Kentucky Cottage Food Law

Kentucky's cottage food law sets an annual revenue cap of $60,000 and producers must register with the state before the first sale. Home-based processors may advertise and accept orders and payments in person, electronically, or by internet or phone, but must provide every product in person, directly to consumers within Kentucky: pick-up or delivery from the home, farmers and flea markets, festivals, county and craft fairs, non-profit charity and community events, or a roadside stand (KRS 217.136(5); 902 KAR 45:090 § 3(3)-(4)). Shipping is not permitted. Home-based microprocessors may sell only at farmers markets, certified roadside stands, or on their farm (KRS 217.137(2)).

Watch for: No shipping: online and phone orders are fine, but every product must be handed over in person within Kentucky. Budget for the $50 annual registration, which renews each March 31. The cap is $60,000 (raised from the older $20,000 figure that some third-party guides still show).

Annual revenue cap

$60,000

Permit / registration

Registration required

Kitchen inspection

Not required

Food handler training

Not required

Acidified foods

Excluded

Interstate shipping

In-state only

Where you can sell

Home-based processors may advertise and accept orders and payments in person, electronically, or by internet or phone, but must provide every product in person, directly to consumers within Kentucky: pick-up or delivery from the home, farmers and flea markets, festivals, county and craft fairs, non-profit charity and community events, or a roadside stand (KRS 217.136(5); 902 KAR 45:090 § 3(3)-(4)). Shipping is not permitted. Home-based microprocessors may sell only at farmers markets, certified roadside stands, or on their farm (KRS 217.137(2)).

Direct (in-person)
Farmers markets
Online (in-state)

What's required before your first sale

Home-based processors register with the Department for Public Health Food Safety Branch (form DFS-250) and pay a $50 annual registration fee; the registration expires March 31 each year (902 KAR 45:090 § 3(7)-(8)). Inspection is made on complaint, and the statute allows annual inspection (KRS 217.136(7)). The $60,000 annual gross-income cap applies to both home-based processors (non-potentially-hazardous foods and, since July 15, 2026, pork lard or tallow-based cosmetic products) and home-based microprocessors (farmers making acidified and low-acid canned foods under University of Kentucky certification and process approval) (KRS 217.015(56)-(57)).

Label requirements

Name and address of the home-based processing operation
Common or usual name of the food product
Ingredients in descending order of predominance by weight
Net weight and volume by standard measure or numerical count
Verbatim disclosure required by KRS 217.136(3)(e), in ten-point type: "This product is home-produced and processed" (hyphenated; the statute carries no trailing period)
The date the product was processed
Allergen information per 21 U.S.C. 343(w) (902 KAR 45:090 § 3(5)(b))
Since July 15, 2026 (SB 73, 2026 Ky. Acts ch. 52), the same KRS 217.136(3) label elements apply to pork lard or tallow-based cosmetic products made by home-based processors
Home-based microprocessors must additionally submit draft labels to the Cabinet for review before labeling and marketing (902 KAR 45:090 § 4(4))

How Ardent Seller helps

Generate your Kentucky disclosure label in one click

Ardent Seller assembles a print-ready cottage food label for Kentucky 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 Kentucky requires that's missing before you print. Included on every plan.

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