Florida Cottage Food Law · 2026
Can you sell cookies from home in Florida?
YES — Allowed
Yes. Cookies are a classic Florida cottage food — you can bake and sell them from your home kitchen with no permit or license, up to $250,000 per year.
Why yes?
Cookies are shelf-stable baked goods, which puts them squarely on Florida's list of allowed non-potentially-hazardous cottage foods. You can sell them at farmers markets, from home pickup, at events, and online to customers within Florida.
The only caution is fillings and frostings: anything that needs refrigeration — cream cheese frosting, custard fillings, fresh whipped cream — takes a cookie out of cottage food territory. Buttercream and royal icing are generally fine because they are shelf-stable.
Florida Cottage Food Law: Key Facts
Updated July 2026- Permit required: None — no license, permit, or FDACS registration for cottage foods
- Legal basis: Florida Statute 500.80
- Annual sales cap: $250,000 gross per year
- The rule: Only non-potentially-hazardous foods (safe at room temperature)
- Sales channel: Direct to consumers in Florida only — no wholesale
- Labels: 6 required elements, including the cottage food statement
How to sell cookies legally
- 1Label every package with the 6 required elements, including the cottage food statement
- 2Stick to shelf-stable icings (royal icing, buttercream) — skip cream cheese frosting
- 3Price with margins in mind: custom decorated cookies sell for $36–$72/dozen
- 4Use the free Recipe Cost Calculator so you never underprice a batch
Storage & refrigeration
Cookies qualifies because it's shelf-stable — safe at room temperature. Keep it that way: the moment you add a cream or custard filling, fresh dairy, or anything that needs refrigeration, it stops being a cottage food. Store and transport cookies at room temperature and it stays compliant.
How to label cookies
Every package of cookies you sell needs a compliant label with all 6 required elements:
- 1Your cottage food business name and address
- 2The product name
- 3Ingredients, listed in descending order by weight
- 4Net weight or quantity
- 5Allergen declaration (milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish)
- 6The cottage food statement (exact wording, below)
“Made in a cottage food operation that is not subject to Florida's food safety regulations.”
This statement must appear word-for-word.
Where you can sell cookies in Florida
Cottage food is sold direct to the customer, within Florida. For cookies, that means:
✅ Allowed
- Farmers markets, fairs & events
- Home pickup and local delivery
- Online, phone & mail order — delivered in Florida
🚫 Not allowed
- Wholesale to stores/restaurants for resale
- Selling or shipping outside Florida
- More than $250,000 in gross sales per year
Pricing cookies for profit
Add up your cost per unit (ingredients + packaging), multiply by 3–4× to cover your time and overhead, then sanity-check against what similar makers charge locally. Undercharging is the single most common mistake — your time is a real cost, not a freebie.
Free recipe cost calculatorCommon mistakes to avoid
- Underpricing — not counting your time, packaging, and market fees
- Missing a required label element, especially the exact cottage food statement
- Adding a filling or frosting that needs refrigeration, which quietly turns compliant cookies non-compliant
- Selling across state lines or wholesale to a shop for resale
- Losing track of the $250,000/year gross sales cap
Not sure about a different product?
Check any food against Florida's rules in seconds with our free tool — then price it and label it with the rest of the toolkit.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell decorated custom cookies?
+
Yes — decorated sugar cookies with royal icing are allowed and are one of the most profitable cottage foods in Florida, with margins around 70%.
Can I ship cookies to other states?
+
No. Florida cottage food sales must be delivered to customers within Florida. You can sell online, but delivery has to happen in-state.
People also ask about
Official Florida sources
FDACS — Cottage Foods
Florida Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services — the official cottage food program.
Florida Statute 500.80
The cottage food law itself, on the Florida Legislature's official site.
This is general educational information, not legal advice. Cottage food rules change — always verify current requirements with FDACS before you sell.
Ready to start selling?
Get the step-by-step startup guide, free pricing tools, and a spot in Florida's cottage food directory.
Educational information, not legal advice. Verify current requirements with FDACS. Based on Florida Statute 500.80 as of 2026.