Illinois Cottage Food Law

Annual registration with the local health department for the unit of local government where the operation is located; once registered, the operation may sell anywhere in Illinois (410 ILCS 625/4(b)(1.3)). The fee may not exceed $50 ((c)). The 2026 IDPH/Extension Cottage Food Guide registration checklist: a Certified Food Protection Manager certificate, a list of products, a product label for each category, water test results for a private well, the fee, and, for acidified or fermented foods, a tested recipe or a food safety plan with a representative pH test. The registration number is specific to one kitchen, which must be in the operator's primary residence or on the farm. A county with no local health department must contract with an adjacent county's health department to register operations (PA 103-0903).

Under 410 ILCS 625/4(b)(2), an operator selling a fermented or acidified food either submits a recipe tested by USDA or a cooperative extension, or submits a written food safety plan for each category of products made with the same procedures (such as pickles, kimchi, or hot sauce) plus a pH test for one representative product. The plan is resubmitted annually at registration and the pH test every 3 years. Canned acidified or fermented foods must be processed in a boiling water bath in a Mason-style jar or glass container with a tight-fitting lid; uncanned ones must be kept in new, clean, properly sealing containers and stored, transported, and sold at or below 41°F ((b)(3)). Canned tomato products need an exactly followed tested recipe or a commercial laboratory acidification test, with annual test results ((b)(1.6)). Kombucha is prohibited.

Does Illinois have a revenue cap on cottage food sales?

No. Illinois repealed its cottage food revenue cap years ago: Public Act 100-0035 struck the $36,000 annual gross receipts limit effective January 1, 2018, and the Home-to-Market Act (Public Act 102-0633, effective January 1, 2022) rewrote the rest of the framework without adding a new one. 410 ILCS 625/4 as currently in force sets no sales ceiling. Summaries that still quote a cap are out of date.

Can Illinois cottage food operators sell to grocery stores or restaurants?

No. 410 ILCS 625/4(b)(11) requires that cottage food be "sold directly to consumers for their own consumption and not for resale." The 2026 IDPH/Extension Cottage Food Guide says cottage foods cannot be sold wholesale to a coffee shop, grocery, boutique, or other retail store, or to a restaurant to use as an ingredient. A pop-up inside a retail space or licensed facility is allowed only with the property owner's consent and with the operator or an employee present for each sale. Selling through stores or restaurants requires a licensed commercial operation.

Can I ship Illinois cottage food to customers in other states?

No. 410 ILCS 625/4(b)(12) says a cottage food product "shall not be shipped out of State." Within Illinois, only foods that are not time/temperature control for safety (TCS) foods may be shipped, and each shipped product must be sealed in a way that reveals tampering, such as a sticker or pop top. The 2026 IDPH/Extension guide adds that online platforms such as Etsy are allowed only for sales within Illinois.

What does Illinois require to register a cottage food operation?

Register annually with the local health department where the operation is located. The fee may not exceed $50, and the 2026 IDPH/Extension guide says departments charge between $0 and $50. Every person who prepares or packages the food must be a Department-approved Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM); the guide says a food handler card is not valid, describes the CFPM as an ANSI-accredited course of about eight hours with a proctored exam, typically $100 to $300, and says it is renewed every five years. The registration checklist also includes a product list, a label for each product category, water test results for a private well, and, for acidified or fermented foods, a tested recipe or a food safety plan with a pH test. There is no routine inspection.

What foods can I make under Illinois cottage food law?

Illinois lists what you cannot make, and foods not on the list may be sold. 410 ILCS 625/4(b)(1.5) prohibits meat, poultry, fish, seafood, or shellfish; dairy, except as an ingredient in a non-TCS baked good or candy or in a baked-good frosting; eggs, except as a non-raw ingredient in a non-TCS food or frosting; pumpkin pies, sweet potato pies, cheesecakes, custard pies, creme pies, and pastries with TCS fillings or toppings; unacidified garlic in oil; low-acid canned foods; sprouts; cut leafy greens (unless dehydrated, acidified, or blanched and frozen); cut or pureed fresh tomato or melon; dehydrated tomato or melon; frozen cut melon; wild-harvested mushrooms; alcoholic beverages; and kombucha. Foods that need time/temperature control must be held at the required holding temperatures.

Are acidified and fermented foods like pickles, salsa, and hot sauce allowed?

Yes. Under 410 ILCS 625/4(b)(2), the operator either submits a recipe tested by USDA or a cooperative extension, or submits a written food safety plan for each category of products made with the same procedures plus a pH test for one representative product. The plan is resubmitted annually at registration, and the pH test every 3 years. Canned acidified or fermented foods must be processed in a boiling water bath in a Mason-style jar or glass container with a tight-fitting lid; uncanned ones must be stored, transported, and sold at or below 41°F. Canned tomato products need an exactly followed tested recipe or a commercial laboratory acidification test with annual results. Kombucha is prohibited.

What has to appear on an Illinois cottage food label?

Under 410 ILCS 625/4(b)(7): the name of the cottage food operation and the unit of local government where it is located; the registration number and the municipality or county where the registration was filed; the common name of the product; all ingredients in descending order by weight; the date the product was processed; federal allergen labeling; and, in prominent lettering, "This product was produced in a home kitchen not inspected by a health department that may also process common food allergens. If you have safety concerns, contact your local health department." The 2026 IDPH/Extension guide also lists net weight. Separately, a placard at the display or a message in the online checkout must carry the shorter point-of-sale notice.

What did the 2024 amendment (Public Act 103-0903) change?

Senate Bill 2617 was signed August 9, 2024 and took effect January 1, 2025. It added mobile farmers markets as a direct-sale venue; required a county without a local health department to contract with an adjacent county's health department to register cottage food operations; replaced "potentially hazardous" with "time/temperature control for safety" terminology; added water activity to the definition of an acidified food; defined employees; allowed alcohol in extracts and as an ingredient in baked goods that are not beverages; and required TCS foods to be held at the Department's holding temperatures. It did not add a revenue cap or change the direct-to-consumer or in-state-only rules.