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Cottage food laws · MA
Selling homemade food in Massachusetts
Massachusetts calls this the Residential Kitchen Law: you get a permit from your local board of health, then can sell shelf-stable homemade foods directly to customers. Unlike most cottage food states, the kitchen is actually inspected as part of getting permitted. Requirements and paperwork vary town to town, so start with your local health department.
Program
Massachusetts Residential Kitchen Law
Registration
"Retail Residential Kitchen" permit from your local board of health under 105 CMR 590; unlike most cottage food states, the kitchen is subject to a local health inspection as part of permitting
Annual sales cap
No statewide sales cap (individual boards of health may impose their own conditions as part of the local permit)
Online sales
Allowed (see notes)
You can sell
- Baked goods without cream/custard fillings
- Jams, jellies, preserves
- Candy & chocolate
- Dry mixes & granola
- Popcorn
You can't sell
- Potentially hazardous/perishable foods
- Meat & poultry products
- Dairy-based products
- Home-canned low-acid vegetables
Where you can sell
- Direct in-person sales from home
- Farmers markets
- Roadside stands
Selling online
Online ordering is allowed, but delivery/shipping must stay inside Massachusetts (in-state mail or courier only) — shipping out of state falls under FDA jurisdiction and is not permitted under the Residential Kitchen rules
What your labels must include
- Business name & address of the permitted residential kitchen
- Common name of the product
- Full ingredient list in descending order by weight
- Allergen declaration per federal labeling law
- Net weight
- Local board of health may review/approve exact label wording as part of the permit