Compliance & Regulations for Handmade Sellers
What the law actually requires — cottage food rules by state (CA, FL, NY, PA, TX), sales tax nexus, hot sauce acidification, pet treat labeling, herbal-product shelf life, and more.
Ohio Cottage Food Law: No Permit, No Revenue Cap, and the Home Bakery License Sitting Next To It
Ohio has one of the most permissive home-kitchen food regimes in the country — no permit, no registration, no fee, no inspection, no revenue cap, and a wholesale path to grocery stores and restaurants that most cottage food states close. The trade-offs are real: the food list excludes everything that needs refrigeration or acidification, sales are in-state only, and craft fairs and flea markets are not on the venue list. This is how the Ohio Cottage Food Production Operation rule works in 2026 — who qualifies, what is on the list, where you can sell, what the label needs to say, and how to read the home bakery license that lives right next to it.
Pennsylvania Cottage Food Law: The Limited Food Establishment Program, No Revenue Cap, and the Wholesale Path Other States Do Not Have
Pennsylvania does not have a cottage food law in the way Texas or Florida does. It has the Limited Food Establishment program — a $35 home-kitchen registration that allows acidified foods, fermented foods, wholesale to retailers, and interstate sales with no revenue cap. The trade-off is an inspection regime, annual renewal, zoning approval, and well-water testing that most cottage food states do not impose. Here is how the LFE rule works in 2026 — who registers, what is on the food list, where you can sell, and how Pennsylvania compares to the cap-and-direct-only states most home bakers learn first.
New York Cottage Food Law: The Home Processor Exemption, No Revenue Cap, and the NYC Layer
New York is one of a small number of states with no revenue cap on home-based food producers — but its rules are tighter on what you can actually make at home, and the New York City layer adds a separate permit conversation for producers in the five boroughs. Here is how the Home Processor Exemption works in 2026, the food list, the labels, the channels, and the local layers that operate on top of state law.
Florida Cottage Food Law: The $250,000 Cap, the No-License Regime, and the Acidified-Foods Trap
Florida runs the highest cottage food revenue cap in the country at $250,000 a year — and the simplest registration regime, because there is no registration at all. Here is what the rules actually permit in 2026, the food list, the acidified-foods exclusion that catches makers trained on the Texas rule, the labels that pass an inspection, and the sales channels Florida lets you use without a license.
California Cottage Food Operations: Class A vs. Class B, the $150,000 Cap, and the 2026 Compliance Map
California runs the cottage food program through two classes, 58 county environmental health offices, and a separate MEHKO track for hot food. Here is what the rules actually permit in 2026, the difference between Class A and Class B, the foods that quietly disqualify you, the labels that pass an inspection, and the Microenterprise Home Kitchen path you should know exists before you stretch the cottage food rule too far.
Texas Cottage Food Law: What You Can Sell, Where, and How to Stay Under the $150,000 Cap
Texas has one of the most permissive cottage food laws in the country — and the September 2025 SB 541 changes made it more permissive still. Here is what the rules actually permit, the new wholesale path, the labels that pass an inspection, and the $150,000 gross-revenue line that quietly turns a hobby into a regulated business.
Sales Tax Nexus for Handmade Sellers: The Myths, the Rules, and What to Actually Do
Most handmade sellers think "nexus" is something only big companies worry about. Then they ship their 250th candle to a customer in Pennsylvania and unknowingly cross an economic threshold they have never heard of. This guide defines the terms, dismantles the most common myths, and explains what a small seller should actually do — without the legalese.
Hot Sauce Compliance: What Every Small-Batch Maker Must Test, Document, and Acidify Before Legally Selling a Bottle
Hot sauce sits in a regulatory gray zone most makers never read the fine print on. It is not a cottage food in most states, it is not exempt because you are small, and the difference between legal and illegal comes down to pH, paperwork, and a training course you probably have not taken. Here is what the rules actually say and what every bottle needs behind it before it leaves your kitchen.
Herbal Product Shelf Life: What Tea Blenders, Tincture Makers, and Apothecary Sellers Need to Track Before They Sell a Single Jar
Dried herbs lose potency. Tinctures degrade. Tea blends go stale. If you sell botanical products without tracking shelf life at the batch level, you are one customer complaint away from a reputation problem you cannot fix. Here is what to track, how long things actually last, and the system that keeps your products safe and your records clean.
Pet Treat Packaging, Labeling, and Cost Tracking: What the Pet Industry Requires That Other Food Businesses Don't
Pet treat sellers face ingredient sourcing rules, labeling requirements, and packaging expectations that don't apply to human food businesses. If you're tracking costs and compliance the same way a baker would, you're missing critical details that could cost you a retail partnership or worse.