Illinois cottage food law: what you can sell from home

Illinois allows homemade food and drink except a list of prohibited items, under the Home-to-Market Act (Public Act 102-0633, effective January 1, 2022). That covers baked goods, candy, jams and jellies, and, with extra steps, some canned and fermented products.

You may can fruit jams, jellies, preserves, fruit butters, syrups, whole or cut fruit in syrup, and condiments such as prepared mustard, horseradish and ketchup. Use Mason-style jars with new lids only. To sell canned tomatoes, you must follow a tested recipe or send your recipe to a lab. Fermented or acidified foods need a tested recipe or a written food safety plan and a pH test.

The statute lists items you cannot sell unless you are properly licensed for them:

• Meat, poultry, fish, seafood and shellfish
• Dairy, except as an ingredient in a non-potentially hazardous baked good, candy such as caramel, or baked-good frosting such as buttercream
• Pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, cheesecake, custard and creme pies, and pastries with potentially hazardous fillings
• Low-acid canned foods, sprouts and cut leafy greens (unless dehydrated, acidified or blanched and frozen)
• Cut or pureed fresh tomato or melon, wild-harvested mushrooms
• Alcoholic beverages and kombucha
• Take-n-bake products, which need temperature control

You must register with the local health department for the unit of local government where you live, but you can sell outside that area. The department issues a certificate with a registration number. Registration is completed annually and the statute lets the department charge a fee of up to $50. Your department publishes its own fee and steps, and may allow self-certification.

The person who prepares or packages the food must be a Department-approved certified food protection manager. University of Illinois Extension says that means an ANSI-accredited Certified Food Protection Manager course and exam.

A health department may require a water test if you use a private well, and a lab check for baked goods with cheese. In a complaint or outbreak, the state or local department may inspect your premises, set a reasonable inspection fee, and stop sales.

Food must be sold directly to consumers for their own use, not for resale. The statute names these routes:

• Farmers' markets
• Fairs, festivals, public events or online
• Pickup from your home or farm, if local law does not prohibit it. In a city of 1,000,000 or more such as Chicago, follow the city's home-based business laws.
• Delivery to the customer
• Pickup from third-party private property, with the owner's consent

Only non-potentially hazardous food may be shipped, and cottage food may not be shipped out of state. Each shipped product must be sealed in a way that shows tampering, such as a sticker or pop top.

Packaging must follow the Illinois Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, and the product must be prepackaged with a prominent label. The statement reads: "This product was produced in a home kitchen not inspected by a health department that may also process common food allergens. If you have safety concerns, contact your local health department."

At the point of sale you must also display a notice: "This product was produced in a home kitchen not inspected by a health department that may also process common food allergens." Online, that notice is a message on your sales page at the point of sale.

• Your operation's name and the unit of local government where it is located
• Your registration number and the municipality or county where you registered
• The common name, and all ingredients in descending order by weight
• The date the product was processed
• Allergen labeling under federal rules (name tree nuts specifically)
• A home address is not required

• Take an ANSI-accredited Certified Food Protection Manager course and pass the exam.
• Call your local health department for its registration form and fee.
• Check that none of your products are on the prohibited list.
• Print labels with your registration number and the exact statement.
• Add the point-of-sale notice to your online checkout.
• Check city rules if you pick up from home or live in Chicago.
• Renew your registration every year.

Illinois names online sales, home pickup and delivery to the customer in the statute, so every part of pickup.kitchen has a place. You get yourname.pickup.kitchen with a menu, checkout and payments to your own Stripe account.

The statute asks for a message at the point of sale online. Put the home-kitchen sentence in each dish description so it shows before checkout. Pickup windows, slots that close when full and order cutoffs run a weekly drop.

The delivery tools plan your route and send it to a driver's phone, with a photo at the door, for the delivery-to-the-customer route. Your customer list keeps every buyer and order. Only ship non-potentially hazardous food, and never out of state. Free onboarding, pay as you use.

Checked November 2026 against the official Illinois 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.