Start a home kitchen in Maryland
The steps, the costs, where to apply, and how to get inspection-ready — in Maryland's own program terms.
Cottage food law
Sales cap: Current cap: $50,000 in annual revenue from cottage food sales (Health-General §21-301(b-1)). Scheduled increase: HB 535 (Ch. 320, 2026), signed by Governor Moore on April 28, 2026, raises the cap to $100,000 effective October 1, 2026.
Allowed foods: Allowed: nonpotentially hazardous foods only — baked breads, cookies, pastries without perishable toppings/fillings (pies, turnovers, fruit tarts from fruits with natural pH of 4.6 or less), cakes and cupcakes, hot-filled canned acid fruit jellies/jams/preserves and fruit butters (apple, apricot, grape, peach, plum, prune, quince), nonpotentially hazardous candy, popcorn/kettle corn, granola, repackaged commercial dry ingredients, raw unflavored honey. Borderline items (buttercream icings, banana/pumpkin/zucchini breads, alcohol-added baked goods) may be sold only after lab testing confirms pH ≤ 4.6 or water activity ≤ 0.85. Not allowed: any potentially hazardous food — refrigerated baked goods (cheesecakes, custard/meringue pies, cream pies, pumpkin pies, cream cheese or buttercream icings/fillings), low-acid canned foods, acidified/pickled products (pickles, salsa, pepper jelly, BBQ sauce, mustard, condiments), garlic or vegetables in oil, raw seed sprouts, meat, poultry, fish/shellfish, milk and dairy products, and beverages.
🥧 Cottage track in Maryland
🥧 Cottage Food — Shelf-Stable Cottage food law — the shelf-stable track: preorder / pickup, never reservations.
No permit required in Maryland for this track — makers are not “permitted”; they follow the cottage food rules.
Allowed foods: Allowed: nonpotentially hazardous foods only — baked breads, cookies, pastries without perishable toppings/fillings (pies, turnovers, fruit tarts from fruits with natural pH of 4.6 or less), cakes and cupcakes, hot-filled canned acid fruit jellies/jams/preserves and fruit butters (apple, apricot, grape, peach, plum, prune, quince), nonpotentially hazardous candy, popcorn/kettle corn, granola, repackaged commercial dry ingredients, raw unflavored honey. Borderline items (buttercream icings, banana/pumpkin/zucchini breads, alcohol-added baked goods) may be sold only after lab testing confirms pH ≤ 4.6 or water activity ≤ 0.85.
Prohibited foods: any potentially hazardous food — refrigerated baked goods (cheesecakes, custard/meringue pies, cream pies, pumpkin pies, cream cheese or buttercream icings/fillings), low-acid canned foods, acidified/pickled products (pickles, salsa, pepper jelly, BBQ sauce, mustard, condiments), garlic or vegetables in oil, raw seed sprouts, meat, poultry, fish/shellfish, milk and dairy products, and beverages.
Sales cap (cottage track): Current cap: $50,000 in annual revenue from cottage food sales (Health-General §21-301(b-1)). Scheduled increase: HB 535 (Ch. 320, 2026), signed by Governor Moore on April 28, 2026, raises the cap to $100,000 effective October 1, 2026.
Labeling (from the published steps):
- Optional: request a unique identification number from MDH via the ID and Retail Sales Request Form to use on labels instead of your home address.
- Before selling to a retail food store, submit to MDH: (1) proof of completing an MDH-approved food safety course in the past 3 years, and (2) the product label for review.
Where you may sell (from the published rules):
- Optional: request a unique identification number from MDH via the ID and Retail Sales Request Form to use on labels instead of your home address.
- Before selling to a retail food store, submit to MDH: (1) proof of completing an MDH-approved food safety course in the past 3 years, and (2) the product label for review.
- Sell directly to Maryland consumers from your home, at farmers markets, public events, by personal delivery, or by mail delivery
- For retail store/grocery sales: complete an MDH-approved food safety course and submit your label to MDH first
🌮 Street track in Maryland
🌮 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 Maryland'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 or permit is required to operate a cottage food business (Health-General §21-330.1(b)).
- Confirm products are nonpotentially hazardous per COMAR 10.15.03.27 and MDH's 11/2025 guidelines; lab-test borderline recipes (pH ≤ 4.6 or water activity ≤ 0.85).
- Optional: request a unique identification number from MDH via the ID and Retail Sales Request Form to use on labels instead of your home address.
- Before selling to a retail food store, submit to MDH: (1) proof of completing an MDH-approved food safety course in the past 3 years, and (2) the product label for review.
- Comply with all applicable county and municipal laws and ordinances on food preparation and sales (§21-330.1(e)); home-based sale of prepared meals requires a food license from your local health department.
- MDH may inspect your kitchen only upon receiving a complaint; you may not refuse entry.
How it works, start to finish
- Confirm your recipes are nonpotentially hazardous (shelf-stable without refrigeration) — lab-test anything borderline.
- Check your county/city zoning and ordinances for home-based food sales.
- Label every product with: business name and address (or MDH-issued ID number plus phone), product name, ingredients in descending order by weight, net weight/volume, allergen info, nutrition info if any health claim is made, and the statement 'Made by a cottage food business that is not subject to Maryland's food safety regulations' in 10-point or larger type with clear contrast.
- Optional: request a unique ID number from MDH to keep your home address off labels.
- Sell directly to Maryland consumers from your home, at farmers markets, public events, by personal delivery, or by mail delivery.
- For retail store/grocery sales: complete an MDH-approved food safety course and submit your label to MDH first.
- Stay under $50,000 in annual revenue now ($100,000 starting October 1, 2026); keep all sales within Maryland — interstate sales are prohibited.
Where to apply in Maryland
Official sources — start with the agency or department that runs Maryland's program:
- MD Health-General Article §21-330.1 (Cottage Food Businesses) — mgaleg.maryland.gov
- HB 535 (Ch. 320, 2026) — cap raised to $100,000 eff. 10/1/2026 — mgaleg.maryland.gov
- MDH Guidelines for Cottage Food Businesses (updated 11/2025) — health.maryland.gov
Inspection prep (general)
General prep that applies in most programs — your law guide and health department have the specifics for Maryland:
- 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 Maryland law guide → · Check your eligibility → · Ask the guide about Maryland →