Washington Cottage Food Law: Labels, Limits & When You Need Nutrition Facts

Last verified 16 Sep 2026 · Sources

Washington’s cottage food operation permit, issued by WSDA under RCW 69.22 and WAC 16-149, covers home production of nonpotentially hazardous baked goods, stovetop candies, jams, jellies, preserves, and fruit butters, capped at $35,000 in gross annual sales per residence. Getting permitted means a WSDA application, a food worker card for everyone in your kitchen, and a home-kitchen inspection, paid for through a $75 public health review fee, a $30 processing fee, and a $125 inspection fee. Your label needs the exact sentence “Made in a Home Kitchen that has not been subject to standard inspection criteria” in at least 11-point contrasting type. A real Nutrition Facts panel only becomes necessary once a nutrient or health claim shows up anywhere, or your product leaves the direct-sale, in-state channel the permit is built around.

Quick facts	Washington
Revenue cap	$35,000/yr gross, per residence
Permit or registration	Permit + kitchen inspection, $105 + $125 inspection fee
Sales channels	Direct to consumer only, in-person, in-state
Online sales	In-state only
Required label statement	“Made in a Home Kitchen that has not been subject to standard inspection criteria”
Nutrition Facts panel	Not required unless a nutrient claim is made or a product goes wholesale/out of state
Administered by	Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA), Food Safety Program
Governing law	Wash. Rev. Code ch. 69.22 (Cottage Food Operation Permit)

What Washington lets you sell from home

RCW 69.22.010 limits cottage food products to nonpotentially hazardous items: baked goods, baked candies and candies made on a stovetop, and jams, jellies, preserves, and fruit butters, plus anything else WSDA adds by rule. WAC 16-149-120 fills that list out: breads, cakes, cookies, crackers, pies without custard or cream fillings, granola and snack mixes, molded and dipped chocolates, fudge, caramels, brittles, and taffy made with temperature control, jams and preserves following a standardized federal recipe (21 CFR 150) with a cooking step and sterilized jars, plus recombined dry herb and seasoning blends and rebottled flavored vinegars. Every recipe variation you make goes into your application and stays on file. What’s excluded matters just as much: meat, poultry, fish, dairy, canned low-acid foods, fresh-cut produce, cream-filled baked goods, beverages, and garlic-in-oil mixtures all need a licensed commercial kitchen instead. Cottage food ingredients also can’t carry more than 0.3% THC.

Permits, registration, and the revenue cap

WSDA issues cottage food permits for two years (RCW 69.22.030). The application needs proof that everyone who preps or packages product holds a food and beverage service worker’s permit under chapter 69.06 RCW, plus a signed statement letting WSDA into the home kitchen during normal hours for inspection. Fees run $75 for public health review and $30 for processing at application, with a separate $125 fee for the initial and each annual basic hygiene inspection (RCW 69.22.040). Your kitchen has to meet baseline standards too: no carpet in prep areas, domestic food storage kept separate, hand soap and paper towels on hand, no pets or children under six present during production, and annual water testing for private wells.

The sales cap is computed per domestic residence, not per operator, and currently sits at $35,000 a year (RCW 69.22.050). That’s up from $25,000 under HB 1500 (chapter 352, Laws of 2023), effective July 23, 2023, which also moved permits from annual renewal to a two-year cycle. The statute now directs WSDA to revisit the cap every four years and adjust it by rule using the Seattle-area CPI for urban wage earners, so expect the next increase on that schedule, not every legislative session. Exceeding the cap means either getting a full food processing plant license or stopping sales. WSDA doesn’t refund fees already paid.

Where you can sell

Every sale has to go directly from you to the consumer, in person: farmers markets, craft fairs, charitable-event tables, or transactions at the home itself all qualify (WAC 16-149-040). A website may show what’s available, but the sale itself still has to close as an in-person, in-Washington transaction; the rule doesn’t recognize an online checkout as the completed sale. Shipping, mail order, consignment, wholesale accounts, and any sale to a buyer outside Washington are all off-limits under the same section. Display the permit and permit number at every point of sale.

What has to be on the label

Per WAC 16-149-110, every prepackaged cottage food product needs:

The common or usual name of the product
The cottage food operation’s name and permit number, issued under RCW 69.22.030
Ingredients in descending order of predominance by weight
Net weight or net volume
Allergen information per federal labeling requirements
Nutritional information, only if a nutrient claim is made
The home-kitchen disclosure statement below

“Made in a Home Kitchen that has not been subject to standard inspection criteria”

(WAC 16-149-110, verbatim)

That statement must appear in at least 11-point type, in a color that contrasts clearly with the background. For large cakes or bulk containers that can’t carry a full label, WSDA allows a product information sheet with the same required elements handed to the buyer instead, as long as the product stays protected from contamination in transit.

When you need a Nutrition Facts panel

Washington’s cottage food permit doesn’t require a Nutrition Facts panel by default. WAC 16-149-110 only calls for nutritional information “if a nutritional claim is made.” That’s the same trigger FDA uses nationally: the exemption from 21 CFR 101.9 labeling holds until a nutrient content or health claim appears, whether that’s “low sugar” on the package, “high protein” on a farmers-market sign, or an Instagram caption calling a cookie “sugar-free.” The moment a claim like that exists anywhere you market the product, a compliant panel becomes necessary. The exemption also ends the moment your product moves past the permit’s direct-to-consumer, in-state channel (into wholesale, a retail account, or an out-of-state buyer), since those sales sit outside chapter 69.22 entirely.

When either trigger applies, a panel that matches your claim lets that “sugar-free” caption stay up. Enter your recipe, then see your label: free with no card required, you see your calories, the claims you qualify for, your allergen line and the nutrient to watch, and every other value and %DV stays hidden until you unlock it. A one-time $29 unlock delivers the full panel in every FDA format your product qualifies for, plus your ingredient statement and allergen declaration, ready to print; or send us the recipe and we build it. Start your label, or compare other states in our cottage food laws guide.

Washington cottage food FAQ

How much can I sell under Washington's cottage food permit?

Up to $35,000 in gross sales a year, computed per domestic residence rather than per person (RCW 69.22.050). That figure replaced a $25,000 cap in 2023 under HB 1500 (chapter 352, Laws of 2023), and the statute directs WSDA to review it every four years against the Seattle-area CPI.

What does a Washington cottage food permit cost?

Expect $75 for the public health review and $30 for processing at application (RCW 69.22.030), plus a $125 initial or annual basic hygiene inspection fee (RCW 69.22.040). The permit itself runs two years.

Do I need a food worker card to sell cottage food in Washington?

Yes. Everyone who prepares or packages the products needs a food and beverage service worker's permit under chapter 69.06 RCW before the cottage food permit is issued (RCW 69.22.040).

Can I sell my homemade food online or ship it in Washington?

You can list products on a website, but every sale has to close as an in-person, direct transaction. WAC 16-149-040 specifically bars shipping, mail order, consignment, wholesale, and out-of-state sales.

What exact words does my Washington cottage food label need?

The label must state, verbatim, \"Made in a Home Kitchen that has not been subject to standard inspection criteria,\" in at least 11-point type in a color that contrasts with the background (WAC 16-149-110).

When does Washington require a real Nutrition Facts panel on a cottage food item?

Cottage food is exempt from FDA nutrition labeling until a nutrient content or health claim is made, or your product moves into wholesale, retail, or out-of-state sales that the cottage food permit doesn't cover. At that point a standard 21 CFR 101.9 panel applies.

Nearby states

Selling into a neighboring state means that state’s rules apply there: Oregon, Idaho. See the full state-by-state table.

← All cottage food laws by state