The essentials
South Carolina, at a glance
South Carolina allows eligible foods that do not need temperature control for safety to be produced and packaged in a home kitchen.
Qualifying operations can sell directly, online, by mail within the state, and through retail stores. The exemption carries labeling and sanitation duties even though a food-production permit is not required.
- Sales limits
Section 44-1-143 does not impose an overall annual sales ceiling; subsection G separately exempts otherwise qualifying operations with net earnings below $1,500 annually.
- Registration & permits
Qualifying home-based foods do not require a retail food establishment permit, RVC, food license or mandatory registration application.
View official sources (2)
- South Carolina Code 44-1-143 South Carolina Legislature
- Home-based Food Production Law Guidance SC Department of Agriculture with Clemson
One step at a time
Your first 2 steps
Choose the regular labeled route
Start with an eligible menu, check local rules and prepare complete package labels.
Use the current SCDA and Clemson guide to check the exact product category. Decide whether to publish your home address or request an SCDA identification number before printing labels. There is no mandatory food-registration application for the ordinary exemption.
Prepare the kitchen for production
Separate ingredients intended for sale, provide adequate cleaning and handwashing facilities, and verify water and sewage arrangements.
Keep pets away from production and supplies, separate family activities from business preparation, and make sure everyone helping understands safe food handling. The statute requires these conditions without prescribing a particular training certificate.
View official sources (2)
- South Carolina Code 44-1-143 South Carolina Legislature
- Home-based Food Production Law Guidance SC Department of Agriculture with Clemson
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.
Start with a clearly eligible recipe
Check the conditionsSuitable cookies, shelf-stable candy and dry baking mixes are practical starting categories.
Check fillings, toppings and added ingredients separately: a plain baked product does not authorize a refrigerated variation. The guide’s lists contain recipe-specific qualifications, including restrictions on fresh produce additions, so use the detailed category rather than the product name alone.
Jam is different from salsa
Check the conditionsTraditional jam or jelly made with permitted high-acid fruit, sugar and pectin using a science-based recipe can qualify.
Reduced-sugar jam, pepper jelly, pickles, salsa and acidified hot sauce do not follow that allowance. Adding acid or buying a pH meter does not by itself place a prohibited product inside this exemption.
View official sources (1)
- Home-based Food Production Law Guidance SC Department of Agriculture with Clemson
From your kitchen to your customers
Where and how you can sell
| Selling method | What matters |
|---|---|
| Direct orders and in-state mailing | The law permits direct consumer sales, including online and mail order, and the current guide specifies South Carolina delivery addresses. Package and label the food at home before dispatch. An online storefront does not extend the exemption into another state; establish the additional legal route before offering out-of-state shipping. |
| Retail shelves and restaurant use | Retail stores can resell compliant packaged foods and must display the required home-production notice. Serving a product or using it as a restaurant ingredient is different: the guide requires the restaurant to obtain an SCDA variance and explain the home-produced origin to diners. Confirm which arrangement the buyer actually wants. |
View official sources (2)
- South Carolina Code 44-1-143 South Carolina Legislature
- Home-based Food Production Law Guidance SC Department of Agriculture with Clemson
Your label, explained
Every field has a purpose.
Use the example to understand the structure. Follow the South Carolina requirements below for your product and sales route.
Your product
name
Your product name and actual net quantity
Your complete recipe and supplier ingredients
Operation name; address or issued SCDA 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.
Operation name; address or issued SCDA ID
Use the wording for your route.
Requirements can differ by product and sales channel. Keep the disclosure, placement and type-size conditions together.
Use the current warning
Print this conspicuously, in all capital letters and a color contrasting clearly with its background: PROCESSED AND PREPARED BY A HOME-BASED FOOD PRODUCTION OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO SOUTH CAROLINA'S FOOD SAFETY REGULATIONS.
The current statutory statement no longer begins with NOT FOR RESALE; that wording was removed in 2022.
Build the rest of the package label
Include the operation’s name and address, or the issued SCDA ID in place of the address, the product name, and ingredients in descending weight order with subingredients.
SCDA’s label guide also specifies net contents in customary and metric units in the lower third of the front panel, plus accurate major-allergen disclosure.
The wording for your label
Packaged cottage food · check product-specific additions
PROCESSED AND PREPARED BY A HOME-BASED FOOD PRODUCTION OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO SOUTH CAROLINA'S FOOD SAFETY REGULATIONS.
View official sources (2)
- South Carolina Code 44-1-143 South Carolina Legislature
- Home-based Food Production Law Guidance SC Department of Agriculture with Clemson
A useful head start
Your South Carolina 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
A café wants your cookies
A café buying individually packaged, labeled cookies for resale uses the retail arrangement and needs the home-food signage.
If it wants to unwrap and serve them, or crumble them into another dish, ask the café to resolve the restaurant variance first. These are different uses of the same recipe.
An example
A customer wants a slice at your booth
Prepare and package sale portions at home.
The current guide says cottage food cannot be sliced, topped or served on napkins at the event under this route. A display cake does not authorize on-site food service. Plan the portion size and label format before arriving at the market.
Sourdough starter has its own rules
The current guide calls for bread starter originating from commercial culture and replacement after four generations.
It excludes selling starter in fresh, refrigerated, dried or freeze-dried form from home production. Keep the bread recipe and starter-handling notes together; selling a loaf and selling a starter are different activities.
Do not import another state’s label
South Carolina offers an issued-ID alternative to the home address and uses its own exact disclaimer.
A label copied from another state may omit required wording, retain an obsolete resale warning or miss the quantity and allergen details. Check the current statute and SCDA label example before ordering a large print run.
View official sources (2)
- South Carolina Code 44-1-143 South Carolina Legislature
- Home-based Food Production Law Guidance SC Department of Agriculture with Clemson
A few more answers
Common questions
Is there an annual sales cap?
The current home-food statute does not set an overall annual sales ceiling. Its separate subsection G exception uses net earnings below $1,500 annually, not a maximum for the regular operation. The guide describes restrictions for that small-operation route. Use the regular labeled route if you plan to grow or sell through stores.
View sources for this answer (2)
- South Carolina Code 44-1-143 South Carolina Legislature
- Home-based Food Production Law Guidance SC Department of Agriculture with Clemson
Do I need a food permit or renewal?
Qualifying home-based production does not require a retail food permit, an RVC or a mandatory food-registration application, so there is no ordinary food-permit renewal to calendar. Business licensing, local requirements, water testing and vendor expenses are separate. Check these with the relevant local office before setting your startup budget.
View sources for this answer (2)
- South Carolina Code 44-1-143 South Carolina Legislature
- Home-based Food Production Law Guidance SC Department of Agriculture with Clemson
Can I keep my address off labels?
You can request an SCDA identification number for use in place of the home address. Send the application to homebasedfoods@scda.sc.gov and wait for the assigned number before using it. This changes the package label; the application itself warns that submitted personal information may be subject to public disclosure.
View sources for this answer (2)
- South Carolina Code 44-1-143 South Carolina Legislature
- Home-based Food Production Law Guidance SC Department of Agriculture with Clemson
What if the house uses well water?
The current guide defines an approved private-water supply as a well tested at least annually for total coliform bacteria by a laboratory certified for South Carolina public drinking water testing. Keep the current result with your operating documents. Public water and approved wastewater arrangements are also addressed in the kitchen requirements.
View sources for this answer (2)
- South Carolina Code 44-1-143 South Carolina Legislature
- Home-based Food Production Law Guidance SC Department of Agriculture with Clemson
Can I claim a product is healthier?
Avoid adding a nutrition or health claim casually. SCDA’s label guidance says such claims can trigger Nutrition Facts and other federal labeling requirements. Plain, accurate product descriptions are easier to maintain. The home-food exemption does not make an unsupported health claim acceptable.
View sources for this answer (2)
- South Carolina Code 44-1-143 South Carolina Legislature
- Home-based Food Production Law Guidance SC Department of Agriculture with Clemson
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
Ask a product-specific question
For a food not clearly covered by the guide, email sccottagefood@clemson.edu with the recipe, process, packaging and intended storage. For an address-replacement ID, use the SCDA application. Restaurants seeking ingredient or service approval should send their variance request to food-variances@scda.sc.gov.
Official sources 2 references
- South Carolina Code 44-1-143 →
South Carolina Legislature · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Home-based Food Production Law Guidance →
SC Department of Agriculture with Clemson · Reviewed September 14, 2026
Guide updates September 14, 2026
Reviewed South Carolina’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 (2)
- South Carolina Code 44-1-143 South Carolina Legislature
- Home-based Food Production Law Guidance SC Department of Agriculture with Clemson
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.