Ohio cottage food law: selling food made at home

Ohio defines a cottage food production operation as a person who produces food items that are not potentially hazardous foods in their home. ODA's examples include bakery products, jams, jellies, candy and fruit butter. The Ohio Administrative Code lists the approved items in chapter 901:3-20.

Cottage food products may not be packed with reduced oxygen packaging, which matters for vacuum-sealed or oxygen-absorber packaging. If your product is a borderline case, such as a freeze-dried item, ask ODA before you sell.

Potentially hazardous foods are out. These are foods that need refrigeration to stay safe, such as cheesecake and cream or custard pies.

ODA has a separate Home Bakery license for people who want to sell refrigerated bakery items made at home. A licensed home bakery is inspected by ODA, and its kitchen must meet sanitation rules such as no carpeting and no pets in the home. Ask ODA for the current requirements and fee.

Cottage food production operations are exempt from ODA licensing and inspection. That means there is no cottage food license to buy. ODA can still sample any food product, including home-produced food, to check that it is not misbranded or adulterated.

Keep an eye on one bill. House Bill 134 would create a registered "microenterprise home kitchen operation" with ODA inspection and a $25 annual fee, which would allow more kinds of food. The Ohio Legislative Service Commission's February 2026 analysis describes it. The House passed it in 2025 and it was in a Senate committee in early 2026. It is not law unless the legislature's site says it has been signed, so check the status before you plan around it.

Ohio's rules say a cottage food operation may not sell cottage food products outside Ohio. Keep every sale, delivery and pickup inside the state.

We could not confirm from ODA's published cottage food material whether online orders, delivery or shipping are covered, and it does not describe them. Ask ODA's Division of Food Safety in writing before you take web orders, and keep the reply.

ODA's fact sheet says the label must show the product name, the net quantity in U.S. customary and metric units, the ingredients, and your business name and address. It must also carry this statement in ten-point type: "This product is home produced."

If you make a nutrient content claim or a health claim on the label, you also need a Nutrition Facts panel.

• Check your product is not potentially hazardous and is in the approved list in OAC chapter 901:3-20.
• Use packaging that is not reduced oxygen packaging.
• Print labels with the product name, net quantity in U.S. and metric units, ingredients, your name and address, and "This product is home produced."
• Keep every sale and delivery inside Ohio.
• Check your city or township for zoning or home-business rules.
• Email ODA before you take online orders or deliver.
• If you want refrigerated items, ask ODA about the Home Bakery license.

pickup.kitchen is the order-taking and pickup side of your home business. You get your own site at yourname.pickup.kitchen with a menu and photos, and customers pick a pickup window at checkout. Payments go to your own Stripe account.

ODA's material does not spell out online ordering, so start with the plainest setup. Customers order on your site and collect from you inside Ohio. Confirm with ODA before adding delivery. The delivery tools and driver app are there when ODA says it is allowed.

Time slots close when full, so a weekend drop stays small. Your customer list keeps every buyer for the next batch. Free onboarding, pay as you use.

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

Ohio's official sites were hard to reach while we checked, so the Ohio details are the ones most worth re-confirming with ODA before you act.

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