Guide
Ohio Cottage Food Law Explained: What You Can and Can't Sell
Ohio's cottage food law lets home cooks sell certain homemade foods without a license or inspection. The list of what is and isn't allowed can look confusing at first, but almost all of it comes down to one simple idea. This guide explains that idea, then gives you the full picture.
The one rule that explains everything
Ohio cottage food only allows foods that are shelf-stable, meaning they are safe at room temperature and do not need refrigeration to stay safe. Anything that has to be kept cold (or hot) to be safe is not allowed. So the test for almost any item is: does the finished product need to be refrigerated? If no, it is very likely allowed. If yes, it is not allowed at the cottage level.
What is allowed
- Baked goods: cookies, brownies, breads, rolls, and shelf-stable cakes
- Candies, fudge, brittle, and chocolates
- Jams, jellies, preserves, and fruit butters such as apple butter
- Granola, trail mix, popcorn, and roasted coffee
- Dry mixes, dry herb and tea blends, and seasoning blends
- Flavored honey and maple
What is not allowed
- Anything requiring refrigeration: cheesecakes, cream and custard pies, filled donuts, cream-cheese frosting
- Pumpkin pie and pumpkin butter (pumpkin is low-acid)
- Canned, pickled, acidified, or fermented foods (including kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi)
- Cured, smoked, or dried meats, and any meat, poultry, or seafood
- Raw or unpasteurized dairy
- Garlic-in-oil and other infused oils
- Hot or plated ready-to-eat meals
Common gray areas, cleared up
A few items trip people up, so here is the reasoning:
- Pumpkin: it is the low-acid, refrigerated forms that are out (pumpkin pie, pumpkin butter), not the flavor. Shelf-stable pumpkin baked goods like pumpkin bread or cookies are generally fine.
- Cream cheese: it is about refrigeration, not the ingredient by name. Cheesecakes and cream-cheese frosting need to stay cold, so they are out at the cottage level (and become available with a Home Bakery license).
- Garlic in oil: this is specifically about selling infused oils, which carry a botulism risk. Cooking with garlic in a baked good is completely fine. You just cannot sell a bottled garlic-infused oil.
Do you need a license?
No. Ohio cottage food requires no license, no registration, and no inspection, and there is no sales cap. You are responsible for making allowed foods and labeling them correctly.
Labeling
Each item needs the product name, your business name and full street address, the net weight in US and metric units, ingredients in descending order by weight, the nine major allergens, and the statement "This Product is Home Produced." Marketplaces like Next Door Kitchens generate this label for you.
What about refrigerated baked goods and hot meals?
Refrigerated baked goods (cheesecakes, cream pies) are allowed under a separate Ohio Home Bakery license, $10 a year plus an inspection. Hot, ready-to-eat meals are not currently allowed under Ohio home-kitchen law, though legislation to permit them is being tracked.
Start selling
If you make shelf-stable homemade foods, you can sell them in Ohio today. Open a kitchen on Next Door Kitchens, list your items, and reach customers near you.
Open your kitchen on Next Door Kitchens and list your first item today.
It is free to open a kitchen on Next Door Kitchens and list your first item.
Related guides
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Confirm specifics with the Ohio Department of Agriculture, Division of Food Safety: https://agri.ohio.gov/divisions/food-safety/resources/cottage-food