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Cottage food laws · SC
Selling homemade food in South Carolina
South Carolina is about as simple as it gets: no permit, no license, no inspection, and no sales cap for homemade shelf-stable foods. You can sell online, by mail within the state, and even wholesale to retail and grocery stores (which must post disclosure signage), though an optional free SCDA ID number lets you use it on labels instead of your home address.
Program
South Carolina Home-Based Food Production Law
Registration
No permit, license, registration, or inspection is ever required; the law's allowed-foods and labeling rules apply once an operation clears $1,500 in net annual earnings. An optional free SCDA ID number is available if you want label privacy
Annual sales cap
No statewide sales cap
Online sales
Allowed (see notes)
You can sell
- Baked goods (breads, cakes, cookies, pastries - not requiring refrigeration)
- Jams, jellies, preserves (high-acid fruit, standard recipes)
- Candy and chocolate products
- Dried/dehydrated fruits, herbs, vegetables, coffee, and tea
- Granola and trail mix
- Honey
- Non-potentially-hazardous crackers and chips
You can't sell
- Potentially hazardous foods (raw or heat-treated animal products, dairy, meats, seafood)
- Low-acid canned goods and vegetables
- Fermented foods and kombucha
- Bottled or cold-brew beverages
- Raw seed sprouts, cut melons, cut leafy greens, cut tomatoes, garlic-in-oil mixtures
- Aluminum canned goods
- Pet treats and animal feed
Where you can sell
- Direct to consumer
- Farmers markets
- Online with in-state delivery
- Mail order within South Carolina
- Retail stores and grocery stores (with required in-store signage)
Selling online
Online and mail-order direct-to-consumer sales are allowed, but delivery must go to an address within South Carolina; any retail store or grocery store that carries these products must post signage stating the items are not subject to South Carolina's food safety regulations
What your labels must include
- Producer name & address (or SCDA ID number if using the optional privacy option)
- "PROCESSED AND PREPARED BY A HOME-BASED FOOD PRODUCTION OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO SOUTH CAROLINA'S FOOD SAFETY REGULATIONS" statement, printed in all capital letters in a color that clearly contrasts the background
- Ingredient list
- Allergen disclosure
- Net weight