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Compliance · 24 min read

Minnesota Cottage Food Law: The Two-Tier System, the $7,665 Threshold, and the $78,000 Cap

Every Minnesota cottage food producer has to register with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and complete training before the first sale — the two tiers only change the fee and the training. Producers selling $7,665 or less a year pay no fee and take a free online course every year; producers selling $7,666 to $78,000 pay $50 and take an approved food safety course every three years. This guide explains both tiers, the $78,000 cap, the in-person delivery rule that bars shipping human cottage foods, the home-canned pickles allowance, the label (including the preparation date), and the changes that take effect August 1, 2027.

Two bakers selling fresh-baked sourdough loaves at a rustic outdoor market stall — one slicing a loaf with gloved hands beside a clay pitcher, the other tending a basket of breads wrapped in linen, set against a softly draped canvas backdrop in muted daylight

If you started selling cottage food in Minnesota because a friend told you small sellers "don't need to register," the law says otherwise. Every Minnesota cottage food producer registers with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and completes training before the first sale, whether they sell $300 of holiday cookies or $70,000 of custom cakes. What the two tiers change is the fee and the kind of training. And the rule that surprises the most growing bakers is not the tier line at all: human cottage food cannot be shipped or handed to a delivery service. The person who made it has to deliver it.

You are not bad at compliance. Many state-law summary sites describe Minnesota's first tier as "no registration," quote the statute's original $5,000 figure instead of MDA's current $7,665, or say in-state shipping is allowed. The statute, MDA's guidance, and MDA's registration page all say otherwise. The law is also about to change: amendments passed in 2025 take effect August 1, 2027, and they merge the tiers and allow shipping within Minnesota.

This guide is the longer answer — what each tier requires today, where the $7,665 line comes from, what you can make (including Minnesota's home-canned pickles allowance), how you can sell and deliver, what goes on the label, and what changes in August 2027.

The short version: Minnesota's cottage food framework lives in Minnesota Statutes section 28A.152 (opens in new tab), administered by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (opens in new tab). Every producer registers with MDA before selling, and registration expires March 31 each year. Tier 1 (annual sales of $7,665 or less) pays no fee and completes MDA's free online training and exam every year. Tier 2 ($7,666 to $78,000) pays $50 a year and completes an approved safe food handling course every three years. Sales are capped at $78,000 a year. Sales must be direct to the consumer — from home, at farmers markets, or at community events — and orders taken online must be delivered in person; human cottage foods cannot be mailed or shipped. Non-potentially hazardous foods (such as baked goods, candy, and dried mixes) and home-canned pickles, vegetables, and fruits with a pH of 4.6 or lower (or water activity of 0.85 or less) qualify. Labels must show your name, registration number or address, the date the food was made, ingredients and allergens, and "These products are homemade and not subject to state inspection." The same statement goes on a sign at the point of sale and on your website. On August 1, 2027, the tiers merge into one $30 registration with required training for all, and shipping within Minnesota becomes legal.

Why Minnesota has two tiers

Most US cottage food states use a single framework. Ohio uses no cap. Pennsylvania requires registration and inspection with no cap. Texas uses a flat $150,000. California uses separate Class A and Class B caps that are adjusted every year. Florida uses $250,000. Michigan uses $50,000, or $75,000 for operations selling products priced at $250 or more per unit.

Minnesota created its cottage food exemption in 2015. The original law capped sales at $18,000 a year, required every producer to register annually, charged a $50 fee, and waived the fee for producers with $5,000 or less in sales. It also set two training tracks: a free online course and exam for the smallest sellers, and an approved safe food handling course, repeated every three years, for everyone else. In 2021 (Laws 2021, chapter 28), the Legislature raised the cap to $78,000, told the commissioner to adjust the $5,000 fee-exemption amount for inflation using 2002 as the index year, and allowed producers to organize their business as a legal entity. MDA's adjusted figure for that fee line is $7,665.

So the "tiers" are not a registration line. Everyone registers. The tiers are a fee line and a training line, and the food, labeling, and sales rules are the same on both sides.

What Tier 1 looks like

Tier 1 is for producers with annual cottage food sales of $7,665 or less. MDA says the fee tier is based on the anticipated amount of cottage food sales during the year you are registering for.

What Tier 1 requires

  • Registration before selling. Register with MDA online (or on paper), renew each year by April 1, and carry the registration card when selling. An inspector or market manager may ask to see it.
  • No registration fee.
  • Free online training and exam, every year. MDA's Tier 1 training covers safe home food preparation and the Cottage Food Law. It must be completed before you register or renew.
  • Every other rule. The food list, the labeling rules (including the date and the statement), the point-of-sale sign, the in-person delivery rule, and the $78,000 overall cap all apply.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • No fee. The only cost is time for the online course and exam.
  • Address privacy. Like every registered producer, a Tier 1 producer may print the MDA registration number on labels instead of a home address.
  • Recognized status. Registered producers appear in MDA's license lookup, which market managers and customers can check.

Cons:

  • Annual training. The Tier 1 course and exam must be repeated every year.
  • Registration lead time. MDA says processing can take up to 30 days, and registration cards are mailed within a week after processing. You may sell once you appear in MDA's license lookup.
  • Moving up means retraining. A producer whose sales grow past $7,665 needs the Tier 2 course and the $50 fee. MDA says Tier 2 training must be retaken when switching from Tier 1 to Tier 2. If your sales are likely to pass $7,665 during the registration year, register at Tier 2 from the start; if they pass unexpectedly, contact MDA about updating your registration.

The Tier 1 use case is a producer whose cottage food activity is small and stable — a seasonal jam maker, a holiday-cookie seller, an occasional farmers-market vendor.

What Tier 2 looks like

Tier 2 is for producers with annual cottage food sales from $7,666 to $78,000.

What Tier 2 requires

  • Registration before selling, renewed each year by April 1.
  • A $50 annual registration fee. MDA notes a $2.50 processing fee when the $50 is paid online.
  • An approved safe food handling course, completed before registering and retaken every three years while registered. Minn. Stat. § 28A.152, subd. 5 limits the course to eight hours. MDA points to the University of Minnesota Extension (opens in new tab) cottage food producer training, offered online or in person, with a training fee. MDA says a certified food manager credential is not a substitute, because the required training is specific to the Cottage Food Law.
  • Every other rule, the same as Tier 1.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Room to grow. Tier 2 covers sales up to the $78,000 cap.
  • Training on a three-year cycle instead of every year.
  • Address privacy through the registration number, the same as Tier 1.

Cons:

  • The fee and the course cost. $50 a year plus the Extension training fee every three years.
  • The same selling limits. Tier 2 does not add shipping, wholesale, or retail-store sales.

The Tier 2 use case is any producer whose cottage food activity is a real business: weekly market sales, a custom-order book, or a producer actively trying to grow.

The line most producers do not see coming

The statute still says $5,000. MDA's registration page, guidance, and fact sheet all use $7,665, the inflation-adjusted amount MDA applies to the fee exemption. A producer who reads only the statute, or an old summary, will place the fee line $2,665 too low.

The bigger misunderstanding is what the line does. Crossing $7,665 does not move a producer from "unregistered" to "registered." It moves a registered producer from the free annual course and no fee to the approved three-year course and the $50 fee. The line to check before you register is the one on the MDA Cottage Food Producer Registration page (opens in new tab), and the question to answer is how much you expect to sell in the coming registration year.

The $78,000 cap is a different kind of line. It is a hard limit on gross receipts in a calendar year, and it is not currently adjusted for inflation. Above it, MDA says a food license is required. Starting August 1, 2027, the cap will be adjusted every two years using July 2025 as the base.

What you can make under Minnesota cottage food

Minnesota allows two groups of foods under Minn. Stat. § 28A.152, subd. 1:

  1. Non-potentially hazardous foods as defined in Minnesota Rules, part 4626.0020, subpart 62 — foods that do not need refrigeration for safety because they have a pH of 4.6 or below or a water activity of 0.85 or less.
  2. Home-processed and home-canned pickles, vegetables, or fruits with an equilibrium pH of 4.6 or lower or a water activity of 0.85 or less, processed and canned in Minnesota.

MDA links a non-potentially hazardous foods list (opens in new tab) developed with the Minnesota Farmers' Market Association, the Minnesota Cottage Food Producers Association, and University of Minnesota Extension. MDA notes the list is not its own and does not cover every food. Examples it lists as allowed:

  • Baked goods that do not need refrigeration: breads, cookies, bars, brownies, cakes, cupcakes, fruit-filled pies and pastries, biscotti, and donuts. Dairy and eggs may be used in baked goods if the finished product meets the water activity standard.
  • Candy and confections: fudge, caramels, brittle, hard candy, chocolate, gummies, cotton candy, and chocolate-covered shelf-stable foods such as nuts and pretzels.
  • Frostings and decorations: buttercream made from a tested recipe, fondant, gum paste, glaze, and royal icing made with meringue powder.
  • Jams, jellies, preserves, marmalades, and fruit butters that meet the pH or water activity standard. Pumpkin, squash, and sweet potato butters are excluded.
  • Dried and roasted foods: baking mixes, granola, trail mixes, dried fruit, herbs and herb blends, and coffee beans.
  • Home-canned acid and acidified foods — see the next section.

Registered producers may also make baked or dehydrated treats for dogs and cats (Minn. Stat. § 25.391).

The Minnesota home-canned foods allowance

Minnesota is one of the more permissive cottage food states on pickles and other acidified products. The statute covers home-processed and home-canned pickles, vegetables, or fruits that meet three conditions: an equilibrium pH of 4.6 or lower or a water activity of 0.85 or less, processed and canned in Minnesota, and not sold outside Minnesota (subd. 2(c)). Each container must show the date the goods were processed and canned.

The pH 4.6 threshold is the same one used to separate acid and acidified foods from low-acid canned foods. At or below pH 4.6, Clostridium botulinum cannot grow; above it, home canning in a boiling water bath is not a safe process.

The MDA-linked guidance lists these as allowed when they meet the pH standard and are properly heat-treated: pickles, dilly beans, pickled beets and other pickled vegetables, sauerkraut, kimchi, acidified tomatoes and tomato sauce, tomato salsa, fruit salsas, chutneys, barbecue sauce, ketchup, mustard, and pepper sauce. It lists refrigerator or freezer pickles, pickled eggs, meats, or fish, pesto, and home-canned low-acid vegetables, soups, and beans as not allowed.

The practical consequence: a Minnesota producer can sell jars of dill pickles, dilly beans, sauerkraut, or tomato salsa under either tier without a food license. MDA says producers using a non-standard recipe can have the pH tested at a food testing laboratory or test it themselves with a pH meter, and the guidance recommends tested recipes such as those from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

What you cannot make under Minnesota cottage food

None of these qualify under either tier:

  • Foods that need refrigeration for safety — cheesecake, custard or cream pies, tres leches cake, fresh whipped cream, and cakes decorated with cut fresh fruit.
  • Frostings and fillings made with eggs, cream, milk, or cream cheese, unless the finished product is documented as non-potentially hazardous.
  • Meat, poultry, fish, and seafood — including jerky, pickled meats, and pickled eggs. MDA also lists tamales, egg rolls, and charcuterie boards as not allowed.
  • Dairy products — cheese, yogurt, butter, and ghee.
  • Chocolate-covered fresh fruit such as strawberries, pineapple, or melon.
  • Home-canned low-acid foods — vegetables, soups, stews, and beans — and refrigerator or freezer pickles.
  • Raw, unpasteurized juice and ready-to-serve drinks prepared on site.
  • Foods containing THC, CBD, or other edible cannabinoids. MDA says these are excluded from the definition of food.

A producer who wants to make any of these for sale needs a food license. The Licensing Liaison request form linked from MDA's cottage food guidance (opens in new tab) is the starting point.

Where you can sell

Under Minn. Stat. § 28A.152, subd. 2, as in force until July 31, 2027, a registered producer may sell:

  • From home to the ultimate consumer, to the extent local ordinances allow. MDA says an unattended stand at home is allowed if zoning permits it, with all labeling and signage rules still in place.
  • At farmers' markets — defined by MDA as three or more people selling products of their farms or gardens at a defined location open to the public.
  • At community events — organized events with a defined start and end time and multiple vendors, on public or private property with permission.
  • By donation to a community event raising funds for an individual or for an educational, charitable, or religious organization. The producer does not need to attend.

Online orders and delivery. Producers may advertise and take orders online, and the website must display "These products are homemade and not subject to state inspection." But the food must reach the customer in person: pickup at the producer's home, at a market or event booth, or delivery. The statute says the individual who prepared the food must deliver it, and MDA guidance says the producer or an employee must be physically present for the sale or delivery, at the customer's home or another agreed location within Minnesota. MDA says human cottage food "cannot be shipped or delivered through the mail or a third-party shipping service."

What is not authorized today: shipping human cottage food by mail or commercial carrier, using a third-party delivery service, selling to or through retail stores (even as a pop-up, unless a qualifying farmers market or community event is taking place there), wholesaling to businesses for resale, leaving products for pickup somewhere other than your home or the customer's home, and selling home-canned products outside Minnesota. MDA added a line to registration cards to make the point: "This is not a license. Products cannot be resold."

Across state lines. MDA says non-canned cottage foods such as baked goods "can cross state lines" when provided in person, but home-canned products must be both made and sold in Minnesota, and a producer selling in another state must follow that state's laws. Non-residents may register in Minnesota, but must deliver their food in person within Minnesota.

Pet treats are the exception to the shipping rule: registered producers may already ship cottage pet treats by mail or commercial delivery.

What goes on a Minnesota cottage food label

Minn. Stat. § 28A.152, subd. 1(a)(1)(i), and MDA's guidance require these elements on every cottage food product, at both tiers:

  1. Your full name as the registrant, or the business name on your cottage food registration.
  2. Your registration number or the address submitted on your registration. Any registered producer may use the registration number instead of an address.
  3. The date the food was made. For home-canned goods, the date they were processed and canned.
  4. The ingredients, including any possible allergens. MDA lists the major food allergens as milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, and sesame, declared either in parentheses in the ingredient list or in a "Contains" statement next to it.
  5. The statement "These products are homemade and not subject to state inspection." The statute sets no minimum type size.

MDA says QR codes cannot replace any required label information. For food dispensed from bulk containers at a market or event, a compliant label must still be attached to the package or handed to the customer.

Signs and websites. Separately from the label, the producer must display "a clearly legible sign or placard" at the point of sale with the same statement, "These products are homemade and not subject to state inspection." (subd. 1(a)(1)(ii)). For internet sales, the statement must be displayed on the website that offers the food (subd. 2(d)).

How Ardent Seller helps with the Minnesota label

Ardent Seller assembles this label. Pick a finished product, choose Minnesota, and the cottage food label generator pulls together your name or registered business name, your address (or your MDA registration number in its place), the date the food was made from a completed production run, the ingredient statement in descending order by weight with sub-ingredients in parentheses, the federal "Contains:" allergen line, and the Minn. Stat. § 28A.152 statement exactly as the statute words it. A validation checklist shows every element Minnesota requires, blocks printing while a required one is missing, and reminds you about the point-of-sale sign and website statement. Output is a PDF sheet (Avery 5163, 4″×6″, or full page) or a direct print.

Generate your Minnesota cottage food label with Ardent Seller free — the label generator is included on every plan, including the free tier.

What changes on August 1, 2027

Minnesota passed revisions to the cottage food law in 2025 (Laws 2025, chapter 34, article 5, sections 14 to 19). They take effect August 1, 2027, and MDA says it began implementation planning in 2026. The key changes:

  • One registration tier. The Tier 1 and Tier 2 distinction ends.
  • A $30 annual fee for all registrants. The fee exemption for small sellers goes away.
  • Training for everyone. All registrants complete the approved safe food handling course, up to eight hours, every three years.
  • Shipping allowed. An exempt food product may be delivered by the person who prepared it, by mail, or by commercial delivery. MDA describes this as shipping within Minnesota.
  • An inflation-adjusted cap. The commissioner must adjust the $78,000 limit every two years using the Consumer Price Index, with July 2025 as the base.
  • Who qualifies. The exemption covers an individual, a sole proprietorship, a single-member LLC, or an LLC owned by two individuals residing at the same residence. A person who holds a Minnesota food handler license under § 28A.04 cannot use it.

The label rules, the food list, and the point-of-sale sign requirement do not change. Until August 1, 2027, the current two-tier rules — including the in-person delivery requirement — still apply.

Where Minnesota sits in the cottage food map

For producers comparing Minnesota against neighboring or peer states, the table below sets the current Minnesota framework against other frequently discussed regimes. Cells for other states reflect the Ardent Seller state reference data as of September 2026.

Dimension Minnesota Wisconsin Iowa Michigan Ohio Pennsylvania California (Class B)
Revenue cap $78,000 No cap (baked goods); $5,000 (Pickle Bill) No cap (shelf-stable tier); $50,000 (home food processing tier) $50,000 ($75,000 if selling $250+ items) None None $177,756 (2026)
State registration All producers ($0 up to $7,665; $50 above) None None for shelf-stable tier None (optional MSU Product Center registration) None $35 LFE registration County Class B permit
Required training All producers (free annual course, or approved course every 3 years) None None for shelf-stable tier None None None CDPH-approved food processor course
Kitchen inspection None routine None None for shelf-stable tier None None Yes Yes (Class B)
Acidified foods (pickles, salsa) Home-canned, pH ≤ 4.6 Pickle Bill (home-canned, $5,000 cap) Excluded Excluded Excluded Permitted (pH testing) Excluded
Wholesale to retailers Excluded Excluded Not listed Excluded Permitted Permitted Permitted (Class B)
Shipping Not allowed until Aug 1, 2027 (in-person delivery) Not allowed Not listed In-state, after a chance to interact with the operator In-state mail Permitted In-state delivery
Interstate shipping Excluded Excluded Excluded Excluded Excluded Permitted Excluded

Two things stand out in the Minnesota column.

First, Minnesota registers every producer, even the smallest. The two tiers change the fee and the training, not whether a producer registers. Among the states in this table, only Pennsylvania and California (Class B) also require every home producer to register or hold a permit, and both add an inspection that Minnesota does not.

Second, Minnesota's home-canned foods allowance is among the more permissive. Michigan, Ohio, California, and Iowa exclude acidified foods in the comparison above, and Wisconsin caps home-canned sales at $5,000 under its Pickle Bill. Minnesota allows home-canned pickles, vegetables, and fruits at a pH of 4.6 or below at both tiers with no additional license, up to the $78,000 cap.

The trade-offs that come with both: Minnesota does not authorize wholesale to retailers (Pennsylvania and Ohio do), does not authorize interstate sales (Pennsylvania does, as do a few states outside this table, such as Florida), does not yet allow shipping at all, and the $78,000 cap is well below Texas, California Class B, and Florida. Producers approaching that cap need to plan the transition to a licensed food business before they cross.

Where Minnesota cottage food ends

The $78,000 cap is the upper bound of the cottage food exemption. A producer who expects to exceed it, or who wants to sell foods, channels, or locations the exemption does not allow, needs a food license.

MDA says food licenses have no annual sales limit, allow a wider range of foods, and allow several types of sales, including shipping. They also require approved kitchen space and equipment that meets regulatory requirements, and MDA says no home food preparation or storage is allowed under a license. The type of license and the agency that issues it depend on who you sell to, where the food is made and stored, and how and where sales take place. MDA's Food Licensing Liaison request form is the starting point.

The transition window matters. Finding and outfitting a licensed kitchen takes time, so a producer who expects to pass $78,000 within the next year should contact MDA early rather than after the cap is already in sight.

What to do this week

If you are selling without a registration, stop and register. Complete the training for your expected sales level (MDA's free Tier 1 course and exam, or the University of Minnesota Extension course for Tier 2), then apply through MDA's registration portal. You may sell once you appear in MDA's license lookup.

If you ship orders or use a delivery service, switch to in-person handoff: pickup at your home, a market, or an event, or delivery by you or an employee within Minnesota. Shipping human cottage food becomes legal August 1, 2027, not before.

If your labels do not show a date, add the date the food was made (or canned) to every label, and make sure your point-of-sale sign and website carry "These products are homemade and not subject to state inspection."

If you are close to $7,665, decide which tier fits your expected sales before your next registration. Registering at Tier 2 from the start avoids retaking training mid-year.

If you are approaching $78,000, start the licensing conversation with MDA now.

If you sell across multiple channels, track your gross receipts across all of them. The tier line and the cap apply to total cottage food sales, not per channel. A producer doing $3,200 at farmers markets and $4,800 in home pickup orders is at $8,000, above the Tier 1 line. Inventory software built for makers — like Ardent Seller's bakery and cottage food tracking — handles cross-channel gross revenue automatically and surfaces it on a live revenue dashboard; for producers using spreadsheets, a single tab that sums all sales by date is sufficient at the volumes most Minnesota cottage food operations run.

Free resources

A few free downloads from the Ardent Workshop library that pair well with this post:

Sources & methodology

Minnesota statute, legislation, and agency guidance:

Comparison-state references (table cells reflect the Ardent Seller state reference data as of September 2026):

Federal:

Note on data freshness: This guide reflects Minnesota Statutes section 28A.152 as in force in September 2026 (last amended by Laws 2021, chapter 28, for current purposes) and the amendments in Laws 2025, chapter 34, that take effect August 1, 2027, checked against the revisor's text and MDA's cottage food pages on September 15, 2026. An earlier version of this guide described Tier 1 as requiring no registration, said in-state shipping was allowed, and omitted the label date; those errors are corrected here. The $7,665 figure is MDA's published fee-exemption amount; verify it against MDA's current registration page before relying on it. Where a secondary source conflicts with the statute or MDA guidance, the statute and agency guidance control.

This article is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal, regulatory, food-safety, or tax advice. Minnesota cottage food law — the registration tiers, fee and training requirements, the $78,000 cap, food categories, label and sign rules, sales and delivery rules, the 2027 amendments, and federal interstate-commerce rules — varies by product and changes with new legislation or departmental guidance. Consult the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the Minnesota Department of Revenue, your city or county zoning office, a qualified food regulatory consultant, or an attorney before making compliance, financial, or production decisions based on this content.

Frequently asked questions

$78,000 in gross receipts per calendar year (Minn. Stat. § 28A.152, subd. 3). Above that, a food license is required. The $7,665 figure that often appears alongside it is not a second cap: it is the sales level at or below which the $50 registration fee is waived. The $78,000 cap is not currently adjusted for inflation; under the 2025 amendments, it will be adjusted every two years beginning August 1, 2027.

Both tiers must register with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture before selling. Tier 1 producers have annual sales of $7,665 or less, pay no registration fee, and complete MDA's free online training and exam every year. Tier 2 producers have sales of $7,666 to $78,000, pay a $50 annual fee, and take an approved safe food handling course (University of Minnesota Extension, up to eight hours, fees apply) every three years. The food, labeling, and sales rules are the same for both. Starting August 1, 2027, the tiers merge: everyone pays $30 and takes the approved course.

Yes, every cottage food producer must, regardless of how little they sell. MDA says all individuals who want to make and sell foods under the Cottage Food Law must register before selling. Complete the training for your expected sales first, then register online; MDA mails a registration card with a registration number. Registration is annual and expires March 31. Only people who are not regularly engaged in selling food, such as an occasional bake sale for a charitable organization, are exempt.

You can take orders online, but you cannot ship. Under current law (§ 28A.152, subd. 2), food delivered to a customer must be delivered by the person who prepared it, and internet sales must be delivered directly to the customer by that person; MDA guidance also allows an employee to be present for the sale or delivery. Customers can pick up at your home, a farmers market, or a community event, or you can deliver in person within Minnesota. Human cottage foods cannot go by mail or a shipping or delivery service until August 1, 2027, when delivery by mail or commercial carrier becomes legal (MDA says within Minnesota). Cottage pet treats may already be shipped.

Yes, as home-canned products. Minn. Stat. § 28A.152, subd. 1(a)(2) covers home-processed and home-canned pickles, vegetables, or fruits with an equilibrium pH of 4.6 or lower or a water activity of 0.85 or less, processed and canned in Minnesota. They may not be sold outside Minnesota, and each container must show the canning date. The MDA-linked non-potentially hazardous foods guidance lists pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, tomato salsa, pepper sauce, barbecue sauce, and mustard as allowed when they meet the standard, and excludes refrigerator pickles and home-canned low-acid foods. MDA suggests laboratory testing or a pH meter for non-standard recipes.

Your full name or registered business name; your registration number or your address; the date the food was made; the ingredients, including any major food allergens; and the statement "These products are homemade and not subject to state inspection." (Minn. Stat. § 28A.152, subd. 1(a)(1)(i) and MDA guidance). Any registered producer may use the registration number instead of an address. The same statement must also appear on a clearly legible sign at the point of sale and on any website where you sell.

All producers train before registering. Tier 1 producers ($7,665 or less in annual sales) complete MDA's free online training course and exam every year. Tier 2 producers ($7,666 to $78,000) complete a safe food handling course approved by the commissioner, up to eight hours, every three years and whenever they move up from Tier 1; MDA points to the University of Minnesota Extension course, offered online or in person for a fee. A certified food manager credential does not substitute.

Amendments passed in 2025 (Laws 2025, chapter 34, article 5) take effect August 1, 2027. They create one registration tier with a $30 annual fee for everyone, require the approved safe food handling course for all registrants, allow exempt food to be delivered by mail or commercial delivery (MDA says within Minnesota), adjust the $78,000 cap every two years for inflation from a July 2025 base, and define who qualifies: an individual, a sole proprietorship, a single-member LLC, or an LLC owned by two individuals residing at the same residence. Until then, the current two-tier rules apply.