Ohio Cottage Food Law

Authorizes home-based production of potentially hazardous baked goods (cheesecakes, cream pies, custard fillings, cream-cheese frostings) that fall outside the cottage food list. $10/year, initial kitchen inspection by ODA, ongoing sanitation requirements.

Do I need a license or registration to sell cottage food in Ohio?

No. Ohio Cottage Food Production Operations are statutorily exempt from food processing establishment licensing under Ohio Revised Code 3715.021. No permit, no registration, no fee, no application form, and no routine inspection. The Ohio Department of Agriculture retains the right to sample finished cottage food products at retail to confirm they meet labeling and adulteration standards, but it does not enter the home kitchen.

Is there a revenue cap on Ohio cottage food sales?

No. Ohio imposes no statutory revenue ceiling on cottage food sales. A producer can sell $5,000 a year or $200,000 a year and the cottage food framework does not change. This puts Ohio in a small group of states (alongside New York, Pennsylvania, and a handful of others) where the rule does not have a "you are below this dollar number" tier. The constraints that replace the cap are the food list, the venue list, and the in-state-only restriction.

Can Ohio cottage food operators sell to grocery stores and restaurants?

Yes. This is one of the meaningful differences between Ohio and most cottage food states. The Ohio Department of Agriculture allows cottage food operators to wholesale their products to retail food establishments, including grocery stores, restaurants, and food service operators — provided the products themselves are on the approved cottage food list and the retailer accepts them.

Can I ship Ohio cottage food products to customers in other states?

No. Ohio Administrative Code 901:3-20-02 explicitly prohibits the sale of cottage food products outside of Ohio. Mail-order and direct-shipped sales are permitted within the state, but the moment the package crosses a state line, the product is in a different regulatory frame.

What is the Ohio Home Bakery License, and how is it different from cottage food?

The Home Bakery License is the ODA program that authorizes a home-based producer to make potentially hazardous baked goods — cheesecakes, cream pies, custard fillings, cream-cheese frostings, and other items that need refrigeration — that fall outside the cottage food list. A Home Bakery License costs $10 per year, requires an initial kitchen inspection by an ODA food safety inspector, and adds documentation and sanitation requirements.

Are acidified foods, pickles, salsas, or hot sauces allowed under Ohio cottage food law?

No. Ohio Revised Code 3715.025 explicitly excludes acidified foods, low-acid canned goods, and potentially hazardous foods from the cottage food framework. Hot sauce, salsa, pickles, fermented vegetables, kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, and chow-chow are all off the cottage food list.

What goes on an Ohio cottage food label?

Ohio Revised Code 3715.023 requires every cottage food product to carry the business name and address of the producer, the product's common name, the complete ingredient list in descending order by weight, the net weight or volume, an allergen statement for the major federal allergens, and the exact statement "This Product is Home Produced" in type no smaller than 10 point.