The essentials
Vermont, at a glance
Vermont has a cottage-food licensing exemption for eligible foods with gross annual cottage-food sales of $30,000 or less.
It requires training, annual filing and compliant labels. Home bakery and home caterer licenses are separate routes for operations that do not fit the exemption or need a different product and sales model.
Choose the route that fits
- Cottage Food Operator License Exemption
- Qualifying non-TCS foods made in the private home kitchen or a kitchen on personal property, with gross annual cottage-food sales up to30000.
- Licensed Home Bakery
- Licensed production of non-TCS baked goods in the domestic home kitchen with home appliances.
- Licensed Home Caterer
- Separate licensed route for prepared food sold directly to customers or prepared for later cooking at events.
- Sales limits
The cottage-food exemption applies at gross annual cottage-food sales of30000dollars or less; this is gross receipts,not profit.
- Registration & permits
License-exempt operations remain subject to applicable food laws and sanitation rules and may be inspected by a public-health inspector.
View official sources (2)
- Manufactured Food Rule, final adopted Vermont government
- Home-Based Food Licenses and Exemptions Vermont Department of Health
One step at a time
Your first 3 steps
Check the product and production location
Start with the finished food: does it need temperature control for safety?
Then check where it will be made. The cottage exemption covers the private residential kitchen or a kitchen on personal property, but a rented commercial kitchen does not qualify merely because your business is small.
Complete training and file the exemption
Take the Department-approved training before beginning production and repeat it annually.
File the exemption attestation through the Department’s portal, with the recurring January 15 deadline in your calendar. There is no exemption licensing fee and no separate certificate sent after filing; keep the receipt and training records together.
Track gross cottage-food receipts
Record sales as they occur and compare gross annual cottage-food receipts with the $30,000 ceiling.
Ingredient costs, packaging and other expenses do not turn gross receipts into profit for this test. Plan the next licensing step before growth takes the business outside the exemption’s conditions.
View official sources (2)
- Manufactured Food Rule, final adopted Vermont government
- Home-Based Food Licenses and Exemptions Vermont Department of Health
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.
Shelf-stable baking and dry foods
Check the conditionsSuitable breads, cookies, candy, dry herbs, trail mix, granola and popcorn are among the rule’s examples.
Eligibility still depends on the actual finished food. A familiar product category does not excuse checking a filling, topping or added ingredient that changes whether the product needs refrigeration for safety.
Refrigerated baking and prepared meals
Check the conditionsQuiche, cheesecake and cheese Danish do not qualify as cottage foods.
A business making prepared meals for customers needs the separate home-caterer route, with any applicable event license. Do not treat the cottage sales threshold as permission to sell a small quantity of a product outside its definition.
Canned foods have two linked conditions
Check the conditionsQualifying home-canned pickles, vegetables or fruits need equilibrium pH at or below 4.6 or water activity at or below 0.85, and a recipe approved by NCHFP or reviewed for safety by a food-processing authority.
A test result alone does not replace the recipe requirement. Retain the supporting recipe and review with your production notes.
Do not assume dehydration is covered
Check the conditionsThe current Department FAQ excludes dehydrated meat, fruit and vegetables under the cottage exemption.
A final product appearing dry is not sufficient proof of eligibility. Before buying equipment around a dried-food menu, ask the Department which licensed processing route and product controls would apply.
View official sources (2)
- Manufactured Food Rule, final adopted Vermont government
- Home-Based Food Licenses and Exemptions Vermont Department of Health
From your kitchen to your customers
Where and how you can sell
| Selling method | What matters |
|---|---|
| Direct sales of qualifying cottage products | Keep direct customer sales within the cottage product, production-location and annual-receipts conditions, and provide the required label information. If the plan changes to prepared meals or cooking later at an event, review the home-caterer requirements rather than carrying the exemption into food service. |
| Restaurant and licensed-business orders | Food made under the licensing exemption cannot be sold to restaurants or other licensed food establishments. If a café wants to stock your goods, discuss a licensed route before accepting the order. Remaining below the cottage revenue ceiling does not remove this buyer restriction. |
| Online ordering, delivery and shipping | Before building a checkout or delivery offering, describe the proposed transaction to the Food and Lodging Program. Include the food, production site and customer destination. Confirm how the channel fits the exemption and its licensed-buyer restriction, especially when an order could leave Vermont. |
View official sources (2)
- Manufactured Food Rule, final adopted Vermont government
- Home-Based Food Licenses and Exemptions Vermont Department of Health
Your label, explained
Every field has a purpose.
Use the example to understand the structure. Follow the Vermont 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 or producer name; full business address (see state notes)
The statement for your state, product and sales route
Exempt home-kitchen products
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 or producer name; full business address (see state notes)
Use the wording for your route.
Requirements can differ by product and sales channel. Keep the disclosure, placement and type-size conditions together.
Required information for exempt products
Include the operation name and address, food name, ingredients in descending order, net weight or volume and applicable allergen information.
Check the actual recipe and supplier ingredients. Nutrient-content or health claims can create nutrition-label obligations, so evaluate those claims before printing packaging that uses them.
The exact exemption statement
Use: “Made in a home kitchen not inspected by the Vermont Department of Health.” Print it in at least 10-point type with a color that clearly contrasts with the label background.
This statement is required for the exempt route; it does not remove the other information needed on the package.
Address, allergens and bulk displays
The Department directs operators to use the physical kitchen address rather than a PO Box.
Include applicable major allergens, including sesame. Food sold from bulk containers may use a visible sign, placard or table tent carrying the complete label information, instead of an individual label on every portion.
The wording for your label
Exempt home-kitchen products
Made in a home kitchen not inspected by the Vermont Department of Health.
View official sources (2)
- Manufactured Food Rule, final adopted Vermont government
- Home-Based Food Licenses and Exemptions Vermont Department of Health
A useful head start
Your Vermont 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
An exempt baker approaches the sales ceiling
Imagine annual gross cottage-food receipts are nearing $30,000 and holiday orders are increasing.
Review the appropriate license before taking the business beyond exemption eligibility. Keep gross receipts separate from expenses in that calculation, and allow time for the application and opening inspection if moving into a licensed home bakery.
Example scope: Hypothetical eligible cottage bakery approaching the annual ceiling.
An example
Using another kitchen on the property
The exemption can cover a kitchen on the operator’s personal property.
The Department describes a narrower domestic-kitchen location for home bakery and caterer licenses. If you plan a separate kitchen and later expect to seek a license, discuss that future setup before investing in construction or equipment.
License exempt does not mean sanitation exempt
Exempt businesses still have food-safety duties and may be inspected.
Arrange washing, rinsing and sanitizing, use the required sanitizer checks, keep ready-to-eat foods protected and separate production from household activities. Keep pets and small children out while preparing food for sale.
View official sources (2)
- Manufactured Food Rule, final adopted Vermont government
- Home-Based Food Licenses and Exemptions Vermont Department of Health
A few more answers
Common questions
Do I need approval for every cottage product?
Routine prior product approval is not required, but you are responsible for determining that the food qualifies. If the recipe or process makes eligibility uncertain, use the Department’s product-review request. Preserve the response with the exact version reviewed so a later ingredient or process change is easy to identify.
View sources for this answer (2)
- Manufactured Food Rule, final adopted Vermont government
- Home-Based Food Licenses and Exemptions Vermont Department of Health
What needs attention at home before inspection?
For a private well, arrange annual total-coliform and E.coli testing at a certified lab and supply acceptable results before inspection. Also check applicable town zoning and landlord permission when renting. Food-program approval does not answer every question about the use of the property.
View sources for this answer (1)
- Home-Based Food Licenses and Exemptions Vermont Department of Health
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 the current portal and product-review form
The Food and Lodging page links the licensing and exemption portal, annual training and product-review request. Call 802-863-7221, or 800-439-8550 within Vermont, if the route is unclear. For home bakery or caterer licensing, submit the application and supporting documents at least 30 days before the planned start.
Official sources 2 references
- Manufactured Food Rule, final adopted →
Vermont government · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Home-Based Food Licenses and Exemptions →
Vermont Department of Health · Reviewed September 14, 2026
Guide updates September 14, 2026
Reviewed Vermont’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)
- Manufactured Food Rule, final adopted Vermont government
- Home-Based Food Licenses and Exemptions Vermont Department of Health
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.