California cottage food law: Class A and Class B

California only allows foods on the Approved Cottage Food List, which the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) maintains. The foods are non-potentially hazardous: they stay safe without refrigeration. Check your exact product against the list before you register.

CDPH's FAQ gives examples. Eggs are fine in a cookie or a cake mix because the baked product is dry and needs no refrigeration, but not in a custard or lemon curd.

CDPH posted a notice to add "Chocolate and Nut Spread" to the nuts, nut mixes and nut butters category. It says the new list will be posted on or about November 16, 2026.

CDPH explains why some popular items are not approved. If a product is not on the list, you can ask CDPH to add it with form CDPH 8764.

• Salsa: cut tomatoes vary in acidity and are treated as potentially hazardous
• Pickles, hot sauce and other canned low-acid or acidified foods, because of botulism risk
• Pumpkin and sweet potato pie, and other custard pies made with milk and eggs
• Pepper jelly, because peppers are low-acid
• Any food not on the Approved Cottage Food List, until CDPH adds it

CDPH does not issue cottage food permits or registrations. Your local enforcement agency, usually the county environmental health department, does. CDPH does not list a fee, so ask your county what it charges.

A Class A operator must register with the local agency and submit a self-certification checklist. A Class B operator must get a permit from it.

Every operator must take a food processor course within three months of registering or being permitted, and again every three years. A food handler course from an ANSI-accredited provider meets the rule. Keep the certificate for every person who prepares or packages food.

A cottage food operation may have no more than one full-time-equivalent employee, not counting family or household members.

The statute sets base limits of $75,000 for Class A and $150,000 for Class B, adjusted every year for inflation using the California Consumer Price Index. CDPH's adjusted table lists $88,878 for Class A and $177,756 for Class B, effective January 1, 2026.

CDPH's main cottage food page still shows the base figures of $75,000 and $150,000. The adjusted table is CDPH's own newer document, so use it, and confirm the number with your county.

Class A can make direct sales only, to consumers in California. CDPH says that "includes transactions made via the phone, internet, and any other digital method," and a direct sale "may be fulfilled in person, via mail delivery, or using any other third-party delivery service." CDPH's examples include farmers' markets, bake sales, farm stands and community-supported agriculture subscriptions.

Class B can make direct sales and indirect sales, where a restaurant, food market or other permitted retailer sells your product to the customer. Indirect sales can also be fulfilled in person, by mail or by a delivery service.

CDPH's labeling sheet lists what must be on every label. The words "Made in a Home Kitchen" (or "Repackaged in a Home Kitchen") go on the principal display panel in 12-point type.

• The common name of the food
• Your name, city and zip code; a street address too if you are not in the phone directory
• Your registration or permit number and the county that issued it
• Ingredients in descending order by weight
• Net quantity in English and metric units
• A plain-language allergen declaration
• A Nutrition Facts panel only if you make a nutrient content or health claim

• Check every product against the Approved Cottage Food List.
• Pick Class A (direct sales only) or Class B (direct and indirect).
• Call your county environmental health department and ask for its registration or permit steps and fee.
• Take an ANSI-accredited food handler course within three months of registering.
• Follow the six kitchen rules: no pets or small children in the kitchen while you work, sanitize everything, and no smoking.
• Print compliant labels with your registration number and county.
• Track gross sales against your class limit.

California's definition of a direct sale already covers internet orders, mail and third-party delivery, so an online ordering site fits Class A and Class B. pickup.kitchen gives you yourname.pickup.kitchen with checkout, a menu with photos, and payments to your own Stripe account.

CDPH lists community-supported agriculture subscriptions as a direct sale, so a weekly drop that customers pre-order works the same way. Use time slots that close when full, sold-out days and closed dates to keep batch sizes honest.

Your customer list holds every buyer and their orders, which helps when you total your sales against the limit for your class. Delivery tools plan the route if you drive the orders yourself. Free onboarding, pay as you use.

Checked November 2026 against the official California sources linked below. Laws change, so open the official page before you print labels or take your first order.

This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice. Check with your state and county before you sell.