50 states + DC · Last reviewed October 2026

Cottage Food State Rankings 2026

Which states make it easiest to start a food business from a home kitchen? Each state was scored on five measures: its sales cap, online and shipping sales, sales through stores, refrigerated foods, and how many of 40 common products can be made at home. The scores combine into a single number from 0 to 100.

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Most home-kitchen friendly

Most restrictive

The five largest states

California ranks 28th, Texas ranks 5th, Florida ranks 25th, New York ranks 22nd, and Pennsylvania ranks 27th. Texas ranks highest of the five. It is one of the few states that allow some refrigerated foods from a home kitchen, under SB 541.

Scores by state

80–10065–7950–6440–49Under 40

Full rankings

* Provisional: at least one rule for this state couldn't be confirmed or isn't addressed in its guidance, so its score uses the remaining measures. Shading shows how each rule was scored; the text is each state's own rule. Select a column heading to sort. "Home products" counts how many of 40 common products can be made in a home kitchen; a "+" shows more allowed with a special home license.

				Sales cap	Online & shipping	Sell through stores	Refrigerated foods
1	Wyoming	90	34	$250,000 and 250,000 items	In-state sales; online not addressed	Non-hazardous foods, eggs, and dairy through retail shops	Yes, sold by you or a designated agent
2	North Dakota	89	32	No cap	Online, mail, and out-of-state sales (SB 2386, 2025)	Consignment; no food stores or restaurants	Yes; refrigerated items transported frozen with safe-handling labels
2	Tennessee	89	31	No cap	Online for non-TCS foods; Tennessee only	Non-TCS foods through stores; no restaurants	Yes, most TCS foods since July 2025, sold in person
4	Arizona	87	28	No cap	Non-TCS online and by carrier in Arizona; TCS delivered in person	Third-party vendors like stores for non-TCS foods	Yes, sold and delivered in person within two hours; inspected meat allowed
5	Idaho	83	32	No cap stated	Direct-to-consumer sales in Idaho, including online	Stores as consignment agents, kept separate	Yes, prepackaged TCS foods under the 2026 Direct-to-Consumer Commerce Act
5	Texas	83	32	$150,000	Online orders delivered personally by you, an employee, or a household member	Registered cottage food vendors resell at markets, stores, and restaurants; non-TCS wholesale to vendors	Yes, with DSHS registration and a safe-handling label (SB 541)
7	Hawaii	76	18	No cap stated	Online sales allowed	Wholesale to permitted food establishments	Refrigerated salsa and acidified foods at pH 4.2 or below
8*	Oklahoma	75	27	$75,000; $250,000 from Nov 1, 2026	Online; TCS foods sold and delivered by the maker	Not confirmed	Yes, with training and direct sale
8	Alaska	75	17	No cap	Online sales in Alaska; no out-of-state sales	Non-TCS through agents like gift shops and grocery stores	Certain TCS foods, sold directly by the producer
10	Utah	74	28	No cap	In-state only; no shipping under the UDAF permit	Stores and consignment with a UDAF cottage permit	Yes under the Homemade Food Act, sold directly
11	Nebraska	73	25	No cap	Non-TCS foods by mail; TCS delivered in person	Direct to consumers only	Yes, kept cold and delivered in person within two hours
12*	Maine	72	21 +1	No cap	Not addressed by DACF guidance	Retail stores with full labels	No; acidified foods allowed after process review
13	Montana	69	31	No cap	Direct to informed consumers in Montana; online not addressed	No stores or restaurants	Yes under the Local Food Choice Act, sold directly
14	West Virginia	68	16	No cap	Remote sales; delivery by carrier	Third-party vendors such as retail shops	No
14	North Carolina	68	15	No cap stated	Shipping allowed with labels	Stores, restaurants, and distributors	No; acidified foods possible after evaluation
16	South Dakota	67	27	No cap	In person only; household delivery after sale; no online sales	No stores or wholesale	Refrigerated baked goods and canned acidified foods, with training
16	Iowa	67	24 +6	No cap (cottage); $50,000 (licensed home processor)	Online and phone; delivery by you, an agent, or mail	Direct to consumers only	With a home food processing license ($50)
16	Ohio	67	12 +3	No cap stated	No internet sales; Ohio only	Licensed stores and restaurants	Refrigerated baked goods with an ODA Home Bakery license
19	Georgia	66	12	No cap stated	Online and mail order	Stores and restaurants, unless a city or county opts out	No
19	New Hampshire	66	10 +4	No cap stated	Online and mail need a Class H license ($150)	Retail stores (exempt); restaurants and wholesale with a license	No
21*	South Carolina	65	10	No cap stated	Not addressed by SCDA guidance	Retail stores; restaurants with a variance	No; hot sauce and BBQ sauce excluded
22	New York	64	8	No cap stated	Online with delivery in New York; no out-of-state sales	Local restaurants, cafés, and grocers in New York	No
23	Illinois	62	18	No cap	Online, delivery, and in-state shipping of non-TCS foods	No stores or restaurants	Some refrigerated fermented and acidified foods with a plan; many TCS foods prohibited
23	Louisiana	62	17	$100,000 (from Aug 2026)	Online sales in Louisiana	Stores and restaurants, except breads, cakes, cookies, and pies	Custard and cream items with pasteurized dairy
25	Florida	61	15	$250,000	Online and mail order allowed	No wholesale, consignment, or stores	No; wet sauces, mustard, and TCS icings excluded
26	Indiana	60	13 +1	No cap (HBV); $1.5M (homestead vendors)	Online with delivery or mail within Indiana	No stores, restaurants, or wholesale	Not for home based vendors; homestead vendors can sell some prepared foods (July 2026)
27	Pennsylvania	58	9	No cap stated	Internet sales from home; interstate may need FDA registration	Some retail stores; no wholesale or restaurants	No
28	California	57	21 +1	$88,878 (Class A) · $177,756 (Class B), 2026	Online with in-state delivery or mail	Class B only: stores, cafés, restaurants	Approved list only; meals via MEHKO where adopted
29	Alabama	56	18	No cap	Phone and online; delivery by mail or agent within Alabama	No stores or restaurants	No; tested pickles, salsas, and sauces allowed
29	Arkansas	56	18	No cap	Online sales in Arkansas	Direct to consumers only; no wholesale	No; pickles and salsas at pH 4.6 or below allowed
29	Virginia	56	18	No cap; $9,000 for acidified foods	Phone, online, and mail within Virginia	No stores, restaurants, or resale	No; pickles and acidified salsa allowed up to $9,000 a year
29	Oregon	56	13 +10	$51,200 (2025), adjusted yearly	Online and mail sales in Oregon	Stores with a separate-display agreement; no restaurants	No; a domestic kitchen license covers more
29*	District of Columbia	56	9	Not confirmed (was $25,000)	Online sales within DC (since June 2025)	Retail and wholesale to licensed DC establishments	No
34*	Massachusetts	55	8	No state cap	Not addressed by state guidance	With a state wholesale residential kitchen license	No
35	Maryland	52	11	$100,000 (from Oct 2026)	Personal delivery and mail within Maryland	Retail stores after MDH approval	No
35	New Mexico	52	11	No cap stated	Online, delivery, and mail within New Mexico	No stores, restaurants, or wholesale	No
37*	Kansas	50	14	No cap	Not addressed	Needs a KDA license	No
37	Missouri	50	6	No cap stated	Online only when seller and buyer are both in Missouri	Direct to consumers only	No; only baked goods, canned jams, and dried herbs
39	Nevada	48	13 +6	$100,000	Online and mail order per current guidance; NDA takes over July 2027	No stores or restaurants	No; acidified foods under the craft food law
40	Wisconsin	47	11 +7	No cap (shelf-stable foods); $5,000 (home-canned)	Direct sales in Wisconsin; no internet sales of canned goods	No	No; buttercream and custard fillings need a license
41	Michigan	46	12	$50,000 ($75,000 for items $250+)	Online, mail, and delivery apps within Michigan after direct contact	No wholesale or consignment	No
42	Minnesota	44	21	$78,000	Online orders; you or an employee present at delivery; shipping allowed from Aug 2027	Direct to consumers only	No; canned acidified foods at pH 4.6 or below allowed
42	Delaware	44	8	No cap (removed 2023)	No online sales; home pickup and delivery	No stores or restaurants	No
44	Kentucky	41	11 +7	$60,000	No shipping; in-person sales and delivery only	No stores or restaurants	No; farmer microprocessors can make acidified foods
45	Connecticut	40	14	$50,000	Online orders hand-delivered in Connecticut; no mail	No stores, restaurants, or wholesale	No
45*	Colorado	40	10	$10,000 a year; $150,000 from 2027	Not confirmed	No	From Jan 2027, one type of TCS food with registration
47	Mississippi	36	19	$35,000	Online advertising only; sales in person	No stores, restaurants, or consignment	No; acidified plant foods at pH 4.6 or below allowed
48*	Vermont	35	15 +1	$30,000	Not addressed	No restaurants or licensed food businesses	No; acidified canned goods at pH 4.6 or below allowed
48	Rhode Island	35	4	$50,000	Online, mail, and phone orders, delivered in person in Rhode Island	No stores, restaurants, or wholesale	No; baked goods only
48	New Jersey	35	3	$50,000	Online ordering; in-person handoff in NJ; no mail or carrier	No stores or restaurants	No
51	Washington	30	7	$35,000 per residence	No internet or mail-order sales	No stores, restaurants, or wholesale	No

How the scores work

Each state receives up to 3 points on each of five measures, for a maximum of 15. That total is converted to a score out of 100. The scores compare how the rules are written; they don't measure how easy any particular product or business will be, and they aren't legal advice.

Sales cap: 3 points for no cap or a cap of $150,000 or more, 2 for $50,000 to $149,999, and 1 for under $50,000.
Online and shipping: 3 points if products can be shipped, including out of state; 2 for online orders with in-state delivery by carrier or mail; 1 if delivery must be in person or online sales aren't allowed.
Sales through stores: 3 points if stores and restaurants can sell cottage foods, 2 for limited store sales, and 1 if not allowed.
Refrigerated foods: 3 points if foods that need refrigeration are allowed from a home kitchen, 2 if some are allowed or a special license is available, and 1 if not.
Product range: The share of 40 common products that can be made in a home kitchen, scaled to 3 points. Products allowed only with a special home license or program count for half.

Where sources couldn't confirm a rule, or the state's guidance doesn't address it, that measure is left out and the score is calculated from the remaining measures. These scores are marked provisional (*). This affected 8 jurisdictions: Oklahoma, Maine, South Carolina, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Kansas, Colorado, Vermont. States whose guidance doesn't state a sales cap are scored as having no cap. Permit costs and paperwork are shown in each state guide but are not scored. States with equal scores share a rank.

Sales cap, online, store, and refrigerated-food ratings come from 50-state trackers (Ardent Seller, reviewed October 1, 2026, cross-checked with PermitDeck and Food Business Pros). Product counts come from our state-by-state research, which relies on agency, statute, and extension sources where available and on older or secondary sources for some states.

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