Ohio: the home-kitchen movement
Permit program (home meals) Cottage food law · Microenterprise home kitchen (MEHKO-style) — pending bill, not yet law
Ohio runs a state-administered cottage food program under ORC 3715 (O.R.C. 3715.01(A)(19)-(20), 3715.021, 3715.023, 3715.025). No license, registration, or inspection is required; shelf-stable foods only; sales must stay in Ohio with no sales cap. A separate MEHKO-style program (HB 134) would allow perishable home-prepared foods under a state registration, but it has only passed the Ohio House as of late 2026 and is not law. Counties have no opt-in role: cottage food operations are exempt from local health-department retail food establishment licensing (ORC 3717.22).
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
No enacted changes to Ohio's cottage food law in 2024-2026 (the statute last changed via HB 487 in 2012); ODA reissued its Cottage Food Fact Sheet in February 2024 with no new legal requirements. The major development is PENDING legislation: HB 134 ('Authorize home kitchen registration for sale of certain foods,' 136th General Assembly, introduced 2-25-2025) would create a microenterprise home kitchen operation (MEHKO) registration program (new ORC 3715.026, 3715.21) allowing sale of most homemade foods including perishable items, with $150,000/year gross-receipts cap, $25 registration/$25 renewal fees, annual inspection (up to $50), mandatory food safety training, and ODA oversight. Status: reported by House Agriculture 11-5-2025, passed the Ohio House 88-2 on 11-19-2025; now pending in the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee (proponent testimony 3-3-2026). Not signed, no effective date. The 136th General Assembly session continues through 2026.
Residents can find and support local kitchens through the Ohio hub — browse kitchens, read the law guide, and see what is cooking near you.
How we got here
- 2024 — Cottage food law
No enacted changes to Ohio's cottage food law in 2024-2026 (the statute last changed via HB 487 in 2012); ODA reissued its Cottage Food Fact Sheet in February 2024 with no new legal requirements. Source - 2025 — Cottage food law
The major development is PENDING legislation: HB 134 ('Authorize home kitchen registration for sale of certain foods,' 136th General Assembly, introduced 2-25-2025) would create a microenterprise home kitchen operation (MEHKO) registration program (new ORC 3715.026, 3715.21) allowing sale of most homemade foods including perishable items, with $150,000/year gross-receipts cap, $25 registration/$25 renewal fees, annua Source - 2025 — Cottage food law
Status: reported by House Agriculture 11-5-2025, passed the Ohio House 88-2 on 11-19-2025; now pending in the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee (proponent testimony 3-3-2026). Source - — Cottage food law
Not signed, no effective date. 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 Ohio (name not yet verified in this research pass)
Contact the deciders
A pre-written letter in Ohio's own terminology. The buttons open it in your email — addressed by you to the office above. Nothing sends until you press send.