Illinois cottage food law
Sell cottage food in Illinois
Illinois cottage food law, label rules, and a free storefront. Illinois'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 Illinois's rules. CottageOps configures the Illinois label disclosure for you, tracks your sales against the cap, and gives you a free storefront to take orders.
What Illinois's cottage food law says
- Sales cap
- No statewide sales cap — Illinois doesn't set an annual revenue ceiling on cottage food sales.
- Refrigerated (TCS) foods
- Illinois'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 Illinois consumers — pickup, in-state delivery, farmers markets, and online sales to in-state customers.
Required label disclosure in Illinois
Every Illinois 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 Illinois-required disclosure below. CottageOps fills the disclosure in for you, verbatim:
This product was produced in a home kitchen not inspected by a health department that may also process common food allergens.
Before you sell in Illinois
Illinois requires you to register with the state before you sell.
Before accepting orders in Illinois, 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 Illinois cottage-food law
The detail behind the summary above: Illinois'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
- 410 ILCS 625/4 (Illinois Home-to-Market / Cottage Food Operation Act) (Illinois Cottage Food Operation Act)
- Revenue cap
- Recent expansion removed the prior state revenue cap (engine stores no cap). Confirm any local-health-department overlays.
- Allowed foods
- Cottage foods under 410 ILCS 625; recent expansion may add limited refrigerated items — CottageOps conservatively treats IL as shelf-stable only.
- Refrigerated (TCS) / prohibited
- Conservative shelf-stable only (engine refuses TCS labels). Recent expansion may permit limited refrigerated items — confirm.
- Where you can sell
- Direct to consumer; registration with the local health department before sale (registration tier).
- Labeling notes
- Disclosure "This product was produced in a home kitchen not inspected by a health department that may also process common food allergens." at ≥10pt.
- Watch-outs
- Registration before sale required (gated tier).
- Local-health-department overlays may apply — confirm.
General information, not legal advice — confirm with your state agency. Last verified 2026-06-15.
Ready to start selling in Illinois?
Make a free Illinois label in seconds, then claim your free CottageOps storefront. Free in 2026 — no card required. $19/mo in 2027, no transaction fees.
Illinois cottage food FAQ
What must a Illinois cottage food label include?
A compliant Illinois 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 Illinois-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 Illinois?
Illinois requires this exact disclosure on the label: "This product was produced in a home kitchen not inspected by a health department that may also process common food allergens." You never type it — the generator applies the current Illinois disclosure for you the moment you pick your state.
Can I sell TCS or refrigerated cottage food items in Illinois?
No — Illinois'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 Illinois doesn't permit it, so you don't print a non-compliant label.
Is this Illinois cottage food label generator really free?
Yes. Building and previewing your Illinois-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 Illinois bakers, plus our guides for every other state:
Free in 2026 — no card required.
A free Illinois storefront, the Illinois 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 Illinois cottage food authority before selling. Last verified: 2026-06-13.