Minnesota Cottage Food Law

No registration, no fee, no training, no inspection. Available to any individual producing cottage food in a Minnesota home kitchen whose annual gross receipts do not exceed the Tier 1 threshold (statutory $5,000; approximately $7,665 for the 2025 program year as adjusted by MDA under § 28A.152 subd. 6). All other Minnesota cottage food rules apply — the food list, in-state-only restriction, labeling requirements including the statutory disclaimer, and pH documentation for acidified products. Producers must use their residential address on labels (the address-privacy option is available only at Tier 2). No grace period if the threshold is crossed — the producer must register for Tier 2 within thirty days.

Annual registration with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture for producers whose annual gross receipts exceed the Tier 1 threshold (up to the $78,000 Tier 2 ceiling). $50 annual fee. Requires completion of a one-hour MDA-approved food safety course before the registration becomes effective. The training does not need to be repeated annually as long as registration is maintained continuously; producers who let registration lapse and re-register later must retake the course. Tier 2 registrants may use their MDA-issued registration number on labels in lieu of a residential address (address-privacy convenience). The MDA does not inspect Tier 2 home kitchens. Registration expires December 31 of each year and must be renewed.

Both the $5,000 Tier 1 threshold and the $78,000 Tier 2 ceiling are adjusted annually by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture based on the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). MDA publishes the adjusted figures each year before the start of the next program year. As of the 2025 program year, the Tier 1 threshold sits at approximately $7,665. Producers brushing either line should check the MDA Cottage Food Producer Registration page in January (or whenever MDA publishes the new figures) for the current program-year line before relying on a remembered figure. The original statutory $5,000 / $78,000 figures are still in the statute text but are not the operative compliance lines for any current program year.

Minnesota is one of the more permissive cottage food states on acidified foods. Pickles, hot sauce, salsa, BBQ sauce, mustard, chutneys, relishes, and other acidified products are permitted at both Tier 1 and Tier 2 provided two conditions are met: (1) the finished product has a measured equilibrium pH of 4.6 or below, mirroring the FDA acidified-foods threshold under 21 CFR Part 114, and (2) the producer measures and documents the pH of each batch using a calibrated pH meter (test strips alone are not sufficient for documentation). pH records do not appear on the label but must be available for MDA inspection on request. Fermented foods that cannot reach pH 4.6 (kombucha at full ferment, sauerkraut without added acidification, water kefir) and low-acid canned foods (canned vegetables, soups, broths) remain excluded regardless of any acidification.

What is the revenue cap on Minnesota cottage food sales?

Two caps, not one. Under Minnesota Statutes section 28A.152, a cottage food producer with annual gross receipts of $5,000 or less (the statutory Tier 1 figure, adjusted by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to approximately $7,665 for the 2025 program year) may operate without state registration. A registered cottage food producer may sell up to $78,000 in annual gross receipts (the statutory Tier 2 ceiling, also adjusted annually). The two amounts are not a stacked allowance — a producer who hits $78,000 cannot also add a separate $7,665 on top. The $78,000 figure is the absolute upper bound of the cottage food framework; any producer above it must transition to a fully licensed food handler operation.

What is the difference between Tier 1 and Tier 2 in Minnesota?

Tier 1 is the no-paperwork doorway. A producer who sells under the Tier 1 threshold ($5,000 statutory; approximately $7,665 for the 2025 program year) does not have to register, does not have to take training, and does not have to pay any fee. Tier 1 producers must still follow every other Minnesota cottage food rule — the food list, the in-state-only restriction, the labeling rules, the home-kitchen requirement. Tier 2 is the registered cottage food producer track for anyone selling between the Tier 1 threshold and the $78,000 ceiling. Tier 2 requires annual registration with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, completion of a one-hour MDA-approved food safety course, and an annual $50 registration fee. The food rules, label rules, venue rules, and acidified-foods rules are otherwise identical at both tiers.

Do I need to register with the State of Minnesota to sell cottage food?

Only if your gross receipts exceed the Tier 1 threshold ($5,000 statutory; approximately $7,665 for the 2025 program year). Below that, no registration, no fee, no training, no inspection. At or above that, registration with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture is required within thirty days of crossing the threshold. Registration is annual, costs $50, and is paired with a one-hour MDA-approved food safety course that must be completed before the registration becomes effective. The MDA does not inspect cottage food kitchens, does not require a permit, and does not visit producers — the registration is administrative.

Can I sell Minnesota cottage food online or ship to other states?

Yes to online, no to interstate. Minnesota cottage food sales may occur directly to consumers in person, at farmers markets, at community events, and through online ordering delivered to in-state addresses. In-state mail order and courier delivery are permitted. Shipping a box of cookies from Saint Paul to a customer in Madison crosses a state line and moves the sale into federal FDA jurisdiction, which does not recognize state cottage food exemptions. The interstate exclusion applies at both Tier 1 and Tier 2. Producers who want to ship out of state need to upgrade to a fully licensed Minnesota food handler operation under separate provisions of the Minnesota Food Code, and FDA Food Facility Registration applies on top.

Can I make pickles, salsa, hot sauce, or fermented foods under Minnesota cottage food?

Minnesota is more permissive on this than most cottage food states. The framework allows naturally high-acid foods (jams, jellies, fruit butters, preserves) and acidified foods (pickles, salsas, hot sauces, BBQ sauces, mustards) provided the finished product has a measured equilibrium pH of 4.6 or below. The pH testing requirement is real — producers must measure and document the pH of each acidified product, and the MDA may request records. Naturally low-acid pickled or fermented foods (fermented vegetables, kombucha, low-acid sauces) and any product that cannot reach pH 4.6 by acidification are excluded. The same allowance applies at both Tier 1 and Tier 2.

What goes on a Minnesota cottage food label?

Six elements. The name and address of the cottage food producer (Tier 2 producers may use their MDA registration number in lieu of a residential address as an address-privacy convenience). The name of the food. A complete ingredient list in descending order by weight, with sub-ingredients in parentheses for compound ingredients. The net weight or volume. A "Contains:" allergen statement covering any of the nine major allergens recognized under federal FALCPA and the FASTER Act (milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, sesame). And the statutory disclaimer required by Minn. Stat. section 28A.152, subd. 2(c): "These products are homemade and not subject to state inspection." The disclaimer wording is set by statute and may not be paraphrased.

What food safety training does Tier 2 require?

One hour, online, free or low-cost, from an MDA-approved provider. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture publishes a list of approved courses; the most commonly used is the MDA-developed "Better Process Control School for Cottage Food Producers" online module. The course covers safe food handling, allergen awareness, the cottage food labeling rules, the pH testing requirement for acidified products, and the cap structure. The training does not have to be repeated annually — once completed, it remains effective as long as the producer maintains continuous Tier 2 registration. A producer who lets their registration lapse and re-registers later must retake the course.

What happens if I cross the Tier 1 line mid-year without being registered?

The statute requires the producer to register within thirty days of crossing the threshold. A producer who sells $4,800 by August and then sells a $600 wedding cake on September 1 has crossed the Tier 1 line that day and has until October 1 to register. The remaining months of the year continue to count against the Tier 2 ceiling of $78,000. If the producer does not register within the thirty-day window and continues to sell, the operation is technically out of compliance from day thirty-one forward; the practical consequence is that the MDA may issue a written notice requiring immediate registration or cessation of sales, and any consumer complaint during the unregistered period may trigger a wider investigation. The fix is mechanical — register, complete the course, pay the $50 fee — and the registration becomes effective on completion.