2026 reference
Louisiana Cottage Food Law
Louisiana's cottage food law sets an annual revenue cap of $100,000 and no state permit or registration is required. La. R.S. 40:4.9 exempts low-risk foods prepared in the home for sale and does not list approved venues. Its only channel restriction is that an individual who prepares breads, cakes, cookies, or pies in the home for sale to the public may not sell them to any retail business or individual for resale (40:4.9(C)). The statute does not address online orders, delivery, shipping, or selling other low-risk foods to stores, so confirm those channels with the Louisiana Department of Health before relying on them. The seller must hold a current sales tax certificate from the sales and use tax collector for the parish where sales occur (40:4.9(D)(2)).
Watch for: The sales limit is now $100,000 a year (Act 801 of 2026, effective August 1, 2026); guides showing $30,000, or the earlier $20,000, are out of date, and reaching $100,000 in gross annual sales ends the exemption. Home bakers of breads, cakes, cookies, and pies cannot employ help or sell to stores or anyone reselling the product. No health permit is needed, but a current parish sales tax certificate is.
Key facts
Where you can sell
La. R.S. 40:4.9 exempts low-risk foods prepared in the home for sale and does not list approved venues. Its only channel restriction is that an individual who prepares breads, cakes, cookies, or pies in the home for sale to the public may not sell them to any retail business or individual for resale (40:4.9(C)). The statute does not address online orders, delivery, shipping, or selling other low-risk foods to stores, so confirm those channels with the Louisiana Department of Health before relying on them. The seller must hold a current sales tax certificate from the sales and use tax collector for the parish where sales occur (40:4.9(D)(2)).
- Direct (in-person)
- Farmers markets
What's required before your first sale
No health permit, food registration, or kitchen inspection: no provision of the state Sanitary Code or other law requiring particular equipment, design, construction, utensils, supplies, preparation, or services applies to low-risk foods prepared in the home for sale (La. R.S. 40:4.9(A)(1)(a)). The seller must be registered to collect any applicable local sales and use taxes, shown by a current parish sales tax certificate ((D)(2)). Home preparation of breads, cakes, cookies, and pies carries statutory conditions ((A)(2)): outside openings protected against flies and vermin, pets excluded from preparation and baking areas, clean and easily cleanable equipment, perishable ingredients refrigerated at 45°F or below, food contact surfaces sanitized after each day's production, and pasteurized milk plus specified cooking and chilling for custard or cream fillings. A preparer of breads, cakes, cookies, or pies who employs anyone to help prepare them loses the exemption ((A)(1)(b)). The exemption does not apply once gross annual sales reach $100,000 ((B), raised from $30,000 by Act 801 of 2026, effective August 1, 2026).
Allowed and excluded foods
Permitted under cottage food
- baked goods, including breads, cakes, cookies, and pies
- candies
- cane syrup
- dried mixes
- honey and honeycomb products
- jams, jellies, and preserves
- pickles and acidified foods
- sauces and syrups
- spices
Excluded from cottage food
- any food consisting of animal muscle protein or fish protein (La. R.S. 40:4.9(E))
- food containing cannabidiol (CBD), unless the FDA approves cannabidiol as a food additive (40:4.9(F))
Label requirements
- A label affixed to any low-risk food offered for sale that clearly indicates that the food was not produced in a licensed or regulated facility (La. R.S. 40:4.9(D)(1)(a)) — the statute prescribes the required meaning, not an exact sentence, so the producer supplies wording that conveys it
- Exception: raw honey that is not pasteurized, filtered, or otherwise processed in a way that removes its natural pollen does not need this label (40:4.9(D)(1)(b))
- La. R.S. 40:4.9 requires no other label elements (no name, address, ingredient list, or net quantity); federal packaged-food labeling rules may still apply, and listing ingredients with a "Contains:" statement for the nine major allergens (milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, sesame) is good practice
Generate your Louisiana disclosure label in one click
Ardent Seller assembles a print-ready cottage food label for Louisiana 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 Louisiana requires that's missing before you print. Included on every plan.
Sources
- Louisiana State Legislature — La. R.S. 40:4.9 (the posted text may not yet reflect Act 801 of 2026)
- Forrager — cottage food law database
- La. R.S. 40:4.9 — Low-risk foods; preparation in home for public consumption
- Act 801 of 2026 (HB 403) — raises the R.S. 40:4.9(B) gross annual sales limit to $100,000, effective August 1, 2026
- HB 403 (2026 Regular Session) — bill history: signed June 8, 2026, effective August 1, 2026
- Act 357 of 2022 (HB 828) — raised the limit from $20,000 to $30,000
Reference content only — not legal advice. State laws change frequently. Verify against the official source before launching.
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