Cottage Food Law Map › Handouts › South Carolina

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Cottage food quick guide · Last reviewed October 2026

Selling homemade food in South Carolina

Mendocino
Food Consulting

Sales cap
No cap stated
Permit or registration
None; optional SCDA ID number
Online & shipping
Not addressed by SCDA guidance
Sell through stores
Retail stores; restaurants with a variance
Refrigerated foods
No; hot sauce and BBQ sauce excluded

Allowed from a home kitchen

Sourdough bread · Cookies & brownies · Fruit pie · Strawberry jam · Granola · Spice rubs & seasoning blends · Loose-leaf tea blends · Freeze-dried candy · Chocolates & truffles · Toffee, fudge & caramels

Needs a commercial kitchen or other license

Pumpkin pie · Cheesecake · Cake with cream cheese frosting · Meat tamales · Pepper jelly · Shelf-stable salsa · Fresh salsa (refrigerated) · Hot sauce · Canned pickles · Sauerkraut & kimchi · Canned tomato sauce · 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 · Roasted coffee · Dried fruit & fruit leather · Marshmallows · Nut butter · Pure honey · 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.

How to start

  1. Check that the product is non-potentially hazardous. Hot sauce, BBQ sauce, cheesecake, and bottled beverages are specifically excluded.
  2. No SCDA retail food permit is needed. You can get an SCDA home-based food ID number to use on labels instead of your address.
  3. Sell directly to consumers or through retail stores in South Carolina. Restaurants need an SCDA-approved variance.
  4. Label every product; stores must post the same disclosure on a sign.

Key label items

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

  • “PROCESSED AND PREPARED BY A HOME-BASED FOOD PRODUCTION OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO SOUTH CAROLINA'S FOOD SAFETY REGULATIONS.”
  • Name and address, or your SCDA home-based food ID number
  • Standard name of the product
  • Ingredients in descending order by weight
  • Each major allergen by name, or a may-contain statement
  • No health claims

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

your-site.netlify.app/cottage-food-laws/south-carolina/

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 South Carolina guide

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