Start a Home Kitchen in Vermont

The steps, the costs, where to apply, and how to get inspection-ready — in Vermont's own program terms.

Cottage food operator exemption Food processor exemption (nonbakery, $10,000 or less gross annual sales) Home bakery license Home caterer license

Sales cap: Cottage food operators may have gross annual sales of up to $30,000 from cottage food products and remain exempt from licensure and licensing fees; nonbakery food manufacturing establishments with gross annual sales of $10,000 or less are also exempt (Manufactured Food Rule §6.1.1; VDH guidance confirms the two exemptions can be combined — up to $30,000 of cottage foods plus up to $10,000 of processed foods). No future scheduled cap change was found — the $30,000 threshold took effect July 1, 2025 under Act 42 and remains current.

Allowed foods: Cottage foods are lower-risk, shelf-stable foods that do not require refrigeration or time/temperature control for safety. The Manufactured Food Rule (Ch. 5, Subch. 1, §4.1.6) lists: non-potentially hazardous baked goods (e.g., breads, cookies), candy, jams and jellies, dry herbs, trail mix, granola, cereal, mixed nuts, flavored vinegar, popcorn, coffee beans, dry tea, and home-canned pickles, vegetables, or fruits with equilibrium pH of 4.6 or lower or water activity of 0.85 or less made with National Center for Home Food Preservation-approved recipes or reviewed by a food processing authority for safety. TCS (time/temperature control for safety) foods are excluded — e.g., quiche, cheese danish, cheesecake, meats, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs, cooked plant-based foods, and other refrigerated foods. Dehydrated meats are not cottage foods; dehydration of fruits and vegetables is a specialized process that is not covered by the exemption. Food made under a license exemption may not be sold to restaurants or other licensed food establishments.

🥧 Cottage track in Vermont

🥧 Cottage Food — Shelf-Stable Cottage food operator exemption — the shelf-stable track: preorder / pickup, never reservations.

No permit required in Vermont for this track — makers are not “permitted”; they follow the cottage food rules.

Sales cap (cottage track): Cottage food operators may have gross annual sales of up to $30,000 from cottage food products and remain exempt from licensure and licensing fees; nonbakery food manufacturing establishments with gross annual sales of $10,000 or less are also exempt (Manufactured Food Rule §6.1.1; VDH guidance confirms the two exemptions can be combined — up to $30,000 of cottage foods plus up to $10,000 of processed foods). No future scheduled cap change was found — the $30,000 threshold took effect July 1, 2025 under Act 42 and remains current.

Labeling (from the published steps):

Label all products per Manufactured Food Rule §6.2.1, including the physical home-kitchen address and the 'Made in a home kitchen not inspected by the Vermont Department of Health' statement.

🌮 Street track in Vermont

🌮 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 Vermont'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 is required to claim the cottage food operator exemption (gross annual sales of $30,000 or less from cottage food products) or the food processor exemption (nonbakery food manufacturing establishment with gross annual sales of $10,000 or less) — say so explicitly: these are exemption paths, not licenses.
Before beginning manufacturing (and annually thereafter), complete the Health Department's approved online training in food handling, cleanliness, sanitation, and healthfulness (per 18 V.S.A. §4303(a)(7) and Manufactured Food Rule §6.2.2).
Each calendar year, file the Department's licensing exemption filing/attestation (by January 15 annually; VDH required a new filing by January 15, 2026 for operators who had filed under the prior system) attesting to completion of the training and compliance with the rule (Manufactured Food Rule §6.1).
Label all products per Manufactured Food Rule §6.2.1, including the physical home-kitchen address and the 'Made in a home kitchen not inspected by the Vermont Department of Health' statement.
If you exceed the exemption caps, apply to the Health Department for the appropriate license at least 30 days before operating (application + fee per 18 V.S.A. §4353, product list, water test results for private wells, wastewater permit documentation, local permit/zoning approval) and pass an opening inspection.
If you prepare meals in your home kitchen to sell directly to customers or prep food at home for cooking later at an event/farmers market, you need a Home Caterer License (the exemption does not cover prepared meals).

How it works, start to finish

Confirm your product is a 'cottage food product' under the Manufactured Food Rule §4.1.6 (shelf-stable, non-TCS); if unsure, submit a Cottage Food Product Review Request Form to the Health Department for a determination.
Produce only in the kitchen of your private residential dwelling or a kitchen on your personal property — a rented kitchen (even a licensed commercial one) does not qualify.
Before you begin selling (and annually after), complete the Vermont Department of Health's free online training on the Manufactured Food Rule and food safety.
File the Health Department's license exemption form/attestation (online self-attestation) — by January 15, 2026 for the first cycle under the new law, and by January 15 each year after.
Label every product per Rule §6.2.1: operation name and physical address (not a P.O. box), product name, ingredients in descending order, net weight/volume, federal allergen information, and the statement 'Made in a home kitchen not inspected by the Vermont Department of Health' in at least 10-point contrasting type.
Track gross receipts to stay within the $30,000 cottage-food cap ($10,000 cap for other processed foods); if you will exceed the cap, apply to VDH for the appropriate license before crossing it.
Check with your town/municipality and other agencies for any local permits (e.g., zoning) that apply.

Where to apply in Vermont

No county-level opt-in program exists — home-food licensing and exemptions are administered statewide by the Vermont Department of Health. Vermont counties do not run their own food-business permitting; producers must instead satisfy municipal/local requirements where they apply (the Manufactured Food Rule §5.2.2.3 lists 'local permit or zoning approval for proposed operation' among required application documents, and VDH guidance directs operators to check with other state and local agencies, e.g., wastewater permits via the Department of Environmental Conservation and fire/electrical/plumbing inspections via the Department of Public Safety).

Official sources — start with the agency or department that runs Vermont's program:

Inspection prep (general)

General prep that applies in most programs — your law guide and health department have the specifics for Vermont:

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 Vermont law guide → · Check your eligibility → · Ask the guide about Vermont →