Ohio cottage food law: what you can make, how to label it, and where to sell

In Ohio, a "cottage food production operation" can make non-potentially hazardous foods such as cookies, breads, fruit pies, candy, jams and granola at home and sell them with no license, no inspection and no state sales cap, as long as every unit carries a proper label with the statement "This Product is Home Produced." The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) defines "home" narrowly: the owner-occupied primary residence, with a single ordinary stove or oven. You can sell from your home, at registered farm markets and farmers markets, and through licensed grocery stores and restaurants, but only in Ohio.

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Ohio cottage food rules at a glance (October 2026)

This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm with the ODA Division of Food Safety (614-728-6250) before you start.

Which foods can an Ohio cottage food operation make?

ODA's fact sheet (updated February 2023) lists the permitted foods:

• non-potentially hazardous bakery products: cookies, breads, brownies, cakes, fruit pies, unfilled baked donuts, waffle cones and pizzelles;
• candy, including no-bake cookies and chocolate-covered pretzels or similar non-perishables;
• jams, jellies and fruit butters, plus fruit chutney;
• granola and granola bars (including candy-dipped);
• popped popcorn, kettle corn, caramel corn and popcorn balls (not unpopped kernels);
• dry cereal and nut snack mixes, roasted coffee, dry baking mixes;
• dry herbs, dry seasoning blends (such as barbecue rubs), dry tea blends, dry soup mixes made with commercially dried vegetables;
• flavored honey and maple sugar, only from exempt beekeepers and tree-syrup processors.

Not allowed: acidified foods (pickles and the like), low-acid canned foods, and potentially hazardous foods such as cheesecake, pumpkin, custard and cream pies, cooked vegetables, animal products or garlic in oil. Freeze-dried products aren't permitted either, and nor is any food not on ODA's list. ODA also notes that foods can't be made with partially hydrogenated oils.

Where can you sell Ohio cottage food, and can you sell online?

ODA's fact sheet lists these places to sell properly labeled cottage foods, all within Ohio:

ODA's fact sheet doesn't mention online ordering, delivery or shipping. Taking orders online for pickup at your home fits its "directly to the consumer from the home" route. Ask ODA before you deliver orders or mail them, even within Ohio.

What goes on an Ohio cottage food label?

Each unit needs:

1. Statement of identity: the common or usual name of the food.
2. Net quantity: net weight in both US customary and metric units, for example NET WT 8 OZ (227 g).
3. Ingredient list in descending order by weight, with sub-ingredients in parentheses.
4. Statement of responsibility: business name, street address, city, state and ZIP, kept together. A phone number or website is optional and can't replace the address.
5. "This Product is Home Produced." in 10-point type.

Declare allergens in the ingredient list or in a "Contains" line right after it, naming the type of tree nut, fish or shellfish. ODA's label example lists nine major allergens, including sesame. A Nutrition Facts panel is only needed if you make a nutrient or health claim. Make labels with the food label maker and the allergen label maker.

Worked example: a buckeye candy maker in Cincinnati

Prices are illustrative, as of October 2026. A home candy maker sells boxes of peanut butter buckeyes dipped in chocolate for pickup at her house, and supplies a licensed neighborhood grocery.

Because Ohio lets licensed grocery stores sell cottage foods, she can supply the shop directly as long as every box is labeled. Online card payments and scheduled pickups would need Lite at US$17 a month.

How to set up a Menuthere ordering page for Ohio rules

1. List only foods on ODA's permitted list, with allergens ticked (allergens and nutrition, every plan) and "This Product is Home Produced." in each description.
2. Offer pickup only in Settings → Ordering → Order types (order types) unless ODA confirms delivery is fine for you. Customers then collect from your home, which matches ODA's direct-sale route.
3. Add your pickup address and hours so customers know where and when to collect.
4. Invoice stores and restaurants separately; the ordering page is for consumers.

Menuthere doesn't check Ohio law for you; you choose the products and options. Ask the Ohio Department of Taxation whether your products are taxable, and see our guide to sales tax on restaurant food.

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Other states

Michigan next door allows online and delivery-app sales since 2026 but bans store sales, Pennsylvania registers home food processors, and South Carolina also allows store sales. Compare them all on the cottage food laws hub.