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

Last verified 16 Sep 2026 · Sources

Ohio lets you bake or process a defined list of non-potentially-hazardous foods at home and sell them with no license, no inspection, and no revenue cap. You just need the right label. The one label rule that matters most: Ohio Revised Code § 3715.023 requires the exact sentence “This product is home produced.” in 10-point type, not a paraphrase. A real Nutrition Facts panel only becomes necessary once your product carries a nutrient content or health claim or moves to wholesale or interstate commerce, or you step up to a licensed operation like a Home Bakery.

Quick facts	Ohio
Revenue cap	None
Permit or registration	None; no license or inspection
Sales channels	Direct, farmers markets, retail, restaurants, and online in-state
Online sales	In-state only
Required label statement	“This product is home produced.”
Nutrition Facts panel	Not required unless you make a nutrient claim or go interstate
Administered by	Ohio Department of Agriculture, Division of Food Safety
Governing law	Ohio Rev. Code § 3715.023 (Cottage Food Production Operation)

What Ohio lets you sell from home

Ohio Revised Code § 3715.01(A)(19) defines a cottage food production operation as a person who makes non-potentially-hazardous food in their own home. Ohio Administrative Code 901:3-20-04 lists the products allowed under that exemption: non-potentially-hazardous bakery goods (cookies, breads, cakes, fruit pies without cream or custard), jams, jellies, candy (not fresh fruit dipped or covered in candy), flavored honey from an exempt beekeeper, fruit chutneys, fruit butters, granola made with only commercially dried fruit, maple sugar from an exempt producer, popcorn (except popping corn kernels), unfilled baked doughnuts, waffle cones, pizzelles, dry cereal and nut snack mixes with seasonings, roasted whole or ground coffee, dry baking mixes in jars, dry herbs and herb blends, dry soup mixes with commercially dried vegetables, beans, grains, and seasonings, dry seasoning blends, and dry tea blends (OAC 901:3-20-04). Reduced oxygen packaging (vacuum sealing or modified-atmosphere packaging) isn’t allowed. Ohio Revised Code § 3715.025 bars processing acidified foods, low-acid canned foods, or any potentially hazardous food, and caps what the director of agriculture can add to the list the same way: nothing potentially hazardous ever qualifies (ORC § 3715.025).

Permits, registration, and the revenue cap

There’s no license, no state inspection, and no fee for operating as a cottage food production operation. Ohio’s statute exempts the category from the licensing scheme covering commercial food processing establishments (ORC § 3715.021). OAC 901:3-20-03 does give the Department of Agriculture authority to sample cottage food products to check they aren’t misbranded or adulterated, and OAC 901:3-20-05 makes refusing that sampling a prohibited act. Neither the statute nor the administrative code sets a gross-sales or per-product revenue cap, as of September 2026 (codes.ohio.gov). Ohio’s exemption is defined by product list and sales geography, not by how much you earn.

Where you can sell

You can sell direct to consumers, at farmers markets, and (because OAC 901:3-20-02(B) treats a properly labeled cottage food product as acceptable for a licensed retail food establishment or food service operation to offer or use) through licensed grocery stores and restaurants too. Online sales work the same way as any other channel, as long as the sale and delivery stay inside Ohio: OAC 901:3-20-05 prohibits selling cottage food products outside the state of Ohio, which rules out interstate mail order and cross-border shipping, not a same-state web order. A sale that crosses Ohio’s border, or moves through a distributor or wholesaler outside that retail path, is outside the cottage food exemption.

What has to be on the label

Ohio Revised Code § 3715.023(A) sets the required label elements for a cottage food production operation:

Name and address of the cottage food production operation’s business
Name of the food product
Ingredients of the food product, in descending order of predominance by weight
Net weight and volume of the food product
The required disclaimer, in 10-point type

“This product is home produced.”

(Ohio Revised Code § 3715.023(A))

Ohio Administrative Code 901:3-20-02(A) adds that the label also has to meet the federal food-labeling requirements of 21 CFR Part 101 alongside the state-mandated elements above. That’s where an allergen declaration for the major allergens comes in, since 21 CFR Part 101 incorporates the FALCPA and FASTER Act “Contains” statement.

When you need a Nutrition Facts panel

Ohio’s cottage food label rules don’t call for a Nutrition Facts panel, and cottage food stays outside FDA nutrition labeling until one of a few things happens. First, a nutrient content or health claim: the moment a label, a farmers-market sign, or an Instagram caption says something like “low sugar” or “high fiber,” that claim has to be backed by real numbers in a compliant format under 21 CFR 101.9, cottage food or not. Second, the sales channel: selling outside Ohio, through a distributor, or into any commercial track that needs a Home Bakery license or a licensed food processing establishment moves the product past the cottage food exemption and into standard nutrition labeling. Ohio’s separate Home Bakery license (a $10-a-year, state-inspected track through the Division of Food Safety) lets you produce potentially hazardous items cottage food can’t cover, like cheesecakes and cream or custard pies, but it doesn’t by itself require a panel either; that trigger is still the claim or the channel, not the license.

A label that pairs Ohio’s 10-point sentence with a panel you trust is ready for a grocery shelf or a farmers-market table alike. Enter your recipe, then see your label: your calories, the claims you qualify for and your allergen line are free, no card required, and every other value and %DV stays hidden until you unlock it. $29 unlocks every other nutrient value and %DV, every FDA format your product qualifies for, plus the ingredient statement and allergen declaration, ready to print. Start your label, or compare Ohio with other states on the cottage food laws hub.

Ohio cottage food FAQ

Do I need a license to sell homemade food in Ohio?

No. A cottage food production operation, as defined in Ohio Revised Code § 3715.01(A)(19), is exempt from licensing and inspection by the Ohio Department of Agriculture, unlike Ohio's separate Home Bakery license track.

Is there a sales cap for Ohio cottage food?

No. Ohio Revised Code Chapter 3715 sets no gross-sales or unit limit on cottage food production operations (codes.ohio.gov).

What exact wording does my Ohio cottage food label need?

The label must carry the sentence \"This product is home produced.\" in 10-point type, word for word, per Ohio Revised Code § 3715.023(A).

Can I sell homemade food online in Ohio?

Ohio Administrative Code 901:3-20-05 bars selling cottage food products outside Ohio, but doesn't bar online sales within the state, so an Ohio-only storefront or marketplace listing is fine as long as delivery stays inside Ohio.

Can I sell my Ohio cottage food to a store or restaurant?

Yes. Rule 901:3-20-02(B) treats a properly labeled cottage food product as an acceptable item for a retail food establishment or food service operation licensed under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 3717 to offer for sale or use.

What's the difference between Ohio's cottage food exemption and a Home Bakery license?

Cottage food covers a fixed list of non-potentially-hazardous items with no license; a Home Bakery license ($10/year, state-inspected) lets you also bake potentially hazardous items like cheesecakes and cream pies that cottage food can't cover.

Nearby states

Selling into a neighboring state means that state’s rules apply there: Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania. See the full state-by-state table.

← All cottage food laws by state