Maryland Cottage Food Law

Maryland's cottage food law sets an annual revenue cap of $100,000 and no state permit or registration is required. Direct sales from the residence, at farmers markets and public events, by personal delivery, and by mail delivery within Maryland; online advertising is allowed but sales are Maryland-only. Sales to a licensed retail food store (such as a grocery store, convenience store, retail bakery, or food co-op) are allowed with the product in its original packaging, after written approval from the Maryland Department of Health. Restaurants, coffee shops, cafeterias, and other food service businesses do not count as retail food stores. Out-of-state sales are prohibited.

Watch for: The cap is $100,000 (raised from $50,000 on October 1, 2026, by HB 535). Butter-based buttercream, royal icing with meringue powder, and other perishable icings are not allowed unless lab testing shows they are shelf-stable, and pumpkin, meringue, and pecan pies are not allowed (MDH). Retail sales go only to licensed retail food stores, and only after MDH approves your labels in writing.

Annual revenue cap

$100,000

Permit / registration

Not required

Kitchen inspection

Not required

Food handler training

Not required

Acidified foods

Excluded

Interstate shipping

In-state only

Deep dive

Read the full Maryland cottage food law guide

Editorial guide with statute citations, special-program details, label requirements, and complete FAQ coverage.

Where you can sell

Direct sales from the residence, at farmers markets and public events, by personal delivery, and by mail delivery within Maryland; online advertising is allowed but sales are Maryland-only. Sales to a licensed retail food store (such as a grocery store, convenience store, retail bakery, or food co-op) are allowed with the product in its original packaging, after written approval from the Maryland Department of Health. Restaurants, coffee shops, cafeterias, and other food service businesses do not count as retail food stores. Out-of-state sales are prohibited.

Direct (in-person)
Farmers markets
Online (in-state)
In-state mail
Retail / grocery

What's required before your first sale

No license, registration, or routine inspection to sell directly; the local health department may inspect after a complaint or illness report, and county and municipal laws still apply. Before selling to a retail food store, submit your labels and proof of an ANSI-approved food safety course taken within 3 years, and wait for written notice from the Maryland Department of Health (COMAR 10.15.03.27 C(6)-(7)); the review is free. An MDH-issued identification number (with a phone number) can replace your address on labels.

Label requirements

Name and address of the cottage food business, OR the business name, phone number, and a Maryland Department of Health-issued identification number in lieu of the address (not a post office box)
Product name
Ingredients in descending order of predominance by weight, including sub-ingredients
Net weight or volume (MDH also accepts count)
Allergen information as specified by federal labeling requirements (a separate "Contains" statement is optional when all sub-ingredients are listed, per MDH)
Nutritional information as specified by federal labeling requirements, only if a nutritional claim is made
Verbatim disclosure required by COMAR 10.15.03.27, 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 Maryland's food safety regulations."
Retail food store sales add the business phone number (reachable within 24 hours), email address (answered within 48 hours), and the date the product was made

How Ardent Seller helps

Generate your Maryland disclosure label in one click

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

Start free See all food features