District of Columbia cottage food law
Sell cottage food in District of Columbia
District of Columbia cottage food law, label rules, and a free storefront. District of Columbia's cottage food law lets home bakers sell directly to consumers up to a $25,000 sales cap — provided you sell directly to consumers, label every product correctly, and follow District of Columbia's rules. CottageOps configures the District of Columbia label disclosure for you, tracks your sales against the cap, and gives you a free storefront to take orders.
What District of Columbia's cottage food law says
- Sales cap
- $25,000 per year, gross sales. In District of Columbia this is a hard cap — once you reach it in a 12-month window, the lawful move is to stop selling under the cottage food exemption (or move to a fully licensed operation).
- Refrigerated (TCS) foods
- District of Columbia'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 District of Columbia consumers — pickup, in-state delivery, farmers markets, and online sales to in-state customers.
Required label disclosure in District of Columbia
Every District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia-required disclosure below. CottageOps fills the disclosure in for you, verbatim:
Made by a cottage food business that is not subject to the District of Columbia's food safety regulations.
Before you sell in District of Columbia
District of Columbia requires a permit and a kitchen inspection before you sell.
Before accepting orders in District of Columbia, you'll need to obtain the required permit and pass a kitchen inspection. This can take weeks, so start the application early. You can build your storefront and menu in CottageOps now and switch on orders once you're cleared.
Full District of Columbia cottage-food law
The detail behind the summary above: District of Columbia'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
- D.C. Code §7-742.02 (cottage food business); 25-K DCMR Ch. 104 (District of Columbia Cottage Food Business law)
- Enforcing agency
- DC Department of Health (DC Health)
- Revenue cap
- $25,000/year (⚖️ confirm). Hard cap.
- Allowed foods
- Non-TCS (shelf-stable) cottage foods including baked goods.
- Refrigerated (TCS) / prohibited
- Conservative shelf-stable only (engine refuses TCS labels for DC).
- Where you can sell
- Direct to consumer; a DOH registration / permit AND inspection-tier requirements apply before sale, and an occupancy-permit + DOH-registration gate applies (permit + inspection tier).
- Labeling notes
- Disclosure "Made by a cottage food business that is not subject to the District of Columbia's food safety regulations." at ≥10pt.
- Watch-outs
- Occupancy-permit + DOH-registration gate (not a pure exemption).
- Permit + inspection-tier requirements before sale (stronger gated tier).
- Cap figure 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 District of Columbia?
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District of Columbia cottage food FAQ
What must a District of Columbia cottage food label include?
A compliant District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia-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 District of Columbia?
District of Columbia requires this exact disclosure on the label: "Made by a cottage food business that is not subject to the District of Columbia's food safety regulations." You never type it — the generator applies the current District of Columbia disclosure for you the moment you pick your state.
Can I sell TCS or refrigerated cottage food items in District of Columbia?
No — District of Columbia'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 District of Columbia doesn't permit it, so you don't print a non-compliant label.
Is this District of Columbia cottage food label generator really free?
Yes. Building and previewing your District of Columbia-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 District of Columbia bakers, plus our guides for every other state:
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A free District of Columbia storefront, the District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia cottage food authority before selling. Last verified: 2026-06-13.