The essentials
Maryland, at a glance
Yes.
A compliant cottage business can make and package qualifying nonhazardous foods in a Maryland residential kitchen without a Department food license. As of September 14, 2026, the annual revenue ceiling is $50,000. An enacted increase to $100,000 starts October 1, 2026. Direct consumer sales and sales to qualifying stores have different conditions.
Choose the route that fits
- Direct consumer cottage sales
- License-exempt qualifying nonhazardous foods made and packaged in a Maryland residential kitchen, stored on the premises and sold within Maryland.
- Cottage sales to qualifying retail food stores
- Additional training, label submission and written MDH clearance before sale or offer to qualifying stores; food remains in original package.
- Separate on-farm processing license
- Some excluded cottage products may use a separate on-farm processing license for an eligible agriculturally zoned farm.
View official sources (5)
- Health-General §21-330.1 Maryland government
- COMAR 10.15.03.27 cottage foods Maryland government
- COMAR 10.15.03.02 definitions Maryland government
- MDH cottage food guidelines Maryland government
- 2026 Chapter 320 — HB535 Maryland government
One step at a time
Your first 2 steps
Choose your sales route first
Decide whether you will sell directly to consumers or supply qualifying retail stores.
For either route, confirm the complete finished product is eligible, prepare the packaging and labels, and store products on the cottage premises. Store sales require training evidence, label review and written clearance before you offer the products.
Keep the home-business file organized
Save the recipes, ingredient labels, product-testing results where needed and the current package artwork.
Check applicable county and municipal rules for the actual premises. If you obtain retail clearance, keep that letter with the approved product and sales-location information so changes can be submitted consistently.
View official sources (2)
- COMAR 10.15.03.27 cottage foods Maryland government
- MDH cottage food guidelines Maryland government
Make what you love
Can you sell what you make?
These are examples. Check the complete recipe, preparation method and sales route before offering a product.
Baked goods and fruit preserves
Check the conditionsQualifying breads, cookies, cakes and pastries can fit the cottage route when fillings and toppings are nonhazardous.
Hot-filled acid-fruit jams, jellies, preserves and fruit butters have specified fruit and processing conditions. A shelf-stable-looking jar is not automatically eligible; pickled or acidified products belong to a different regulatory category.
Frostings and moist quick breads
Check the conditionsSome frostings, icings and moist quick breads need laboratory testing before they can be treated as nonhazardous.
The actual recipe matters, including water and perishable ingredients. Keep the test tied to the recipe and method used rather than treating a result for one product as general approval for every cake or bread.
Candy, chocolate and freeze drying
Check the conditionsMaryland allows specified nonhazardous candies and chocolate confections made from suitable commercial ingredients; chocolate fillings must also be commercial and nonhazardous.
Freeze-dried commercially prepared nonhazardous candy is an eligible category. The current guideline excludes other freeze-dried products, so the candy exception does not extend to fruit, dairy or homemade meals.
View official sources (2)
- COMAR 10.15.03.27 cottage foods Maryland government
- MDH cottage food guidelines Maryland government
From your kitchen to your customers
Where and how you can sell
| Selling method | What matters |
|---|---|
| Home sales, markets and delivery | Direct sales may reach consumers from the residence, at farmers markets and public events, or through personal and mail delivery within Maryland. Keep the product prepackaged and properly labeled. Check local event requirements before booking, and ensure a direct customer order does not turn into an unapproved resale arrangement. |
| Internet orders and shipping | The Maryland cottage framework permits in-state consumer delivery, including mail delivery, and excludes interstate commerce. Keep any ordering and fulfillment setup within those limits. A convenient online storefront does not authorize shipment to a customer in another state, even when that customer previously purchased from you at a Maryland market. |
| Supplying a qualifying retail store | Submit the label and documentation of a Department- and ANSI-approved food-safety course completed within the past three years. Wait for MDH’s written confirmation before selling or offering the product to a retail food store. The product must remain in its original packaging, and the retail label needs additional contact and date fields. |
| A coffee shop is a different case | The retail-store pathway is not blanket wholesale permission. Its definition includes specified licensed stores and excludes coffee shops, restaurants, mobile facilities and several other businesses. Confirm the buyer’s actual category before agreeing to supply them. A request for packaged cookies does not by itself establish that the buyer qualifies. |
View official sources (3)
- COMAR 10.15.03.27 cottage foods Maryland government
- COMAR 10.15.03.02 definitions Maryland government
- MDH cottage food guidelines Maryland government
Your label, explained
Every field has a purpose.
Use the example to understand the structure. Follow the Maryland requirements below for your product and sales route.
Your product
name
Your product name and actual net quantity
Your complete recipe and supplier ingredients
Business name and address OR business name, phone and issued MDH ID
The statement for your state, product and sales route
Packaged cottage food · check product-specific additions
A guide to the fields, not a ready-to-print label. Use your actual product and business details.
Name it. Measure it.
Identify your product and its actual net quantity. Check the state’s formatting and unit requirements below.
Use your actual recipe.
Check every ingredient and supplier label. Use the applicable ingredient and allergen declarations for your product.
Identify your operation.
Business name and address OR business name, phone and issued MDH ID
Use the wording for your route.
Requirements can differ by product and sales channel. Keep the disclosure, placement and type-size conditions together.
Required cottage-food statement
Print: “Made by a cottage food business that is not subject to Maryland’s food safety regulations.” Use at least 10-point type and a color that clearly contrasts with the label background.
Keep this statement on the prepackaged product along with the other required information, including when a store will resell it.
Address or state-issued ID
You can list the cottage business name and address, or use its name, phone number and an identification number issued by MDH.
The ID is an authorized alternative to the address, not a number you create yourself. Obtain it through the state request process before changing your labels to use that option.
Ingredients, quantity and retail additions
Include the common product name, descending ingredients, net weight or volume and applicable federal allergen information.
A nutrition claim brings corresponding nutrition-information requirements. For store sales, add the business phone, email and date made. Keep those contacts usable: the regulation sets prompt contactability requirements for MDH.
The wording for your label
Packaged cottage food · check product-specific additions
Made by a cottage food business that is not subject to Maryland’s food safety regulations.
View official sources (2)
- COMAR 10.15.03.27 cottage foods Maryland government
- MDH cottage food guidelines Maryland government
A useful head start
Your Maryland label kit.
Editable template, example label and starting checklist.
Personalize it for your products and business.
Enter your email. Get the files immediately.
Before your first sale
A few details worth getting right.
An example
Preparing for the October 2026 increase
The $100,000 ceiling is enacted but begins October 1, 2026.
Until then, use the currently operative $50,000 limit. Retain your annual revenue records through the transition and check MDH’s implementation guidance before changing business forecasts. The cap increase does not remove food restrictions, label requirements or retail-store review.
An example
Offering samples at a market
Prepare and package the samples in your home kitchen.
For example, cut bread there and place pieces in individual wrappers or lidded sample cups; do not cut it at the booth. Properly labeled display products must let customers review ingredients and required information. Do not turn a shelf-stable mix into a refrigerated dip for sampling.
Testing does not make every product eligible
Product testing helps resolve specified borderline foods, but the guideline separately excludes categories such as pickles, low-acid canned foods, beverages, meat products and homemade soft fudge or caramel.
Start with the category and process before paying for a test, then ask MDH about a product that does not clearly fit.
View official sources (4)
- COMAR 10.15.03.27 cottage foods Maryland government
- COMAR 10.15.03.02 definitions Maryland government
- MDH cottage food guidelines Maryland government
- 2026 Chapter 320 — HB535 Maryland government
A few more answers
Common questions
Do I need food-safety training?
The cottage retail-store pathway explicitly requires proof of a qualifying course completed within three years. Submit that evidence with your labels and wait for written clearance. Do not assume that taking the course alone completes retail authorization, or that direct-sales eligibility automatically allows you to supply a store.
View sources for this answer (1)
- COMAR 10.15.03.27 cottage foods Maryland government
Does cottage status prevent inspection?
No. MDH can investigate a complaint or illness outbreak, inspect the production premises at a reasonable time and collect samples. The operator cannot refuse the authorized access or interfere. Keep current product information and labels accessible so you can explain ingredients, production and the sales route if a question arises.
View sources for this answer (1)
- COMAR 10.15.03.27 cottage foods Maryland government
What if I change an approved retail product?
The guideline calls for approval of changes to products, business location, labeling or sales locations in the retail pathway. Save the revised material beside the earlier approved version and explain what changed when submitting it. This helps prevent an old clearance letter from being treated as permission for a materially different product.
View sources for this answer (1)
- MDH cottage food guidelines Maryland government
Is there another option for farm foods?
Owners of eligible agriculturally zoned farms may be able to use a separate on-farm home processing license for some foods outside cottage eligibility. That is a different route with its own review. Farm ownership does not automatically permit a cottage business to add acidified foods or other excluded products.
View sources for this answer (1)
- MDH cottage food guidelines Maryland government
Keep it handy
Your first-sale checklist
Use this free checklist to keep track of your next steps. The conditions in this guide still apply.
0 of 2 completed · Restoring progress…
Official guidance
Sources, updates & your next step
Request an ID or retail clearance
Use MDH’s ID and Retail Sales Request Form for the address alternative or retail-sales review. For product and process questions, the guide lists mdh.foodplanreview@maryland.gov. Attach the relevant product, label or testing information to your internal planning file before contacting the department so the question is specific and answerable.
Official sources 5 references
- Health-General §21-330.1 →
Maryland government · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- COMAR 10.15.03.27 cottage foods →
Maryland government · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- COMAR 10.15.03.02 definitions →
Maryland government · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- MDH cottage food guidelines →
Maryland government · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- 2026 Chapter 320 — HB535 →
Maryland government · Reviewed September 14, 2026
Guide updates September 14, 2026
Reviewed Maryland’s product eligibility, sales routes, starting requirements and label guidance against the official sources below. Current conditions and any dated changes are explained in the relevant sections of this guide.
View sources for this update (3)
- COMAR 10.15.03.27 cottage foods Maryland government
- COMAR 10.15.03.02 definitions Maryland government
- 2026 Chapter 320 — HB535 Maryland government
This guide is a starting point. Confirm requirements for your products and location with the relevant authority. Examples are illustrative and are not a compliance approval.