can sell, and whether online counts

Once inspected you may sell direct, at markets, online, and to retail stores and restaurants. Labels are required on anything packaged for self-service, sold wholesale or sent by USPS or FedEx, and not on a product handed straight to the customer. The page does not spell out shipping inside the state or across the line; ask the Food Program before you rely on either.

What goes on the label

No required home-kitchen sentence. Product name, your name and address, net weight in ounces and grams, and the full ingredient list with every major allergen named.

No home-processing sentence is required

• The product name
• Your name and address
• Net weight in ounces or pounds with the gram equivalent
• Ingredients in descending order by weight, with every major allergen by its common name or in a Contains line

What you can bake and sell

Baked goods that hold at room temperature. Cream and cream cheese fillings and cheesecakes need a different kind of kitchen.

• Allowed: Baked goods that do not need refrigeration
• Not allowed: Bakery products with cream or cream cheese fillings, and cheesecakes

The sales cap

North Carolina 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 North Carolina?

Yes, North Carolina requires registration before the first sale. A home kitchen inspection before the first sale; no permit is issued, you keep the inspection report and the Notice of Inspection. Fee: Free.

What is the cottage food sales cap in North Carolina?

North Carolina sets no cap on cottage food sales.

Can I take orders online in North Carolina?

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 North Carolina?

Delivery is allowed. The rule does not address shipping inside the state.

What does my North Carolina cottage food label need to say?

The label must include: The product name, Your name and address, Net weight in ounces or pounds with the gram equivalent, Ingredients in descending order by weight, with every major allergen by its common name or in a Contains line.

Sources

Laws change; check the linked source before you sell.

• NCDA&CS Food Program: Home Processorncagr.gov