Michigan cottage food law: what you can sell from home

Michigan cottage food law at a glance

The Michigan cottage food law lets a person make certain foods at home and sell them straight to customers. MDARD, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, runs the program, and its cottage food page at michigan.gov/mdard is the main source for this guide. In MDARD's words, exempts cottage food operations from licensing and inspection provisions. The rules sit in Section 289.4102 of the Michigan Food Law (Act 92 of 2000). Law checked on 3 Oct 2026.

The law was last amended by 2025, Act 51, effective Mar. 24, 2026. In MDARD's summary of the update, The cottage food cap is increased to up to $50,000 yearly in gross sales, and The consumer must have an opportunity to speak to the cottage food operator before an internet or mail-order sale. The table sums up what Michigan requires now.

Which foods Michigan cottage law allows

MDARD keeps a searchable list of allowed cottage foods. The rule behind it: allowed foods can be safely kept at room temperature and do not require refrigeration. These items are on the allowed list:

• Baked goods, cookies
• Cakes, including celebration cakes (birthday, anniversary, wedding, cupcakes)
• Cooked fruit pies, including pie crusts made with butter, lard, or shortening
• Quick breads and muffins
• Fruit jams and jellies
• Confections and candies (made without alcohol)
• Freeze-dried candy
• Granola Dry herbs and dry herb mixtures Dry baking mixes
• Dried pasta made with or without eggs
• Popcorn is allowed
• Roasted coffee beans or ground roasted coffee are allowed
• Vinegar and flavored vinegars

MDARD also lists foods that do not qualify. Some of them surprise new sellers:

Refrigerated desserts: no cheesecake; no cakes with glaze or frosting that requires refrigeration (e.g., no cream cheese frosting). Frosting has its own rule: Buttercream only from one of the two lab-tested, reviewed and approved recipes, followed exactly.

Drinks: No beverages, including fruit/vegetable juices, Kombucha tea, and apple cider. Sauces: No sauces and condiments, including barbeque sauce, hot sauce, ketchup, or mustard. Jams: No vegetable jams/jellies (e.g., hot pepper jelly), and No low-sugar or no-sugar jams or jellies.

Meat and pet food: No meat and meat products like fresh and dried meats (jerky), and No pet food or treats. Honey and maple syrup are not considered cottage foods; they have separate exemptions.

Example: a strawberry jam with full sugar in a glass jar fits the list, while a hot pepper jelly does not. If a product is not on the list, ask MDARD at 800-292-3939 before you sell it.

The Michigan cottage food sales cap

Michigan caps cottage food sales at $50,000 in gross sales a year. If you sell cottage food products at $250 or more per unit, the cap is $75,000. Example: a seller of wedding cakes priced above that line falls under the higher cap, while a seller of cookie boxes does not.

The statute counts sales on a per-person basis within or at a particular domestic residence. MDARD explains what that means for a shared home: if two people in one household each run their own cottage food business, each would be eligible to earn the maximum allowable limit.

Keep records. You need to maintain sales records and provide them to a Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD) food inspector, upon request, and the department may request in writing documentation to verify the annual gross sales figure.

The cap can move. Under the statute, Beginning October 1, 2026, and by each October 1 thereafter, the department may adjust the gross sales amounts for inflation, so check the MDARD page each fall for the current figure.

Do you need a cottage food license in Michigan?

A cottage food business in Michigan does not need a food license from MDARD. MDARD says: There are no application forms to complete, no registration process. MDARD adds that the Cottage Food exemption only exempts you from the requirements of licensing and routine inspection. Cottage food businesses still need to comply with the labeling, adulteration, and other provisions found in the Michigan Food Law, and In the event a complaint is filed or a foodborne illness is linked to your food, MDARD will investigate your operation.

Some other paperwork can still apply. A DBA (Doing Business As) may be a requirement of your county or local municipality. Markets set their own terms: some farmers markets or other direct marketing venues may require vendors to have a food establishment license. For sales tax, MDARD says to contact the Michigan Department of Treasury.

MDARD also points new sellers to training: MSU Extension offers an online training. MDARD says the program covers safe food production, packaging and labeling, storing and transportation.

Selling cottage food online in Michigan

Since the 2026 update, a Michigan cottage food product may be sold by internet or mail order, or delivered through a third-party delivery platform. The condition is that the seller provides an opportunity for a consumer to directly interact with the cottage food operation before the cottage food product is sold. The statute says direct interaction includes either a face-to-face meeting or a virtual meeting, and a virtual meeting is one where participants can see or be seen and hear or be heard by all parties. A video call before the sale fits that definition of a virtual meeting.

Two more limits apply to every online or mail sale. The product must be sold or delivered only to a consumer in this state, so you cannot ship to another state. And the sale must be sold directly from the cottage food operation to the consumer: Sales by consignment or at wholesale are prohibited.

MDARD adds that cottage food businesses may advertise online and collect payments in-person or through a pay app. For pre-sold orders, MDARD says the law does not allow for a retail market or farm-stop to serve as go-between or provide temporary storage. You cannot keep stock anywhere else either, because products must be stored only in the primary domestic residence. You may not use a garage, shed, barn, or other outbuilding as a storage facility.

Where Michigan cottage food cannot be sold

MDARD lists these sales as off limits for a cottage food operation:

• Cannot sell to wholesalers, brokers or distributors
• Cannot sell to restaurant or grocery store
• Cannot donate to a public auction, fundraiser, or soup kitchen
• Cannot sell on consignment

Free samples are fine at your own booth: sampling is allowed, as long as the sample stays safe at room temperature.

Michigan cottage food label requirements

Every Michigan cottage food product must be prepackaged and properly labeled before sale. MDARD's labeling page lists what each label needs:

• Name and physical address of the Cottage Food operation. Post Office Box addresses are not allowed.
• The name of the product.
• The ingredients, in descending order of predominance by weight. If you use a prepared item in your recipe, you must list the sub ingredients as well.
• The net weight or net volume; it must also include the metric equivalent.
• Allergen labeling as specified in federal labeling requirements.
• If any nutritional claim is made, appropriate labeling as specified by federal labeling requirements.
• The statement "Made in a home kitchen that has not been inspected by the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development", in at least 11-point font (about 1/8" tall).

If you register with the MSU Product Center, you can use their unique registration number and telephone number on product labels instead of their full home address. Hand-printed labels are acceptable if they are legible and in permanent ink. For celebration cakes that cannot hold a sticker, you must include all labeling requirements on the invoice and deliver the invoice with the cake.

Local rules in Michigan cities and counties

The state exemption does not override local law. The statute says the exemption does not affect the application of any other state or federal laws or any applicable ordinances enacted by any local unit of government. MDARD's advice is direct: Contact your local unit of government to determine if there are local regulations that will affect your business.

Zoning is one of those local rules, and MDARD answers yes when asked if local zoning or other laws apply. If your home has a septic system, MDARD says you should have your septic system evaluated by your local health department prior to starting operations.

This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules vary by city and county, and the cottage food section, first added by 2010, Act 112, can change after any legislative session.

Where Nation fits

Questions about cottage food law in Michigan