Kentucky cottage food law
Sell cottage food in Kentucky
Kentucky cottage food law, label rules, and a free storefront. Kentucky's cottage food law lets home bakers sell directly to consumers up to a $60,000 sales cap — provided you sell directly to consumers, label every product correctly, and follow Kentucky's rules. CottageOps configures the Kentucky label disclosure for you, tracks your sales against the cap, and gives you a free storefront to take orders.
What Kentucky's cottage food law says
- Sales cap
- $60,000 per year, gross sales. In Kentucky 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
- Kentucky'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 Kentucky consumers — pickup, in-state delivery, farmers markets, and online sales to in-state customers.
Required label disclosure in Kentucky
Every Kentucky 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 Kentucky-required disclosure below. CottageOps fills the disclosure in for you, verbatim:
This product is home-produced and processed.
Before you sell in Kentucky
Kentucky requires you to register with the state before you sell.
Before accepting orders in Kentucky, 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 Kentucky cottage-food law
The detail behind the summary above: Kentucky'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
- Ky. Rev. Stat. §217.136(3) (Kentucky home-based processor / microprocessor) (Kentucky home-based processor law)
- Enforcing agency
- Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services / Kentucky Department of Agriculture
- Revenue cap
- $60,000/year (⚖️ confirm current figure). Hard cap.
- Allowed foods
- Non-TCS (shelf-stable) home-produced and processed foods including baked goods.
- Refrigerated (TCS) / prohibited
- Conservative shelf-stable only (engine refuses TCS labels for KY).
- Where you can sell
- Direct to consumer; registration before sale (registration tier).
- Labeling notes
- Disclosure "This product is home-produced and processed." (do NOT drop "and processed") at ≥10pt.
- Watch-outs
- Registration before sale required (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.
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Kentucky cottage food FAQ
What must a Kentucky cottage food label include?
A compliant Kentucky 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 Kentucky-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 Kentucky?
Kentucky requires this exact disclosure on the label: "This product is home-produced and processed." You never type it — the generator applies the current Kentucky disclosure for you the moment you pick your state.
Can I sell TCS or refrigerated cottage food items in Kentucky?
No — Kentucky'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 Kentucky doesn't permit it, so you don't print a non-compliant label.
Is this Kentucky cottage food label generator really free?
Yes. Building and previewing your Kentucky-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 Kentucky bakers, plus our guides for every other state:
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A free Kentucky storefront, the Kentucky 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 Kentucky cottage food authority before selling. Last verified: 2026-06-13.