Colorado cottage food law
Sell cottage food in Colorado
Colorado cottage food law, label rules, and a free storefront. Colorado'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 Colorado's rules. CottageOps configures the Colorado label disclosure for you, tracks your sales against the cap, and gives you a free storefront to take orders.
What Colorado's cottage food law says
- Sales cap
- No statewide sales cap — Colorado doesn't set an annual revenue ceiling on cottage food sales.
- Refrigerated (TCS) foods
- Colorado'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 Colorado consumers — pickup, in-state delivery, farmers markets, and online sales to in-state customers.
Required label disclosure in Colorado
Every Colorado 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 Colorado-required disclosure below. CottageOps fills the disclosure in for you, verbatim:
This product was produced in a home kitchen that is not subject to state licensure or inspection and that may also process common food allergens such as tree nuts, peanuts, eggs, soy, wheat, milk, fish, and crustacean shellfish. This product is not intended for resale.
Before you sell in Colorado
Colorado doesn't require a permit to start.
Colorado lets cottage food bakers start selling without a state permit or inspection — set up your storefront, add your menu, and you can begin taking orders.
Full Colorado cottage-food law
The detail behind the summary above: Colorado'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
- Colo. Rev. Stat. §25-4-1614 (Colorado Cottage Foods Act) (Colorado Cottage Foods Act)
- Enforcing agency
- Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE)
- Revenue cap
- Per-PRODUCT cap of $10,000 per product type per year — NOT a single revenue figure. The engine stores no flat cap (a flat $10k revenue ring would wrongly tell a baker to stop selling). Per-product surfacing is a future enhancement.
- Allowed foods
- Non-TCS (shelf-stable) cottage foods including baked goods.
- Refrigerated (TCS) / prohibited
- Conservative shelf-stable only (engine refuses TCS labels for CO).
- Where you can sell
- Direct to consumer; "not intended for resale" limits channels.
- Labeling notes
- Full LABEL disclosure per §25-4-1614(3)(a) with inline allergen enumeration: "This product was produced in a home kitchen that is not subject to state licensure or inspection and that may also process common food allergens such as tree nuts, peanuts, eggs, soy, wheat, milk, fish, and crustacean shellfish. This product is not intended for resale." at ≥10pt. (A shorter PLACARD version exists; the LABEL version is the one required on packaged product.)
- Watch-outs
- Cap is per-product-type ($10k/type), not a single revenue cap — the engine shows no revenue ring for CO.
- Inline allergen enumeration is statute-mandated on the LABEL version.
General information, not legal advice — confirm with your state agency. Last verified 2026-06-15.
Ready to start selling in Colorado?
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Colorado cottage food FAQ
What must a Colorado cottage food label include?
A compliant Colorado 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 Colorado-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 Colorado?
Colorado requires this exact disclosure on the label: "This product was produced in a home kitchen that is not subject to state licensure or inspection and that may also process common food allergens such as tree nuts, peanuts, eggs, soy, wheat, milk, fish, and crustacean shellfish. This product is not intended for resale." You never type it — the generator applies the current Colorado disclosure for you the moment you pick your state.
Can I sell TCS or refrigerated cottage food items in Colorado?
No — Colorado'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 Colorado doesn't permit it, so you don't print a non-compliant label.
Is this Colorado cottage food label generator really free?
Yes. Building and previewing your Colorado-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 Colorado bakers, plus our guides for every other state:
Free in 2026 — no card required.
A free Colorado storefront, the Colorado 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 Colorado cottage food authority before selling. Last verified: 2026-06-13.