Kentucky: the home-kitchen movement
Cottage food (restricted) Cottage food law
Kentucky runs a two-tier Home-Based Processor program under KRS 217.136/217.137, administered by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (Department for Public Health, Food Safety Branch): a broad tier for non-potentially-hazardous foods and a farmer-only microprocessor tier for acidified/canned foods. There is no food-freedom act and no MEHKO-style hot-meals program. Both tiers cap gross annual sales at $60,000.
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
2026: SB 73 enacted as 2026 Ky. Acts ch. 52, effective July 15, 2026 — added pork lard/tallow-based cosmetic products to the Home-Based Processor definition (KRS 217.015(56), KRS 217.136); $60,000 cap unchanged. 2025: HB 186 passed the General Assembly — exempts charitable food donors, including homebased processors donating to homeless shelters or disaster victims, from KRS 217 licensing and plumbing-code requirements. 2025: HB 768 (would have barred state/local rules beyond federal law on small farms and homebased processors and repealed KRS 217.136) died in the House Agriculture Committee. 2024: HB 454 (would have added roasted coffee beans to the allowed homebased-processor foods) died in Committee on Committees without a hearing. No food-freedom or MEHKO-style bills were filed in 2024-2026; the 2026 cultured-meat bill (HB 309) is unrelated to home kitchens and stalled in committee.
Residents can find and support local kitchens through the Kentucky hub — browse kitchens, read the law guide, and see what is cooking near you.
Cottage food fight in Kentucky
- 2024 — HB 454 — roasted coffee beans category (did not pass)
HB 454 (2024) would have added roasted coffee beans to the allowed homebased-processor foods; it died in Committee on Committees without a hearing. Source
How we got here
- 2026 — Cottage food law
2026: SB 73 enacted as 2026 Ky. Source - 2026 — Cottage food law
52, effective July 15, 2026 — added pork lard/tallow-based cosmetic products to the Home-Based Processor definition (KRS 217.015(56), KRS 217.136); $60,000 cap unchanged. Source - 2025 — Cottage food law
2025: HB 186 passed the General Assembly — exempts charitable food donors, including homebased processors donating to homeless shelters or disaster victims, from KRS 217 licensing and plumbing-code requirements. Source - 2025 — Cottage food law
2025: HB 768 (would have barred state/local rules beyond federal law on small farms and homebased processors and repealed KRS 217.136) died in the House Agriculture Committee. Source - 2024 — HB 454 — roasted coffee beans category (did not pass) Cottage food fight
HB 454 (2024) would have added roasted coffee beans to the allowed homebased-processor foods; it died in Committee on Committees without a hearing. 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 Kentucky (name not yet verified in this research pass)
Contact the deciders
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