Pennsylvania cottage food law: how to register a home kitchen as a Limited Food Establishment

Pennsylvania has no cottage food exemption: to sell food made in your home kitchen, you register it with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) as a "Limited Food Establishment," pay a US$35 fee and pass an on-site inspection before you sell. You can then make shelf-stable, non-TCS foods such as breads, cookies, most fruit pies, jams, candy and snack mixes, and sell them directly to consumers, including over the internet. PDA's pet policy is strict (no pets in the home unless the kitchen is fully separated with its own entrance), and the registration isn't available in Philadelphia County.

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Pennsylvania Limited Food Establishment rules at a glance (October 2026)

This is general information, not legal advice. Contact PDA at 717-787-4316 or your regional food safety office before you start.

What does PDA's pet policy mean for a home baker?

This is the rule that stops many applications. PDA's packet says no animals or pets are allowed in the home at any time if you use your personal kitchen. The one exception is a home designed so the food processing and storage area is never accessible to pets, with:

• a physical barrier such as a fully closing door (baby gates don't count), and
• a separate entrance and exit, so you can bring ingredients in and products out without passing through areas pets use.

Dogs, cats, birds, rabbits and ferrets count as pets. Fish, caged reptiles and caged hamsters don't, as long as they aren't in or near the food area. You also sign a statement on the application that there are no animals on the premises.

Which foods can a Pennsylvania Limited Food Establishment make?

• Baked goods: cakes, breads, bagels, cookies, rolls, muffins, brownies, biscuits, biscotti, tortillas and most fruit pies and pastries. Moist breads and cakes and some pies may need pH and water activity tests.
• Jams and jellies: from standard recipes in the Ball Blue Book, the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning or a university extension, without testing. Changed or new recipes need a Brix (soluble solids) test; finished jams and jellies must reach at least 65% soluble solids.
• Some drinks: acidic or fermented drinks such as root beer, lemonade, lemon iced tea or kombucha, if tested at pH 4.6 or below. Freshly brewed coffee and tea don't qualify.
• Candy, dried mixes, acidified and fermented foods that test as non-TCS.

Not allowed: cheesecake, pumpkin pie, cream, custard or meringue pies and pastries, pudding, baked goods with meat or cheese that need refrigeration, and low-acid canned foods.

Can you sell Limited Food Establishment products online in Pennsylvania?

Yes. PDA says registration includes sales direct from the production site, including internet sales. Selling across state lines may also require FDA food facility registration and nutrition labeling (many small producers can apply to FDA for a small-business exemption).

Stores and restaurants: PDA's web FAQ says Limited Food Establishments are for direct-to-consumer sales only and wholesale needs a different license. Its application packet, though, lists wholesale as a method of sale and sets labeling rules for bakery items sold at retail facilities the baker doesn't own. Ask your regional office before you supply a shop.

What goes on a Pennsylvania label, and when don't you need one?

Packaged products need:

1. the product's common name;
2. ingredients in decreasing order by weight, including sub-ingredients;
3. an allergen declaration if needed;
4. the name and address of the manufacturer or distributor;
5. net weight or count, in the bottom third of the front panel, in at least 8-point type.

The baked-goods exemption: bakery items you or your employee sell directly to a Pennsylvania consumer, at your production site or a satellite such as your farmers market stand, need no label, but ingredient information must be available on request. Baked goods you buy in and resell need full labels. Build labels with the food label maker.

Worked example: a Lancaster County bread and fruit pie baker

Prices are illustrative, as of October 2026. A registered Limited Food Establishment sells farmhouse bread and double-crust fruit pies online for pickup at the farm and local delivery.

She applied in January for a spring start, because PDA wants materials at least 60 days ahead, and she keeps her dog out of the farmhouse kitchen wing, which has its own door to the yard. Price each pie in US dollars with the menu price calculator.

How to set up a Menuthere ordering page for Pennsylvania rules

1. List only the products in your approved business plan, with allergens ticked (allergens and nutrition, every plan), and put ingredients in each description so online customers can read them.
2. Match order types to your business plan in Settings → Ordering → Order types (order types). PDA's plan asks how you'll transport and deliver products, so offer only what you described, with a delivery radius.
3. Bake to a schedule with pre-orders on Lite and dishes that need notice, and connect Stripe to take cards.

Menuthere doesn't check Pennsylvania rules for you; you choose the products and options. PDA's application asks for a sales tax license or an exemption statement, so check with the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, and see our guide to sales tax on restaurant food.

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Other states

New York registers home processors for free, Ohio needs no license at all, and North Carolina also inspects home kitchens and bans pets. Compare them all on the cottage food laws hub.