Ohio Home Bakery License: How to Get Licensed ($10/yr)

What a Home Bakery license lets you sell

A Home Bakery license unlocks baked goods that need refrigeration, the exact items that are off-limits under cottage food. That includes cheesecakes, cream pies, custard pies, pumpkin pies, and similar refrigerated baked goods. Note that it covers baked goods only. It does not allow hot prepared meals or non-baked foods.

What it costs

The license is $10 per year. There is also a one-time kitchen inspection as part of getting licensed. There is no sales cap.

How to get licensed, step by step

1. Complete Ohio's Request for Inspection form. This is the front door to the process.
2. Email the completed form to the Ohio Department of Agriculture, Division of Food Safety, at foodsafety@agri.ohio.gov. The request needs to come from you, the baker, directly.
3. Your county's food safety specialist receives the request and contacts you to schedule the inspection. This usually happens within about two weeks.
4. Pass the kitchen inspection.
5. After the inspection, you pay the $10 license fee online through the state's FoodWeb portal. The state emails you to set up your account.
6. Once licensed, you can begin producing and selling your refrigerated baked goods.

Kitchen requirements to pass the inspection

Ohio's requirements are practical and about food safety, not commercial equipment. Your kitchen should have walls, ceilings, and floors that are in good repair, clean, and easily cleanable (no carpeted floors), be free of pests with no pets present, be kept sanitary, use an oven designed for normal home use, and have a working refrigerator that holds 45 degrees Fahrenheit or below. If you use a private well, it needs an annual coliform bacteria test.

Labeling for Home Bakery products

Home Bakery labels are similar to cottage food labels, with a couple of differences. You include your business name and address, the product name, ingredients in descending order by weight, net quantity, and allergens. Refrigerated items also need a "Keep Refrigerated" statement, and perishable items with a short shelf life need a date. Next Door Kitchens generates the correct label for your tier automatically.

Is it worth it?

For $10 a year, you open up an entire category of popular, high-margin items that most home bakers cannot legally sell. If cheesecakes and cream pies are your thing, it pays for itself almost immediately, and it is a real trust signal to customers that your kitchen is licensed and inspected.

Start with Next Door Kitchens

Next Door Kitchens supports licensed Home Bakery kitchens, so once you are licensed you can list those refrigerated baked goods alongside your cottage items and reach customers near you. Open a kitchen to get started, and we can point you to the licensing steps.

Related guides

• How to sell baked goods from home in OhioWhat you can sell, what you need, labeling, and how to start.
• Ohio cottage food law explainedThe one rule that decides what is allowed, plus the full lists.