Ohio cottage food law for home bakers

The short version

Ohio asks nothing of a cottage food producer up front: no license, no registration, no inspection, no sales cap. The trade is a fixed product list and a hard border: cottage food is sold in Ohio only.

She may sell to a licensed shop or restaurant as well as direct, as long as it is in Ohio.

Registering

The rule is administered by Ohio Department of Agriculture; the guide reads Ohio Revised Code 3715.023 and 3715.025; Ohio Administrative Code 901:3-20.

Nothing to file. The retail food licensing law exempts a cottage food production operation that offers its products directly to the consumer from the home where they are made; the Department of Agriculture writes the product list and the label rule, and the rest is hers.

Where you can sell, and whether online counts

The rule lists the prohibitions, and one of them is selling outside Ohio. Inside it she may sell direct, at markets, and to licensed retail food establishments and food service operations. Online orders are not addressed in the code; delivery in Ohio is the ordinary case.

What goes on the label

The statement below in 10-point type, with her business name and address, the product name, the ingredients and the net weight and volume.

"This product is home produced"

• The name and address of her business
• The product name
• Ingredients in descending order by weight
• Net weight and volume
• The allergens, as federal law requires

What you can bake and sell

The list is specific: cookies, breads, brownies, cakes, fruit pies, unfilled baked donuts, pizzelles, waffle cones and more. Potentially hazardous foods are barred outright, which takes cheesecake and cream pies off the table.

• Allowed: Non-potentially-hazardous bakery products: cookies, breads, brownies, cakes, fruit pies, unfilled baked donuts, pizzelles and the rest of the Department's list
• Not allowed: Acidified foods, low-acid canned foods and anything potentially hazardous: cream or custard fillings, cheesecake

The sales cap

Ohio sets no cap on cottage food sales.

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 Ohio?

No, Ohio does not require registration. No license, no registration, no inspection. Fee: None.

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

no cap from January 1, 2000.

Can I take orders online in Ohio?

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 Ohio?

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

What does my Ohio cottage food label need to say?

The label must say: This product is home produced

Sources

• Ohio Revised Code 3717.22(B)(6), the licensing exemptioncodes.ohio.gov
• Ohio Revised Code 3715.023, labelingcodes.ohio.gov
• Ohio Revised Code 3715.025, product restrictionscodes.ohio.gov
• Ohio Administrative Code 901:3-20-04, products allowedcodes.ohio.gov
• Ohio Administrative Code 901:3-20-05, prohibitionscodes.ohio.gov