Alabama cottage food law
Sell cottage food in Alabama
Alabama cottage food law, label rules, and a free storefront. Alabama's cottage food law lets home bakers sell directly to consumers with no statewide sales cap — provided you sell directly to consumers, label every product correctly, and follow Alabama's rules. CottageOps configures the Alabama label disclosure for you, tracks your sales against the cap, and gives you a free storefront to take orders.
What Alabama's cottage food law says
- Sales cap
- No statewide sales cap — Alabama doesn't set an annual revenue ceiling on cottage food sales.
- Refrigerated (TCS) foods
- Alabama's cottage food path is limited to shelf-stable goods — refrigerated (TCS) items aren't allowed under the exemption.
- Where you can sell
- Direct to Alabama consumers — pickup, in-state delivery, farmers markets, and online sales to in-state customers.
Required label disclosure in Alabama
Every Alabama cottage food label must carry the product name, ingredients in descending order by weight, the net weight, a “Contains” allergen statement for any FDA major allergens, your name and address as the producer, and the Alabama-required disclosure below. CottageOps fills the disclosure in for you, verbatim:
This product was made in a home kitchen not inspected by the local health department or the Alabama Department of Public Health. This product may contain allergens.
Before you sell in Alabama
Alabama requires you to register with the state before you sell.
Before accepting orders in Alabama, you'll need to register with the state agency that oversees cottage food. There's no kitchen inspection — it's typically a one-time registration. You can set everything up in CottageOps first and flip on orders once you're registered.
Full Alabama cottage-food law
The detail behind the summary above: Alabama's primary statute, the agency that enforces it, the revenue cap, what foods are allowed, refrigerated-food (TCS) rules, labeling notes, and the watch-outs to know before you sell.
- Primary statute
- We couldn’t verify a single clean statute citation for Alabama. Confirm the exact statute with Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) / local health department.
- Revenue cap
- No state cap (a 2021 update removed the prior $20,000 cap; ⚖️ confirm).
- Allowed foods
- Non-TCS (shelf-stable) cottage foods including baked goods.
- Refrigerated (TCS) / prohibited
- Conservative shelf-stable only (engine refuses TCS labels for AL).
- Where you can sell
- Direct to consumer; registration before sale (registration tier).
- Labeling notes
- Disclosure (CF-LABEL-AL-PLACEHOLDER-01, 2026-06-18 — interim, no fill-in token): "This product was made in a home kitchen not inspected by the local health department or the Alabama Department of Public Health. This product may contain allergens." at ≥10pt. ⚖️ Exact statutory wording is a lawyer item (weakest-13).
- Watch-outs
- Disclosure references "the local health department" generically; the prior bracketed fill-in token was removed (no field collects a county/dept name).
- Registration before sale required (gated tier).
- Cap removal flagged for confirmation in the engine.
General information, not legal advice — confirm with your state agency. Last verified 2026-06-15.
Ready to start selling in Alabama?
Make a free Alabama label in seconds, then claim your free CottageOps storefront. Free in 2026 — no card required. $19/mo in 2027, no transaction fees.
Alabama cottage food FAQ
What must a Alabama cottage food label include?
A compliant Alabama cottage food label needs the product name, the ingredients in descending order by weight, the net weight (oz and/or grams), the "Contains" allergen statement for any FDA major allergens, the producer's name and address, and the Alabama-required legal disclosure. Our free generator fills in the disclosure for you and lays out the rest automatically as you type.
What is the required cottage food disclosure in Alabama?
Alabama requires this exact disclosure on the label: "This product was made in a home kitchen not inspected by the local health department or the Alabama Department of Public Health. This product may contain allergens." You never type it — the generator applies the current Alabama disclosure for you the moment you pick your state.
Can I sell TCS or refrigerated cottage food items in Alabama?
No — Alabama's cottage food path is limited to shelf-stable goods, so TCS items that need refrigeration are not allowed under the cottage food exemption. If you toggle "Contains a TCS item" the generator will flag that Alabama doesn't permit it, so you don't print a non-compliant label.
Is this Alabama cottage food label generator really free?
Yes. Building and previewing your Alabama-compliant label is free with no account. CottageOps is free through 2026 — no credit card — and when you're ready to download or print the full-resolution label you just claim your free CottageOps account. In 2027 it's a flat $19/mo (or $190/yr).
More for Alabama bakers, plus our guides for every other state:
Free in 2026 — no card required.
A free Alabama storefront, the Alabama label disclosure configured for you, and sales tracking — built in from day one. Cancel anytime; the most-recent month is refundable.
Start freeThis is general information, not legal advice — confirm with your Alabama cottage food authority before selling. Last verified: 2026-06-13.