Cottage Food Law Map › Handouts › Colorado

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Cottage food quick guide · Last reviewed October 2026

Selling homemade food in Colorado

Mendocino
Food Consulting

Sales cap
$10,000 a year; $150,000 from 2027
Permit or registration
Food safety course; CDPHE registration from 2027
Online & shipping
Not confirmed
Sell through stores
No
Refrigerated foods
From Jan 2027, one type of TCS food with registration

Allowed from a home kitchen

Sourdough bread · Cookies & brownies · Fruit pie · Strawberry jam · Canned pickles · Granola · Spice rubs & seasoning blends · Loose-leaf tea blends · Dried fruit & fruit leather · Pure honey

Needs a commercial kitchen or other license

Pumpkin pie · Cheesecake · Cake with cream cheese frosting · Meat tamales · Fresh salsa (refrigerated) · Garlic or herb-infused oil‡ · Home-cooked meals · Beef jerky‡ · Cheese & yogurt‡ · Cold-pressed juice‡ · Kombucha‡

Ask the agency first

Cake with buttercream · Macarons · Fruit tamales · Low-sugar or freezer jam · Pepper jelly · Shelf-stable salsa · Hot sauce · Sauerkraut & kimchi · Canned tomato sauce · Roasted coffee · Freeze-dried candy · Chocolates & truffles · Toffee, fudge & caramels · Marshmallows · Nut butter · Infused honey · Vanilla extract · Fruit-infused vinegar · Mustard (no egg)

Every product has conditions, such as registration, training, labeling, and sales limits. See the full guide for each one. ‡ General rule; not specifically addressed in this state's guidance.

Limited sources: the detailed rules for Colorado rely on a secondary summary from the National Agricultural Law Center. Confirm with the state agency.

How to start

  1. Check that the product doesn't need refrigeration (jams, honey, pickles, dried produce, flour, tortillas, baked goods, and similar).
  2. Complete a food safety course.
  3. Sell directly to informed consumers in Colorado, within the current $10,000 yearly limit.
  4. From January 1, 2027, register yearly with CDPHE before selling. You'll be able to sell one type of TCS food (with up to five variations), and the cap rises to $150,000.
  5. Label every product.

Key label items

Use the exact required wording shown in the full guide and on the agency's site.

  • Home-kitchen disclosure statement
  • From 2027: your CDPHE registration number
  • From 2027: county where the food was made
  • From 2027: CDPHE website for reporting illness and checking registration
  • Product name and ingredients

Scan for the full Colorado guide: product-by-product rules, label details, and official sources.

your-site.netlify.app/cottage-food-laws/colorado/

Created by Mendocino Food Consulting (mendocinofoodconsulting.com). Food science questions about your product? Book a call: calendly.com/mendocinofoodconsulting. We are food scientists, not attorneys.

General information only, not legal advice, and no warranty that it is complete or current. Quick facts come from 50-state trackers; product rules come from the state sources listed in the full guide. Cities and counties may add their own rules, and selling across state lines can bring in federal FDA requirements. Confirm with your state agency or local health department before selling. Last reviewed October 2026.

Free to print and share. Read the full Colorado guide

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