Michigan Cottage Food Law

Selling Food From Home in Michigan

Michigan’s cottage food law is one of the most accessible ways to start a food business: it lets you make and sell certain shelf-stable foods from your home kitchen — no commercial kitchen, no food establishment license, no inspection.

The law got a major upgrade in March 2026. House Bill 4122 doubled the annual sales cap from $25,000 to $50,000, and — for the first time — made it legal to take orders over the internet, by mail order, or through a third-party delivery platform, as long as sales stay in-state and you give buyers a way to interact with you directly.

Here’s what you can sell, how you have to label it, and when you’d graduate to a licensed operation.

Informational only — not legal advice. Rules change; verify current requirements with the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD) before you sell. Last reviewed June 12, 2026 against MDARD guidance and the current statute.

Michigan Food Law, 2000 PA 92 (MCL 289.4102) — cottage food provisions amended by HB 4122 of 2025 (Public Act 51 of 2025), effective March 24, 2026

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What you can sell under Michigan’s cottage food law

Baked goods (the biggest category)

Bread, rolls, biscuits, cookies, brownies, cakes (without cream or custard filling), muffins, fruit and nut pies (not cream pies), pastries, scones, and tortillas.

Candy and confections

Fudge, toffee, brittles, caramels, hard candy, marshmallows, and chocolate-dipped items with shelf-stable fillings.

Jams, jellies and preserves

Jams, jellies, and fruit preserves made with high-acid fruits. Low-acid canned goods — plain vegetables, salsas, sauces — are not cottage foods and require a license, and neither are fruit butters (see below).

Dried goods

Dried fruits, dried herbs, tea blends, dried pasta, granola, trail mix, roasted nuts, popcorn, and dry baking mixes.

Honey, syrup, coffee and nut butters

Honey, maple syrup, roasted coffee beans, and nut butters such as peanut or almond butter (confirmed allowed in MDARD’s cottage food FAQ).

What cottage food rules don’t cover

Meat, poultry, or fish products
Dairy products (cheese, butter, yogurt, cream)
Eggs (sold under separate Michigan rules, not the cottage food law)
Cream-filled or custard-filled baked goods
Low-acid canned vegetables, salsas, and sauces
Fruit butters (apple butter, pumpkin butter) — MDARD’s cottage food FAQ lists these as not allowed
Fermented foods and beverages (kombucha, sauerkraut, cider, wine)
Anything that requires refrigeration or temperature control to stay safe
Pet treats — not food for people, so not cottage food; Michigan regulates animal feed separately

Where and how you can sell

Every cottage food sale must be direct to the end consumer, inside Michigan. Within that rule, you have more channels than ever:

Allowed

From your home — buyers pick up at your door on your schedule
Farmers markets, farm stands, and roadside stands
Community events — craft fairs, bazaars, fundraisers
Online ordering — internet, mail order, or a third-party delivery platform (new as of March 24, 2026), provided buyers can interact with you directly (the law counts a face-to-face or virtual two-way exchange) and delivery stays within Michigan

Not allowed

Wholesale or consignment — no selling to stores, restaurants, or anyone who resells
Out-of-state sales or shipping — Michigan’s law only covers Michigan consumers

The revenue cap

$50,000 per year in gross sales

Your total gross sales from cottage food products cannot exceed $50,000 per calendar year — gross revenue, not profit. If you sell $50,000 of bread, the whole $50,000 counts, regardless of what ingredients cost you.

There is a higher tier: if everything you sell is priced at $250 or more per unit — think custom wedding cakes — the cap is $75,000. Both thresholds begin adjusting for inflation on October 1, 2026.

If you exceed the cap, you have two options: stop selling for the rest of the calendar year, or get a food establishment license from MDARD and operate from an inspected kitchen. Many producers treat the cottage cap as their on-ramp — validate the product and the customer base first, then graduate.

Labeling requirements (don’t skip this)

Every cottage food product must carry a label with:

The name and address of your business — or, if you register with the MSU Product Center (optional, one-time fee up to $50), your name, phone number, and registration number instead of your home address
The name of the product
Ingredients in descending order by weight
Net weight or net volume
Allergen labeling consistent with federal rules (milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, sesame)
This exact statement, in at least 11-point type in a color that contrasts with the label: “Made in a home kitchen that has not been inspected by the Michigan department of agriculture and rural development.”

The MSU Product Center registration option is new with the 2026 amendments — it exists so you don’t have to print your home address on every jar.

When you’d need a license instead

The cottage food law is an exemption, not a ceiling on your ambitions. You’ll need to step up to a licensed food establishment when:

Your gross cottage food sales pass $50,000 in a calendar year ($75,000 on the high-price tier)
You want to sell anything refrigerated, low-acid canned, or otherwise outside the allowed list
You want to sell wholesale — to stores, restaurants, cafes, or resellers
You want to sell or ship to customers outside Michigan

Graduating means a food establishment license from MDARD and a licensed kitchen — your own inspected space or a shared commercial kitchen. Your cottage-food customer base comes with you.

How Rootly fits Michigan’s rules

Michigan’s law requires every sale to be direct to the consumer — and that is exactly the model Rootly is built on. Buyers order and pay online, then pick up from you in person. There’s no shipping to manage and no wholesale ambiguity: every order is a named neighbor, not a reseller.

The 2026 online-sales rules expect buyers to have a way to interact with you directly — and on Rootly, every buyer can message you before and after they order. Your storefront shows who you are, your products, and your pickup windows, so the buyer relationship stays personal the way the law intends. Confirm your own setup with MDARD — but this is the shape of commerce the law was written for.

Rootly charges sellers a flat monthly subscription instead of a commission, so the sale price is yours — useful when every dollar counts toward a gross-revenue cap. And because every order lives in your seller dashboard, tracking where you stand against the $50,000 cap takes a glance, not a spreadsheet.

Common questions

Do I need a license or inspection to sell cottage food in Michigan?

No. The cottage food law specifically exempts you from food establishment licensing, and your home kitchen is not inspected. You can optionally register with the MSU Product Center (one-time fee up to $50) to put a registration number on your labels instead of your home address. Some cities and townships have zoning rules for home businesses, so check locally.

Can I sell cottage food online in Michigan?

Yes — as of March 24, 2026. The amended law allows sales by internet, mail order, or third-party delivery platform, as long as the buyer is in Michigan and has the opportunity to interact with you directly (a face-to-face or virtual two-way exchange). Before this change, online transactions were not permitted.

What happens if I sell more than $50,000 in a year?

You must either stop selling cottage food for the rest of the calendar year or obtain a food establishment license from MDARD and move production to a licensed kitchen. If everything you sell is priced at $250 or more per unit, your cap is $75,000 instead.

Can I ship my products to other states?

No. Michigan’s cottage food law only covers sales to consumers in Michigan. Every state writes its own cottage food rules, and selling into another state means following that state’s law — most require production inside their borders.

Do I need liability insurance?

It is not legally required, but it is widely recommended. Home-based food business policies typically run a few hundred dollars a year and protect you if a customer claims your product made them sick.

Can two people in the same house each run a cottage food business?

Yes — the 2026 amendments explicitly allow more than one cottage food operation per residence, each with its own sales cap.

Ready to sell what you make in Michigan?

Rootly gives you a storefront, online ordering, and in-person pickup — the direct-to-consumer model cottage food laws are built around.

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Sources & further reading

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Requirements change — verify with MDARD before selling. Last reviewed June 12, 2026.