Wisconsin Cottage Food Law (2026): Rules, Limits and How to Start
Do you need a license to sell homemade food in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin has no cottage food statute passed by the legislature. Home bakers sell shelf-stable baked goods without a license, cap or inspection only because of a court order. That order was narrowed by a November 2024 appeals court ruling that excludes anything not baked with dry oven heat. A separate 2009 pickle law lets you sell home-canned pickles and acidified vegetables up to $5,000 a year at farmers markets and community events.
Wisconsin keeps the path to selling short. There is no state permit and no annual sales cap, so foods like baked goods produced primarily by dry oven heat above 140f, shelf-stable without refrigeration and home-canned fruits and vegetables that are naturally acidic or acidified by pickling or fermenting, at a ph of 4.6 or lower: pickled vegetables, salsas, sauerkraut, jams and certain fruits, up to $5,000 in annual sales, sold at community or social events, flea markets or farmers markets can go to market once your label carries what the state asks for. The rules below are the whole picture.
Wisconsin sets no dollar limit on cottage food sales, so the ceiling on your growth is your own kitchen and time rather than a statutory cap. The other rules that matter, the label, the allowed foods and where you can sell, are in the tables below.
The parts new Wisconsin sellers most often get wrong are the exact label disclosure wording. Each one has its own row below, with the official source beside it.
How much can you sell? The Wisconsin sales cap
The annual sales limit for a Wisconsin cottage food operation.
| Item | Wisconsin rule |
|---|---|
| Annual sales cap | No annual dollar cap in Wisconsin |
| How it works | There are two unrelated caps in Wisconsin because there are two unrelated legal bases: a court order for baked goods (no cap) and a 2009 statute for pickled/acidified goods (capped). |
Not published as one current figure everyone cites. Confirm this year's cap with Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection before you scale.
What foods can you sell in Wisconsin?
Allowed and prohibited categories under current Wisconsin law.
| Allowed (examples) | Prohibited |
|---|---|
| Baked goods produced primarily by dry oven heat above 140F, shelf-stable without refrigeration (court-order exemption); Home-canned fruits and vegetables that are naturally acidic or acidified by pickling or fermenting, at a pH of 4.6 or lower: pickled vegetables, salsas, sauerkraut, jams and certain fruits, up to $5,000 in annual sales, sold at community or social events, flea markets or farmers markets (Pickle Bill). | Items dried in a dehydrator; Potentially hazardous baked goods; Candy, chocolates, roasted coffee and other non-oven-processed shelf-stable foods, per the November 2024 Court of Appeals ruling; Wholesale or distributor sales; Commercial-kitchen-produced items marketed as home-produced. |
Wisconsin cottage food label requirements
Every package you sell needs a label with the elements below in legible print.
- PICKLE LAW PATH ONLY. A sign at the point of sale stating: "These canned goods are homemade and not subject to state inspection."
- Name and address of the producer
- The date the product was canned
- The disclosure statement above on the product label
- All ingredients, with allergens identified
- BAKED GOODS PATH: no label requirement has been confirmed in any DATCP document, because that exemption comes from a court order rather than a statute or rule
Wisconsin requires this disclosure statement, word for word:
This product was made in a private home not subject to state licensing or inspection
Reproduced from Wisconsin's cottage food labeling requirements. Confirm the current wording with Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection before you print a run of labels.
From the team behind this library
The Cottage Food Launch Kit
Want the whole path in one place? The kit turns everything on this page into one ordered walkthrough for Wisconsin: your state requirement sheet, a fill-in label template with the exact required wording, the allowed-foods checker, the ordered checklist and your first-market plan. Follow it in an evening.
Where can you sell in Wisconsin?
The venues and channels Wisconsin cottage food operators may use.
| Channel | Allowed in Wisconsin? |
|---|---|
| Direct to consumer, in person, in Wisconsin (baked goods) | Yes |
| Community or social events, flea markets and farmers markets in Wisconsin (pickle law) | Yes. DATCP names three venue types: "community or social events, flea markets or farmers markets in Wisconsin". Only retail sales direct from producer to consumer are allowed. |
| Online sales, mail order, interstate shipping | No. Not permitted under the current cottage food framework. |
| Wholesale or distributor sales | No |
Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has not settled every channel in one published place. Confirm your specific channel, for example online or out-of-state shipping, with Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
Registration, training and inspection
Registration and permits. No registration, license or permit is required for either the court-order baked goods exemption or the statutory pickle law exemption.
Food safety training. No training requirement was found for the baked goods exemption. Not confirmed for the pickle law exemption.
Kitchen inspection. No kitchen inspection is required under the baked goods exemption. Not confirmed for the pickle law exemption.
The fees a Wisconsin cottage food seller can expect.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Home baked goods exemption (court order, not a statute) | No state fee |
| Pickle law exemption (Wis. Stat. 97.29) | No state fee |
Confirm the exact course or certificate Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection accepts before you enroll.
Wondering how Wisconsin compares? See what a cottage food license costs in every state, from the no-fee states to the priciest permits.
