All individuals who want to make and sell foods described in the Cottage Food Law need to register with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) before selling food.
If you’re not regularly engaged in selling food, as defined in Minnesota Statute, then you don’t need to register. However, if you regularly sell cottage food at these types of venues or directly from your home, then you do need to register.
The cost of registration is determined by annual sales within the calendar year, which begins on January 1 and ends on December 31. The registration fee is $50 if you sell more than $7,665 in a year. If you sell $7,665 or less in a year, there is no fee.
See answer in Question 17 below. Note that the maximum amount of annual sales allowed under the Cottage Food Law is $78,000 for an individual.
Your registration expires on December 31 of the year it was issued. If you want to continue to sell food under the Cottage Food Law, you will need to re-register for each year that you are selling food.
Yes, you must complete training and pass an exam prior to registering and selling cottage food. For more information on training, see the Training section below.
You must comply with the ordinance and cannot produce and sell food from your home. Depending on the ordinance, it may be possible to make and sell food as a registered cottage food producer at an acceptable location such as a commercial kitchen. If you have a question about this, check with your city or county.
An individual who qualifies for a cottage food exemption may organize the individual's cottage food business as a business entity recognized by Minnesota state law. More information on legal Minnesota business entity structures can be found on the Minnesota Secretary of State Office website.
Yes. You can only register and sell food under the Cottage Food Law if you are selling a type of food allowed under law, have taken the proper training, are properly labeling the food, are selling and delivering the food directly to consumers in places allowed by the law, are not exceeding the $78,000 annual sales cap, and your local jurisdiction (city or county) does not have an ordinance restricting you to make and sell food from your home. Each of these topics are further explained in the sections below.
You can apply for a food license. Food licenses do not have restrictions on the amount of annual sales, allow for a wide variety of foods to be sold, and allow for several types of sales. To find out more, go to the MDA Food Licensing Wizard.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) will send you a registration card in the mail with a unique registration number. Post the registration card in a location visible to customers where you are selling your food or have it with you and make it available upon request.
- You may check the status of your registration in the MDA's Licensing Information Search.
- Once you are listed you can sell your cottage food items.
- It may take up to 30 days for your registration to be processed and displayed in the online system. Registrations are mailed within one week of processing.
Some resources that cottage food producers find helpful are:
Registration - How to Register
The cost of registration is determined by annual sales within the calendar year, which begins on January 1 and ends on December 31. The registration fee is $50 if you sell more than $7,665 in a year. If you sell $7,665 or less in a year, there is no fee.
The cost of registration is determined by annual sales within the calendar year, which begins on January 1 and ends on December 31. The registration fee is $50 if you sell more than $7,665 in a year. If you sell $7,665 or less in a year, there is no fee.
See answer in Question 17 below. Note that the maximum amount of annual sales allowed under the Cottage Food Law is $78,000 for an individual.
See answer in Question 17 below. Note that the maximum amount of annual sales allowed under the Cottage Food Law is $78,000 for an individual.
Your registration expires on December 31 of the year it was issued. If you want to continue to sell food under the Cottage Food Law, you will need to re-register for each year that you are selling food.
Your registration expires on December 31 of the year it was issued. If you want to continue to sell food under the Cottage Food Law, you will need to re-register for each year that you are selling food.
Yes, you must complete training and pass an exam prior to registering and selling cottage food. For more information on training, see the Training section below.
Yes, you must complete training and pass an exam prior to registering and selling cottage food. For more information on training, see the Training section below.
