Guide · Selling from home
Can I sell baked goods from home in Massachusetts?
Informational only, not legal advice.
Yes, with limits — Massachusetts allows some baked goods but prohibits others.
This answer comes from Massachusetts's official guidance on baked goods, summarized below, rather than from its food lists alone.
Only non-time/temperature control for safety (TCS) baked goods may be made at a cottage food operation. MDPH lists cream-filled pastries, cheesecake, and custard as examples of foods a Residential Kitchen may not prepare or sell.
Source: MDPH — Retail Food Code Standards for Permitted Residential Kitchens (Updated April 2019) (Cottage Food Products) · Verified Oct 21, 2026
Source: MDPH Food Protection Program — Residential Kitchen Questions and Answers · Verified Oct 21, 2026
What Massachusetts's food lists say about baked goods
On the allowed list
- Baked goods that don't need time/temperature control for safety (non-TCS)
Source: 105 CMR 590.000 (Massachusetts Retail Food Code), as published by MDPH, § 590.001(C) ("Cottage Food Products") · Verified Oct 21, 2026
How Massachusetts reads its lists
105 CMR 590 defines cottage food products as "non-time/temperature control for safety baked goods, jams, jellies, and other non-time/temperature control for food safety foods." TCS ingredients such as milk, cream, and eggs from approved sources may be used if the final product is not a TCS food (MDPH standards). The thermal-processing exception for jams and jellies is from the MDPH Q&A. Honey and maple: § 590.010(F)(1). The regulator may require lab evidence that a product is safe without temperature control.
Source: 105 CMR 590.000 (Massachusetts Retail Food Code), as published by MDPH, § 590.001(C) ("Cottage Food Products") · Verified Oct 21, 2026
Selling baked goods in Massachusetts: permit, cost, and where to sell
Do I need a permit to sell baked goods from home in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts requires a permit or registration to sell cottage food.
Source: 105 CMR 590.000 (Massachusetts Retail Food Code), as published by MDPH, § 590.010(F)(2)(a) · Verified Oct 21, 2026
The program is run by the Local board of health in the city or town where the kitchen is located (permits and inspects); Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), Food Protection Program (sets the rules).
Source: MDPH Food Protection Program — Residential Kitchen Questions and Answers · Verified Oct 21, 2026
How much does a Massachusetts cottage food license cost?
Massachusetts sets cottage food fees at the local level, so they vary by jurisdiction.
Source: 105 CMR 590.000 (Massachusetts Retail Food Code), as published by MDPH, § 590.008 (FC 8-303.20(C)) · Verified Oct 21, 2026
Is there a limit on how much I can sell in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts sets no overall annual sales cap for cottage food.
Source: 105 CMR 590.000 (Massachusetts Retail Food Code), as published by MDPH · Verified Oct 21, 2026
Where can I sell baked goods in Massachusetts?
In person: Yes; farmers markets: Yes; online orders within Massachusetts: Yes; shipping to other states: Yes; delivery within Massachusetts: Yes; sales to stores or for resale: No.
Source: MDPH Food Protection Program — Residential Kitchen Questions and Answers · Verified Oct 21, 2026
A Retail Residential Kitchen sells "direct to the consumer," which MDPH says "includes events like farmers markets, craft fairs, and sales by internet or mail." On out-of-state sales MDPH says only that anyone who "wants to sell in another state should confirm that they are in compliance with both Federal law and the state laws where they are doing business." A cottage food operation produces "only for sale directly to the consumer" (105 CMR 590.001(C)); selling to a supermarket or restaurant for resale requires a separate Wholesale Residential Kitchen license from MDPH under 105 CMR 500. Local rules can be narrower: Boston, for example, bars sales at the home and sales outside Massachusetts.
Source: MDPH Food Protection Program — Residential Kitchen Questions and Answers · Verified Oct 21, 2026
Do I need training or a kitchen inspection in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts does not require food safety training.
Source: MDPH — Guidance for Farms and Agricultural Businesses on Cottage Food and Other Food Sales (March 8, 2022) · Verified Oct 21, 2026
Massachusetts requires a home kitchen inspection.
Source: MDPH Food Protection Program — Residential Kitchen Questions and Answers · Verified Oct 21, 2026
Labeling baked goods in Massachusetts
Massachusetts's cited labeling rules list 7 requirements. The full list is in the Massachusetts labeling guide.
Source: MDPH — Retail Food Code Standards for Permitted Residential Kitchens (Updated April 2019) (Labeling) · Verified Oct 21, 2026