The essentials
Minnesota, at a glance
Register with MDA before selling qualifying homemade food, complete the training for your sales tier and keep annual gross sales at or below $78,000.
Registration is free through $7,665 in annual sales and costs $50 above that amount. Human cottage foods currently require an in-person handoff; online ordering does not permit shipping. The enacted switch to one tier, a $30 fee and Minnesota shipping starts August 1, 2027. Do not use those future rules for a September 2026 business.
- Training
Tier1 requires annual free online training/exam; Tier2 requires approved cottage-food safe-handling training every three years and when moving from Tier1 to Tier2.
- Current human cottage-food rules before August1,2027
View official sources (2)
- Cottage Food Law Guidance Minnesota Department of Agriculture
- Cottage Food Producer Registration Minnesota Department of Agriculture
One step at a time
Your first 3 steps
Check the finished food
Confirm that the food is non-potentially hazardous or fits the home-canned fruit, vegetable or pickle category.
The official registration guidance uses pH of 4.6 or lower or water activity of 0.85 or less. A familiar recipe name does not establish its safety characteristics. Ask MDA about an uncertain recipe, process or test result before offering it.
Train and register for the right tier
Estimate gross sales before registering.
Tier 1, through $7,665, uses annual online training and an exam. Above that amount, Tier 2 requires the approved cottage-food course, renewed every three years, and a $50 annual registration fee. Moving up a tier requires the appropriate training. Keep your current registration available when selling and use the existing-registrant renewal workflow each year.
Prepare labels, signs and sales tracking
Put your registrant or submitted business name, registration number or address, production date, ingredients, allergens and required statement on each product.
Prepare the separate point-of-sale sign and website notice. Track gross sales across your cottage-food channels, not only market cash receipts. Calendar March 31 expiry and renewal by April 1 so a busy spring season does not begin with an expired registration.
View official sources (3)
- Cottage Food Law Guidance Minnesota Department of Agriculture
- Cottage Food Producer Registration Minnesota Department of Agriculture
- 28A.152 Cottage Foods Exemption Minnesota Legislature
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.
Bread, cookies and qualifying preserves
Check the conditionsNon-refrigerated baked goods and certain jams, jellies, pickles and other home-canned products can qualify under the applicable safety limits.
Dairy used as an ingredient in a baked food is different from selling a dairy product itself; the final baked food still has to meet the water-activity requirement.
Foods outside the exemption
Check the conditionsMDA excludes cheese, yogurt, butter, ghee, pickled eggs, jerky, meat products and chocolate-covered fruit.
THC and CBD cannot be cottage-food ingredients. A charcuterie board does not qualify merely because some crackers or nuts on it would be shelf stable.
View official sources (2)
- Cottage Food Law Guidance Minnesota Department of Agriculture
- Cottage Food Producer Registration Minnesota Department of Agriculture
From your kitchen to your customers
Where and how you can sell
| Selling method | What matters |
|---|---|
| Home pickup | Direct sales from home are allowed after registration and training, subject to local requirements. Keep products labeled and arrange a direct handoff. Local zoning may affect whether the proposed home-sales setup is available. |
| Markets and community events | Sell directly at an eligible market or community event, with the producer or employee physically present at the booth. Display the required sign and keep the registration available. Registration does not turn an unattended retail shelf into a permitted selling venue. |
| Online orders and delivery | Online ordering is allowed, with the required website statement. Human-food orders must still be delivered through an in-person customer handoff within Minnesota. Plan that handoff before taking payment; a remote checkout and a shipping label are not equivalent to a permitted sale-and-delivery arrangement. |
| Shipping | Human cottage-food shipping is not allowed in 2026. The future authorization begins August 1, 2027 and is limited to Minnesota. A separate current pet-treat shipping allowance does not apply to cookies or other food intended for people. |
| Wholesale and out-of-state canned foods | Cottage-food registration does not authorize retail businesses to resell your products. Home-canned foods also cannot cross state lines under this exemption. Investigate the appropriate licensed route before promising café supply, consignment or cross-border jar deliveries. |
View official sources (3)
- Cottage Food Law Guidance Minnesota Department of Agriculture
- Cottage Food Producer Registration Minnesota Department of Agriculture
- 28A.152 Cottage Foods Exemption Minnesota Legislature
Your label, explained
Every field has a purpose.
Use the example to understand the structure. Follow the Minnesota requirements below for your product and sales route.
Your product
name
Your product name and actual net quantity
Your complete recipe and supplier ingredients
Registered person or submitted business name; registration number or registered address
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.
Registered person or submitted business name; registration number or registered address
Use the wording for your route.
Requirements can differ by product and sales channel. Keep the disclosure, placement and type-size conditions together.
Illustrative cookie package
Assume a qualifying cookie.
Show the registered person or submitted business name, the registration number or registered address, date made and actual ingredients with major allergens. Add the exact statement below. Use actual recipe information and identify compound ingredients appropriately. A QR code can add information but cannot replace the required visible label fields.
Package and sales statement
These products are homemade and not subject to state inspection.
Use the same notice in each required place
The product statement belongs on the package, on a clearly legible point-of-sale sign and on the website offering products for purchase.
Choosing the registration-number option can avoid publishing the registered address on the label, but it does not remove the name, production date or ingredient and allergen information.
The wording for your label
Packaged cottage food · check product-specific additions
View official sources (3)
- Cottage Food Law Guidance Minnesota Department of Agriculture
- Cottage Food Producer Registration Minnesota Department of Agriculture
- 28A.152 Cottage Foods Exemption Minnesota Legislature
A useful head start
Your Minnesota 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
Growing past the free tier
Imagine a registered cookie seller approaching $7,665 in annual gross sales.
Before operating in Tier 2, complete the appropriate cottage-food training and registration requirements, including the $50 fee. Keep counting sales toward the $78,000 annual ceiling. If online customers ask for shipping, offer a qualifying in-person handoff instead; the planned 2027 reform is not yet available.
Reading future statute text as today’s rule
The online statute includes amended provisions with notes delaying them until August 1, 2027.
MDA’s current guidance keeps the two tiers and $50 upper-tier fee. Read effective-date notes before changing fees, training or delivery based on a statute search result.
Missing the spring renewal date
Registrations currently expire March 31, with annual renewal due by April 1.
A three-year Tier 2 training cycle is not a three-year registration. Keep both dates in your business records and renew the registration each year.
Treating another seller’s shipping as permission
Pet treats have a separate shipping allowance.
Human cottage foods do not currently share it, and home-canned food cannot cross state lines. A delivery service accepting a parcel does not establish that your food is eligible to be shipped.
View official sources (2)
- Cottage Food Law Guidance Minnesota Department of Agriculture
- Cottage Food Producer Registration Minnesota Department of Agriculture
A few more answers
Common questions
Can I use my registration number instead of my address?
Yes. MDA permits the registered address or cottage-food registration number along with the required person/business name. The production date, ingredients, major allergens and home-production statement still need to be on the label. A QR code alone is insufficient.
View sources for this answer (2)
- Cottage Food Law Guidance Minnesota Department of Agriculture
- 28A.152 Cottage Foods Exemption Minnesota Legislature
Does an employee have to register separately to staff a booth?
MDA’s registration guidance allows the producer or their employee to be physically present for sales or delivery. Keep the business’s current registration available. The guidance does not support unattended resale by another shop; ask MDA about any arrangement that differs from your own staffed direct sales.
View sources for this answer (2)
- Cottage Food Law Guidance Minnesota Department of Agriculture
- Cottage Food Producer Registration Minnesota Department of Agriculture
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 3 completed · Restoring progress…
Official guidance
Sources, updates & your next step
Use MDA’s current application or renewal portal
The official Cottage Food Producer Registration page links separate portals for new and returning registrants and explains both training tiers. Use the renewal portal if already registered; update changed name or address details through the agency’s stated procedure. The current guidance also flags the August 2027 transition so you can review again before changing fulfillment.
Official sources 3 references
- Cottage Food Law Guidance →
Minnesota Department of Agriculture · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Cottage Food Producer Registration →
Minnesota Department of Agriculture · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- 28A.152 Cottage Foods Exemption →
Minnesota Legislature · Reviewed September 14, 2026
Guide updates September 14, 2026
Reviewed Minnesota’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)
- Cottage Food Law Guidance Minnesota Department of Agriculture
- Cottage Food Producer Registration Minnesota Department of Agriculture
- 28A.152 Cottage Foods Exemption Minnesota Legislature
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.