2026 reference
District of Columbia Cottage Food Law
District of Columbia's cottage food law sets an annual revenue cap of $50,000 and producers must register with the state before the first sale. Direct sales, farmers markets, retail, and online sales permitted.
Watch for: DC's ID-number system is uncommon and useful — it preserves your address privacy on every label.
Key facts
Where you can sell
Direct sales, farmers markets, retail, and online sales permitted.
- Direct (in-person)
- Farmers markets
- Online (in-state)
- Retail / grocery
What's required before your first sale
Registration plus food handler training required. Labels must include a DC-issued ID number in place of your home address.
Label requirements
- Name of the cottage food business and either the business address OR a DC Health-issued cottage food business identification number in place of the home address
- Cottage food business identification number issued by DC Health
- Product name
- Complete ingredient list in descending order of predominance by weight (with sub-ingredients in parentheses for compound ingredients)
- Net quantity of contents
- Verbatim disclosure required under Title 25-K DCMR, printed in 10-point or larger type in a color that provides clear contrast with the label background: "Made by a cottage food business that is not subject to the District of Columbia's food safety regulations."
- Federal allergen labeling under FALCPA + FASTER Act: "Contains:" statement for any of the nine major allergens (milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, sesame)
Generate your District of Columbia disclosure label in one click
Ardent Seller assembles a print-ready cottage food label for District of Columbia from data you already track — the state's required disclosure statement rendered verbatim (and sized to meet the state's minimum type size where one applies), your operator info, ingredients in descending order by weight, the federal "Contains:" allergen line, net weight, and lot code. A validation checklist flags anything District of Columbia requires that's missing before you print. Included on every plan.
Sources
- DC Department of Health — Cottage Food Businesses
- Forrager — cottage food law database
- District of Columbia Municipal Regulations Title 25-K (Cottage Food Businesses)
Reference content only — not legal advice. State laws change frequently. Verify against the official source before launching.
Tools that work with District of Columbia
Compare with nearby states
Run your District of Columbia cottage food business in one place
Ardent Seller tracks ingredients, batches, labels, and revenue against your state's cap — built for cottage food producers.