North Carolina cottage food law: the home processor inspection and how to sell online
Updated October 20, 2026
North Carolina doesn't have a cottage food law with a sales cap; instead, the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) lets you make shelf-stable foods at home as a "home processor" once an inspector has checked your kitchen. The inspection covers federal Good Manufacturing Practices, so your home must be free of pests, and that includes pets: any pet that comes indoors, even only at night, rules your kitchen out. After you pass, you can sell directly to consumers, to shops and restaurants, and by mail with USPS or FedEx, as long as packaged and shipped products are labeled.
In short
- Inspection first: apply to NCDA&CS; an inspector usually contacts you within 8 to 12 weeks.
- No pets in the home, and production must be in your home kitchen, not a garage or outbuilding.
- Only shelf-stable foods; refrigerated items, cheesecakes and cream-filled bakery goods are out.
- No permit is issued: you get an inspection report and a "Notice of Inspection".
- Labels are required for self-service, wholesale and shipped products, but not for food handed directly to the customer on demand.
North Carolina home processor rules at a glance (October 2026)
| Rule | What North Carolina requires |
|---|---|
| Law | N.C. Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, plus federal Good Manufacturing Practices (21 CFR 117 Subpart B) |
| Regulator | NCDA&CS Food and Drug Protection Division, Food Program (home processing) |
| Sign-up | Application for Home Processor Inspection, by email or mail, with your business plan and documents |
| Inspection | Required before you sell, including sales to consumers. Contact usually within 8 to 12 weeks |
| What you receive | No permit; a copy of the inspection report and a "Notice of Inspection" |
| Sales cap | NCDA&CS doesn't publish one |
| Where you produce | Your home kitchen only. A garage, basement or separate building makes it a commercial business |
| Pets | Not allowed in the home at any time |
| Water | A recent water bill, or a certified lab coliform and E. coli test (within one year) for private wells |
| Foods | Low-risk, shelf-stable foods that don't need refrigeration or freezing |
| Product testing | pH or water activity tests may be needed for acidified foods, homemade cream cheese frostings, moist breads and cakes and some pies |
| Where you can sell | Directly to consumers, at farmers markets and events, and to retail stores, distributors and restaurants |
| Shipping | Allowed with an affixed label (USPS or FedEx, for example) |
| Local approval | Check county or city zoning, and your HOA or landlord |
| Tax | A Sales and Use Tax number (NC-BR) if you have sales |
This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm with NCDA&CS (984-236-4820) before you start.
How do you become a home processor in North Carolina?
NCDA&CS lays out eight steps:
- Check your product is low-risk: shelf-stable and not needing refrigeration or freezing.
- Check for pets. A pet that comes into the home at any time disqualifies the kitchen, because a home processor is treated as a food manufacturing facility.
- Check the kitchen against GMP rules: smooth, cleanable surfaces; no pests; hot and cold running water; a separate sink for handwashing (the kitchen sink is for food prep only); thermometers in the fridge and freezer; shielded or shatter-proof light bulbs.
- Ask your county or city planning department whether a home food business is allowed, and check with your HOA or landlord.
- Prove your water source: a recent municipal water bill, or a certified lab well-water test from the past year (store-bought kits aren't accepted).
- Write a business plan that lists each product, every ingredient and supplier, storage, your production flow, how you'll transport products, and where you plan to sell.
- Design your labels (see below).
- Send the Application for Home Processor Inspection with your documents, then wait for the inspector to schedule a visit.
Which foods can a North Carolina home processor make?
Allowed (low-risk): baked goods that don't need refrigeration; jams, jellies and preserves; some drinks such as iced tea, coffee and lemonade; some sauces after a shelf-stability evaluation; acid and acidified foods such as pickles and barbecue sauce (call NCDA&CS first; an acidified foods course may be required); and freeze-dried candy.
Not allowed (high-risk): refrigerated or frozen products; low-acid canned foods such as jarred vegetables; bottled water and juice; bakery products with cream or cream cheese fillings; and cheesecakes. Repackaging bought items that need refrigeration isn't allowed either.
Some products need a lab test and a Process Authority Letter with your application. Apple butter, for example, needs evaluation because it has no federal standard of identity, while apple jelly doesn't.
Can you sell home-processed food online or ship it in North Carolina?
Yes. NCDA&CS's home processing page doesn't restrict how customers order, and it expects shipping: products sent by USPS, FedEx or similar services must carry a full label. Its rules for when a label is required are:
| How the food reaches the customer | Label needed? |
|---|---|
| Individually packaged for self-service | Yes |
| Sold wholesale to stores, distributors or restaurants | Yes |
| Shipped by USPS, FedEx or similar | Yes |
| Made on demand and picked up from your home, delivered by you, or delivered to an event | No, but ingredients must be available on request |
| Handed over the counter at a farmers market | Can be exempt, with ingredients available on request |
NCDA&CS doesn't say anything specific about shipping to other states, so ask the department before you send packages outside North Carolina.
What goes on a North Carolina home processor label?
- The product name.
- The manufacturer's name and address.
- Net weight in ounces or pounds, plus the gram equivalent.
- All ingredients in descending order by weight, with sub-ingredients in parentheses, for example Butter (cream (milk), salt).
- Allergens in the ingredient list or a "Contains" statement: milk, egg, tree nuts (by type), wheat, soy, peanuts, sesame, fish (by species) and shellfish.
North Carolina doesn't require a "made in a home kitchen" statement on its home processor page. A Nutrition Facts panel is only needed if you make a claim such as "sugar free". Make labels with the food label maker.
Worked example: a Moravian cookie baker in Winston-Salem
Prices are illustrative, as of October 2026. An inspected home processor sells tins of thin Moravian spice cookies by pickup, her own local delivery, and USPS within North Carolina.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Price per 8 oz tin | US$18.00 |
| Orders a month (pickup, delivery and shipped) | 80 |
| Sales a year (80 × 12 × US$18) | US$17,280 |
| North Carolina sales cap | None published |
| Labels needed | Shipped tins and tins she supplies to a local gift shop. Not for tins she hands over on demand, though she labels all of them anyway |
| Menuthere plan | Lite, US$17 a month: 80 orders a month is over the Free plan's 50, and Lite adds pre-orders and card payments |
| Stripe fee per US$18 order (2.9% + 30¢) | about US$0.82 |
| Menuthere commission | US$0.00 |
Before she sells a single tin she needs the inspection, so she applies about three months ahead of the holiday season. Price each batch in US dollars with the menu price calculator.
How to set up a Menuthere ordering page for North Carolina rules
- List only the products in your approved business plan, with allergens ticked (allergens and nutrition, every plan) and the net weight in each description.
- Choose pickup and your own delivery in
Settings → Ordering → Order types(order types), and set a delivery radius. Menuthere has no shipping option, so post shipped orders yourself, labeled. - Take holiday orders ahead with pre-orders on Lite and dishes that need notice, then connect Stripe for card payments.
- Keep your ingredient lists handy, because customers who get unlabeled food on demand can ask for them.
Menuthere doesn't check North Carolina rules for you; you choose the products and options. NCDA&CS says a business with sales needs a Sales and Use Tax number; ask the NC Department of Revenue what to charge, and see our guide to sales tax on restaurant food.
Other states
Virginia exempts some home food from inspection altogether, South Carolina uses a home-based food production law, and Georgia dropped its license in 2025. Compare them all on the cottage food laws hub.
FAQs
Does North Carolina have a cottage food law?
Not under that name. North Carolina regulates home food businesses as home processors under the N.C. Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. You apply to NCDA&CS and must pass a home kitchen inspection before you sell any food, including directly to consumers.
Can I have pets and sell cottage food in North Carolina?
No. NCDA&CS says that if a pet comes into your home at any time, even only at night, you can't produce food for sale in your home kitchen, because indoor pets count as pests under federal Good Manufacturing Practices.
Do I need a license or permit to sell food from home in North Carolina?
NCDA&CS doesn't issue a permit. After a successful inspection you receive the inspection report and a Notice of Inspection. You may also need local zoning approval, a registered business name and a Sales and Use Tax number.
How long does the North Carolina home processor inspection take?
NCDA&CS says a Food Regulatory Specialist usually contacts you within 8 to 12 weeks of receiving your application to arrange the inspection. It can take longer, especially around the holidays.
Can I ship home-baked goods in North Carolina?
Yes. Products shipped by USPS, FedEx or similar services must carry a label with the product name, your name and address, net weight in ounces or pounds and grams, ingredients and allergens. NCDA&CS doesn't address shipping out of state, so ask before you do.
Can I take North Carolina home processor orders through Menuthere?
Yes. A free Menuthere ordering page takes up to 50 orders a month with 0% commission, and Lite (US$17 a month) adds pre-orders and card payments through your own Stripe account. List only the products NCDA&CS approved for you.
Sources (2)
- North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Food & Drug Protection Division, Food Program: Home Processor (eight steps; inspection required for all sales; separate building = commercial; low-risk and high-risk foods; pets; GMP key requirements; zoning and HOA; water bill or certified well test within one year; business plan contents; label contents and when labels are required, including USPS/FedEx shipping and the on-demand exemption; 8 to 12 weeks to contact; pH/water activity testing and Process Authority Letter; no permit issued, Notice of Inspection; Sales and Use Tax number NC-BR): ncagr.gov/divisions/food-drug-protection/food-program/food-drug-food-program-home-processor (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Stripe, US card pricing 2.9% + 30¢ per successful domestic card transaction (stripe.com geo-redirects to India from our location; figure taken from Stripe's US support pages): stripe.com/pricing (accessed 20 Oct 2026)