Maryland Cottage Food Law (2026): Rules, Limits and How to Start
Do you need a license to sell homemade food in Maryland?
Maryland lets you run a cottage food business from a residential kitchen without a Department of Health license, as long as you stay under $50,000 in annual revenue and stick to the approved non-potentially-hazardous product list. No food safety training is required unless you plan to sell into a retail store. House Bill 535 would raise the cap to $100,000 if and when it takes effect.
In Maryland the path depends on what you make and how you sell it. Many home producers of foods like high-acid fruit jams, preserves and jellies at a ph of 4.6 or lower and fruit butters from qualifying acid-canned fruits need no state license at all, while some foods or channels trigger a registration. The rules below sort out which one is yours.
Maryland caps annual cottage food sales at $50,000 gross annual revenue. Raised from $25,000 effective October 1, 2022.
House Bill 535 (Chapter 320) was passed and takes effect October 1, 2026. Maryland doubles its cottage food sales cap from $50,000 to $100,000. The current $50,000 figure stays the operative rule until the new limit takes effect. This page reflects the rule in force today; the full history sits in the law-updates log.
How much can you sell? The Maryland sales cap
The annual sales limit for a Maryland cottage food operation.
| Item | Maryland rule |
|---|---|
| Annual sales cap | $50,000 gross annual revenue |
| How it works | Raised from $25,000 effective October 1, 2022. Verification correction 2026-07-17: House Bill 535 (2026) is further along than this file previously recorded. Confirmed directly against the Maryland General Assembly's own bill-status page (mgaleg.maryland.gov): HB 535 passed the House 136-0 on 2/26/2026, passed the Senate 42-0 on 4/13/2026 and was SIGNED by the Governor on 4/28/2026 as Chapter 320, not merely "passed both chambers." It is not yet in effect: the $100,000 cap takes effect October 1, 2026. The $50,000 figure remains the correct current cap as of this verification date (2026-07-17). |
What foods can you sell in Maryland?
Allowed and prohibited categories under current Maryland law.
| Allowed (examples) | Prohibited |
|---|---|
| Non-potentially-hazardous baked goods (no cream cheese, custard, or refrigerated fillings); High-acid fruit jams, preserves and jellies at a pH of 4.6 or lower; Fruit butters from qualifying acid-canned fruits; Hard candy (no refrigeration needed). | Potentially hazardous foods; Raw honey and flavored honey; Maple syrup; Soft candies; Any item requiring refrigeration. |
Maryland cottage food label requirements
Every package you sell needs a label with the elements below in legible print.
- The disclosure statement above
Maryland requires this disclosure statement, word for word:
Made by a cottage food business that is not subject to Maryland food safety regulations.
Reproduced from Maryland's cottage food labeling requirements. Confirm the current wording with Maryland Department of Health before you print a run of labels.
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Where can you sell in Maryland?
The venues and channels Maryland cottage food operators may use.
| Channel | Allowed in Maryland? |
|---|---|
| Farmer's market, public event | Yes |
| Directly from the producer's home | Yes |
| Online, with personal delivery or mail delivery | Yes. Within Maryland. |
| Retail food stores | With conditions. Original packaging only, per COMAR definitions; training requirement applies for this channel. |
| Interstate commerce | No |
Registration, training and inspection
Registration and permits. No Department of Health license is required for a compliant cottage food business. Operators submit a Cottage Food Business Request form and must also follow any applicable local county or municipal requirement.
Food safety training. Not required for direct-to-consumer sales. Required only if selling into a retail food store: an ANSI/ANAB-accredited food safety course completed in the past 3 years. Confirmed directly against the official COMAR 10.15.03.27 text (via Cornell Law's regulation mirror), which explicitly conditions the course requirement on retail-store sale and lists direct-to-consumer channels (farmer's market, bake sale, public event, personal delivery, mail order) as not requiring it.
Kitchen inspection. Not confirmed in the sources checked for this file; the compliant cottage food business is described as not requiring MDH licensing, but no explicit statement on complaint-driven inspection authority was found. Not re-resolved this verification pass.
The fees a Maryland cottage food seller can expect.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Cottage food business, compliant operation | none, no license fee |
