State Guides4 min read
Maryland Cottage Food Laws 2026: No License, $50K Cap
Maryland cottage food businesses need no license. Sell up to $50,000 yearly of non-potentially hazardous foods direct or to retail stores.
At a glance
- No license required.
- A cottage food business is not required to be licensed by the Department if the owner complies with the law (Health-General § 21-330.1(b)).
- Sales cap.
- Annual revenues from the sale of cottage food products may not exceed $50,000 (Health-General § 21-301(b-1)).
- Where you can sell.
- Direct to consumers from a residence, at a farmer's market, at a public event, by personal delivery, or by mail delivery, or directly to a retail food store (Health-General § 21-301(b-2)). Sales must take place in Maryland.
- Retail store sales.
- Before selling to a retail food store, you must submit your label and documentation of successful completion of a food safety course to the Maryland Department of Health for review (COMAR 10.15.03.27C(6)).
What you can sell
Maryland allows non-potentially hazardous foods that, when stored under normal conditions without refrigeration, will not support the growth of microorganisms. The Department's guidelines list allowable baked goods, including bread, brownies, cookies, cakes and muffins without perishable icing or fillings (MDH Guidelines). You can also make non-potentially hazardous candy and chocolates from commercially manufactured chocolate.
Hot-filled canned acid fruit jams and jellies, preserves and fruit butters are allowed if made from fruits with a natural pH of 4.6 or less, such as apples, apricots, grapes, peaches, plums, prunes and quince (MDH Guidelines). You can sell popcorn, trail mix, granola and repackaged commercial spice blends. Whole roasted coffee beans are also allowed.
What you can’t sell
You cannot sell foods that require refrigeration, including cheesecakes, cream and custard pies, and baked goods with cream cheese or buttercream icings (MDH Guidelines). Acidified or pickled products like pickles, salsa, hot sauce and pepper jelly are not allowed. Beverages, meat, poultry, fish, milk and dairy products are prohibited. Homemade nut butters, maple syrup, fudge and raw dough are also not allowed.
How and where you can sell
Sales must take place in Maryland. You can sell directly to consumers from your residence, at a farmer's market, at a public event, by personal delivery or by mail delivery (Health-General § 21-301(b-2)). Interstate sales or sales outside of Maryland are prohibited (MDH Guidelines).
You can also sell directly to a retail food store, which includes a grocery store, convenience store, retail market, retail bakery or food cooperative. Before selling to a retail food store, you must submit your label and documentation of successful completion of a basic food safety course to the Maryland Department of Health. The course must be approved by the Department and the American National Standards Institute and completed in the past 3 years (COMAR 10.15.03.27C(6)). You may not sell or offer for sale to a retail food store until the Department notifies you in writing that the requirements are met (COMAR 10.15.03.27C(7)).
Labels
Maryland requires a specific disclaimer on every label, and adds phone, email and date-made fields for retail store sales. You may request a unique ID number from the Department to use instead of your home address.
Label rules last verified Oct 3, 2026 against 6 official sources.
Make a Maryland labelCottage food business, business address on the label
More
Foods must be made in a private home kitchen and offered or sold only in Maryland: at a retail food store (the label is reviewed by the Department first) or directly to a consumer at a farmer's market, bake sale or public event, by personal delivery or by mail order (COMAR 10.15.03.27A). This is the default: no request to MDH is needed. Selling at a retail food store adds phone, email and date made.Required on the label
Contains: {allergens}
Made by a cottage food business that is not subject to Maryland’s food safety regulations.
- Product nameThe name of the cottage food product.
- IngredientsIn descending order of the amount of each ingredient by weight.
- Net quantityThe net weight or net volume of the cottage food product.
- Business or producer nameThe name of the cottage food business.
- AddressThe address of the cottage food business.
- Language of the labelEnglish.
Depends on your product or how you sell
- Date madeWhen: The product is offered for sale at a retail food store.The date the cottage food product was made.
- Phone numberWhen: The product is offered for sale at a retail food store.The phone number of the cottage food business.
- Email addressWhen: The product is offered for sale at a retail food store.The email address of the cottage food business.
- Nutrition informationWhen: A nutritional information claim is made about the product.Nutritional information as specified by federal labeling requirements.
- Department review of the label before a sale to a retail food storeWhen: The product will be sold to or at a retail food store.Submit the label to the Maryland Department of Health for review before selling to a retail food store, and wait for the Department's written notice (C(6) and C(7)).
- Labeling of hot-filled canned acid fruit jellies, jams, preserves and buttersWhen: The product is a non-potentially hazardous hot-filled canned acid fruit jelly, jam, preserve or butter listed in COMAR 10.15.03.27B(1).Labeled in accordance with COMAR 10.15.03.12 (Regulation .12).
Cottage food business, MDH unique ID# on the label in place of the address
More
Foods must be made in a private home kitchen and offered or sold only in Maryland: at a retail food store (the label is reviewed by the Department first) or directly to a consumer at a farmer's market, bake sale or public event, by personal delivery or by mail order (COMAR 10.15.03.27A). Selling at a retail food store adds email and date made.Required on the label
Contains: {allergens}
Made by a cottage food business that is not subject to Maryland’s food safety regulations.
- Product nameThe name of the cottage food product.
- IngredientsIn descending order of the amount of each ingredient by weight.
- Net quantityThe net weight or net volume of the cottage food product.
- Business or producer nameThe name of the cottage food business.
- Phone numberThe phone number of the cottage food business.
- Registration numberThe unique identification number (ID#) assigned to the cottage food business by the Department.
- Language of the labelEnglish.
Depends on your product or how you sell
- Date madeWhen: The product is offered for sale at a retail food store.The date the cottage food product was made.
- Email addressWhen: The product is offered for sale at a retail food store.The email address of the cottage food business.
- Nutrition informationWhen: A nutritional information claim is made about the product.Nutritional information as specified by federal labeling requirements.
- Department review of the label before a sale to a retail food storeWhen: The product will be sold to or at a retail food store.Submit the label to the Maryland Department of Health for review before selling to a retail food store, and wait for the Department's written notice (C(6) and C(7)).
- Labeling of hot-filled canned acid fruit jellies, jams, preserves and buttersWhen: The product is a non-potentially hazardous hot-filled canned acid fruit jelly, jam, preserve or butter listed in COMAR 10.15.03.27B(1).Labeled in accordance with COMAR 10.15.03.12 (Regulation .12).
General labeling law: Yes, other law applies on top, per the saved COMAR text, but the saved pages do not reproduce it.
Sources (6)
- COMAR 10.15.03.27, Farmer's Market, Bake Sales, and Cottage Food Business (Library of Maryland Regulations)
- Md. Code, Health-General § 21-330.1 (extraction is fragments only)
- MDH Office of Food Protection, Maryland Cottage Food Business Labeling Guide (updated March 2025)
- MDH Office of Food Protection, Guidelines for Cottage Food Businesses (last updated 11/2025), introduction
- MDH Office of Food Protection, Cottage Foods page
- MDH Guidelines for Cottage Food Businesses, Appendix C (copy under /qahealth/)
Before your first sale
- To do: Check every product against the allowable foods list to ensure it is non-potentially hazardous.
- To do: Print labels with the required disclaimer, ingredients, allergens and net weight.
- To do: If selling to a retail food store, complete an approved food safety course and submit your label to the Department.
- To do: Track your annual sales to stay under the $50,000 cap.
- To do: Check city, county and zoning rules separately; the cottage food rules do not cover them.
Common questions
Do I need a license to sell cottage food in Maryland?
No. A cottage food business is not required to be licensed by the Department if the owner complies with the law (Health-General § 21-330.1(b)). You must follow all applicable county and municipal laws and ordinances regulating the preparation, processing, storage and sale of cottage food products (Health-General § 21-330.1(e)).
Can I sell cottage food online and ship it?
Yes, within Maryland. You can sell by mail delivery directly to a consumer, but interstate sales or sales outside of Maryland are prohibited (MDH Guidelines).
How do I get a unique ID number instead of putting my address on labels?
A cottage food business may request a unique identification number from the Maryland Department of Health to use on the label as an alternative to a business address. If a unique ID# is used, the label must additionally include the name and phone number of the cottage food business (MDH Labeling Guide).
Can I sell my cottage food to a grocery store?
Yes. A retail food store includes a grocery store, convenience store, retail market, retail bakery or food cooperative. Before selling to one, you must submit your label and documentation of successful completion of an approved food safety course to the Department, and wait for written approval (COMAR 10.15.03.27C(6)).
