Start a home kitchen in Florida
The steps, the costs, where to apply, and how to get inspection-ready — in Florida's own program terms.
Cottage food law
Sales cap: $250,000 in annual gross sales (all sales at any location count; records must be provided to FDACS on request). Set by the 2021 Home Sweet Home Act (HB 663, Ch. 2021-118), effective July 1, 2021. No scheduled change found — no enacted or pending bill changes the cap.
Allowed foods: Allowed (FDACS Division of Food Safety guidance): loaf breads, rolls, biscuits; cakes, pastries, cookies; candies and confections; honey; jams, jellies, preserves (high-acid fruit only); fruit pies and dried fruits; dry herbs, seasonings, mixes; homemade pasta; cereals, trail mixes, granola; coated or uncoated nuts; nut butters; vinegar and flavored vinegars; popcorn and popcorn balls; roasted coffee; dry baking mixes; fruit butters (not vegetable butters); cake pops; caramel/candy apples (apples raw and intact). Not allowed: anything TCS (time/temperature controlled for safety) or a potentially hazardous food — including cream/custard/meringue pies, cakes or pastries with cream-cheese or buttercream (dairy) icings, dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt), meat and meat fillings (empanadas, jerky), fish/shellfish, cooked vegetables (salsas, spaghetti sauces, focaccia with roasted vegetables), canned/pickled low-acid foods, home-canned products, syrups (incl. elderberry), beverages, hummus, garlic dips, flavored oils, cut fresh fruits/vegetables and juices, hemp/CBD foods, and pet treats. Key rule: the finished product must not require time/temperature control for safety (FL Stat. 500.03(1)(j) 'cottage food product' definition).
🥧 Cottage track in Florida
🥧 Cottage Food — Shelf-Stable Cottage food law — the shelf-stable track: preorder / pickup, never reservations.
No permit required in Florida for this track — makers are not “permitted”; they follow the cottage food rules.
Allowed foods: Allowed (FDACS Division of Food Safety guidance): loaf breads, rolls, biscuits; cakes, pastries, cookies; candies and confections; honey; jams, jellies, preserves (high-acid fruit only); fruit pies and dried fruits; dry herbs, seasonings, mixes; homemade pasta; cereals, trail mixes, granola; coated or uncoated nuts; nut butters; vinegar and flavored vinegars; popcorn and popcorn balls; roasted coffee; dry baking mixes; fruit butters (not vegetable butters); cake pops; caramel/candy apples (apples raw and intact).
Prohibited foods: anything TCS (time/temperature controlled for safety) or a potentially hazardous food — including cream/custard/meringue pies, cakes or pastries with cream-cheese or buttercream (dairy) icings, dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt), meat and meat fillings (empanadas, jerky), fish/shellfish, cooked vegetables (salsas, spaghetti sauces, focaccia with roasted vegetables), canned/pickled low-acid foods, home-canned products, syrups (incl. elderberry), beverages, hummus, garlic dips, flavored oils, cut fresh fruits/vegetables and juices, hemp/CBD foods, and pet treats. Key rule: the finished product must not require time/temperature control for safety (FL Stat. 500.03(1)(j) 'cottage food product' definition).
Sales cap (cottage track): $250,000 in annual gross sales (all sales at any location count; records must be provided to FDACS on request). Set by the 2021 Home Sweet Home Act (HB 663, Ch. 2021-118), effective July 1, 2021. No scheduled change found — no enacted or pending bill changes the cap.
Labeling (from the published steps):
- Label every prepackaged product per s
Where you may sell (from the published rules):
- Choose sales channels: direct to consumers in person, your website, mail order (USPS or commercial carrier), farmers markets, flea markets, or roadside stands — never wholesale, consignment, restaurants, or grocery stores
🌮 Street track in Florida
🌮 Street Food — Sidewalk & Mobile
Street and mobile vendors do not cook from home kitchens — a different permit stack, and walk-up sales only.
No distinct street-vendor (sidewalk / mobile) regime is documented in Florida's published data on this site yet — mobile food is permitted separately from home kitchens; check with the local health department.
The permit steps
- No license, permit, or registration is required from FDACS, and cottage food operations are not inspected by any state entity (FDACS investigates and may enter/inspect only upon a consumer complaint; refusing entry after a complaint is grounds for discipline under s. 500.121).
- Make only non-TCS (non-potentially-hazardous) products at your primary residence — products and ingredients must be stored on the operation's premises; no rented kitchens, outbuildings, or second homes.
- Label every prepackaged product per s. 500.80(3): your name and physical address, product name, ingredients in descending order of weight, net weight/volume, federal allergen info, nutrition info if a claim is made, and the statement 'Made in a cottage food operation that is not subject to Florida's food safety regulations' in at least 10-point contrasting type.
- Track gross sales — if you exceed $250,000/year you must move to a permitted food establishment.
- Comply with state/federal tax laws and with s. 559.955 home-based-business conditions; local governments may still require a business tax receipt and enforce parking, signage, noise, and hours rules.
- No food-safety training is required of cottage food operators under Florida law.
How it works, start to finish
- Confirm your recipes are non-TCS foods (nothing needing refrigeration; no meat, dairy, fish, canned pickles, or acidified/salsa products).
- Make and store everything in the kitchen of your primary home — no commercial equipment, outbuildings, or rented kitchens.
- Design labels meeting all s. 500.80(3) requirements, including the 10-point 'not subject to Florida's food safety regulations' disclaimer.
- Choose sales channels: direct to consumers in person, your website, mail order (USPS or commercial carrier), farmers markets, flea markets, or roadside stands — never wholesale, consignment, restaurants, or grocery stores.
- Keep written records of gross sales (FDACS can request them) and stay under $250,000/year.
- Handle state/federal taxes and check with your city/county on a local business tax receipt and any home-based-business rules.
- Start selling — no application to file and no inspector visits unless a consumer complaint triggers an FDACS investigation.
Where to apply in Florida
Official sources — start with the agency or department that runs Florida's program:
- Florida Statute 500.80 — Cottage food operations (Online Sunshine / FL Senate)
- FDACS — Cottage Foods (approved products, basics, no permit required)
- FL Senate — SB 700 (2025) Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services (Ch. 2025-22; cottage food definition amendment)
- FL Senate — SB 1158 (2022) Home Kitchen Operations (died in Appropriations)
Inspection prep (general)
General prep that applies in most programs — your law guide and health department have the specifics for Florida:
- Write your standard operating procedures: foods handled, prep methods, cleaning schedule, refuse disposal, and your time/temperature control plan.
- Complete the food safety training your program requires and keep the certificate where an inspector can see it.
- Have a calibrated food thermometer, proper cold storage, and labels that meet your program's rules.
- Keep pets out of the kitchen during production, and separate household and business ingredients.
Read the full Florida law guide → · Check your eligibility → · Ask the guide about Florida →
🎓 Training & money help in Florida
Links verified from the state's official sources and movement research — confirm current program details with the provider.