Connecticut: the home-kitchen movement
Cottage food (restricted) Cottage food law
Connecticut licenses home-kitchen cottage food operations through the state Department of Consumer Protection (DCP); there is no county layer — counties have no government — though towns control the zoning approval that the state license requires. Only non-potentially-hazardous (shelf-stable) foods may be sold directly to consumers, capped at $50,000 in annual gross sales.
Status, history, and administering agency are verified from the state law guide's primary sources. Supporter/opposition research for this state is still in progress — nothing is listed until it can be sourced.
Where it stands
2022: sales cap raised from $25,000 to $50,000/year by SB 187 (Public Act 22-8), effective Oct 1, 2022. 2024: no enacted changes — OLR's July 2024 regional report (2024-R-0087) reviews only the 2018/2022 history. 2025: SB 154 (Sen. Somers), which would have allowed sales at farm stores/cafes within 20 miles of the home, was referred to the General Law Committee (public hearing 2/14/2025); no enacted change resulted. 2026: Raised Bill No. 339 (zoning bill) included a provision barring municipalities from prohibiting cottage food operations in residential zones, with a stated effective date of Oct 1, 2026 — committee-level (Joint Favorable) only; enactment could not be verified from a primary source. Connecticut has no MEHKO-style hot-food program and no food freedom act.
Residents can find and support local kitchens through the Connecticut hub — browse kitchens, read the law guide, and see what is cooking near you.
Cottage food fight in Connecticut
- 2022 — SB 187 — cap raised $25,000 to $50,000
SB 187 (Public Act 22-8, effective October 1, 2022) raised Connecticut's cottage food sales cap from $25,000 to $50,000 per year. Source - 2025 — Cottage food law
Somers), which would have allowed sales at farm stores/cafes within 20 miles of the home, was referred to the General Law Committee (public hearing 2/14/2025); no enacted change resulted. Source
How we got here
- 2022 — Cottage food law Cottage food fight
2022: sales cap raised from $25,000 to $50,000/year by SB 187 (Public Act 22-8), effective Oct 1, 2022. Source - 2024 — Cottage food law
2024: no enacted changes — OLR's July 2024 regional report (2024-R-0087) reviews only the 2018/2022 history. Source - 2025 — Cottage food law Cottage food fight
Somers), which would have allowed sales at farm stores/cafes within 20 miles of the home, was referred to the General Law Committee (public hearing 2/14/2025); no enacted change resulted. Source - 2026 — Cottage food law
339 (zoning bill) included a provision barring municipalities from prohibiting cottage food operations in residential zones, with a stated effective date of Oct 1, 2026 — committee-level (Joint Favorable) only; enactment could not be verified from a primary source. Source - 2022 — SB 187 — cap raised $25,000 to $50,000 Cottage food fight
SB 187 (Public Act 22-8, effective October 1, 2022) raised Connecticut's cottage food sales cap from $25,000 to $50,000 per year. Source
Supporters
Supporter research for this state is in progress — nothing is listed until it can be sourced.
Opposition
No on-record opposition has been verified for this state yet.
The deciders
Governor
Office of the Governor of Connecticut (name not yet verified in this research pass)
Administering agency
Connecticut General Statutes, Chapter 417 (cottage food §§ 21a-62a–62h)
Contact the deciders
A pre-written letter in Connecticut's own terminology. The buttons open it in your email — addressed by you to the office above. Nothing sends until you press send.