Cottage Food Law /US
A structured reference to state cottage food rules

Guide · Selling from home

Can I sell baked goods from home in Maryland?

Informational only, not legal advice.

Yes, with limits — Maryland allows some baked goods but prohibits others.

"With limits" means Maryland's allowed list and its prohibited list both name baked goods items. Check which list your product is on.

What Maryland's food lists say about baked goods

On the allowed list

  • Non-perishable baked goods without potentially hazardous toppings or fillings (e.g., bagels, biscuits, breads, brownies, cookies, muffins, pastries, tortillas, sourdough bread and rolls, and cakes, cupcakes, and buns without perishable icing or fillings)
  • Pies, turnovers, and fruit tarts from fruits with a natural pH of 4.6 or less
  • Dry bread or "instant" bread mixes

Source: MDH Office of Food Protection — Guidelines for Cottage Food Businesses (Last Updated 11/2025), Appendix A · Verified Oct 21, 2026

On the prohibited list

  • Perishable baked goods: baked goods with perishable icings or fillings (e.g., buttercream, cream cheese, royal icing), cheesecakes, cream and custard pies, meringue cookies and pies, pumpkin, sweet potato, and pecan pies, macarons, waffles, focaccia-style breads with vegetables or cheeses, and fried doughnuts
  • Without laboratory testing: icings and fillings made with perishable ingredients, and moist quick breads such as banana, pumpkin, and zucchini breads with a water activity above 0.85
  • Fermented foods, except sourdough bread (e.g., kimchi, kombucha, pickles, sauerkraut, kefir, yogurt)
  • Fresh or refrigerated pasta, raw cookie or pizza dough, and unbaked energy or protein balls

Source: MDH Office of Food Protection — Guidelines for Cottage Food Businesses (Last Updated 11/2025), Appendix B · Verified Oct 21, 2026

How Maryland reads its lists

COMAR 10.15.03.27B lists the regulated categories: hot-filled acid fruit jellies, jams, preserves, and butters from listed fruits, non-potentially hazardous baked goods, and non-potentially hazardous candy. MDH's Appendix A gives examples. Baked doughnuts and churros, hard candies, and dry bread mixes are from the MDH FAQ (#27, #30, #31). Icings, glazes, and moist quick breads made with low-acid fruits or vegetables need third-party lab results for each recipe, and vendors must have copies of those results at public events (FAQ #28, #35–#37).

Source: MDH Office of Food Protection — Guidelines for Cottage Food Businesses (Last Updated 11/2025), Appendix A · Verified Oct 21, 2026

MDH gives these as examples, not a complete list. Fried doughnuts, salsas and tomato sauces, ground coffee, home dehydrating of herbs, fermented foods, prepared foods, CBD, and pet foods are from the MDH FAQ (#15–#18, #25, #26, #31, #33). Foods not allowed as cottage foods need a local health department or MDH food license.

Source: MDH Office of Food Protection — Guidelines for Cottage Food Businesses (Last Updated 11/2025), Appendix B · Verified Oct 21, 2026

Selling baked goods in Maryland: permit, cost, and where to sell

Do I need a permit to sell baked goods from home in Maryland?

Maryland does not require a state-issued permit for cottage food.

Source: Md. Code, Health–General § 21-330.1(b) · Verified Oct 21, 2026

The program is run by the Maryland Department of Health (MDH), Office of Food Protection.

Source: Maryland Department of Health — Maryland Cottage Food Businesses · Verified Oct 21, 2026

How much does a Maryland cottage food license cost?

Maryland does not charge a state cottage food license fee.

Source: MDH Office of Food Protection — Guidelines for Cottage Food Businesses (Last Updated 11/2025), Appendix C · Verified Oct 21, 2026

Is there a limit on how much I can sell in Maryland?

Maryland caps cottage food sales at $100,000 a year.

Source: 2026 Md. Laws ch. 320 (HB 535), amending Health–General § 21-301(b–1)(3) · Verified Oct 21, 2026

Where can I sell baked goods in Maryland?

In person: Yes; farmers markets: Yes; online orders within Maryland: Yes; shipping to other states: No; delivery within Maryland: Yes; sales to stores or for resale: Yes.

Source: COMAR 10.15.03.27 (Farmer's Market, Bake Sales, and Cottage Food Business), §A · Verified Oct 21, 2026

Cottage food products may be sold only in Maryland: directly to a consumer from a residence, at a farmer's market, at a bake sale, at a public event, by personal delivery, or by mail order or mail delivery; or to a licensed retail food store (grocery store, convenience store, retail market, retail bakery, or food cooperative) after MDH's written approval. MDH's FAQ says sales over the Internet are restricted to Maryland only, products may be mailed only within Maryland, and distributing across State lines is not permissible. Bake sales must be connected with a fundraising event. Retail food stores exclude restaurants, coffee shops, cafeterias, and businesses without a food license. Cottage foods cannot be produced onsite at a market or event, and local rules for farmers' markets and public events may apply.

Source: COMAR 10.15.03.27 (Farmer's Market, Bake Sales, and Cottage Food Business), §A · Verified Oct 21, 2026

Do I need training or a kitchen inspection in Maryland?

Maryland does not require food safety training.

Source: MDH Office of Food Protection — Cottage Food Frequently Asked Questions (Last Updated 11/2025), Q5 · Verified Oct 21, 2026

Maryland does not require a home kitchen inspection.

Source: MDH Office of Food Protection — Cottage Food Frequently Asked Questions (Last Updated 11/2025), Q6 · Verified Oct 21, 2026

Labeling baked goods in Maryland

Maryland's cited labeling rules list 9 requirements. The full list is in the Maryland labeling guide.

Source: Md. Code, Health–General § 21-330.1(c) · Verified Oct 21, 2026

Other foods in Maryland