Maryland cottage food law
Sell cottage food in Maryland
Maryland cottage food law, label rules, and a free storefront. Maryland's cottage food law lets home bakers sell directly to consumers up to a $50,000 sales cap — provided you sell directly to consumers, label every product correctly, and follow Maryland's rules. CottageOps configures the Maryland label disclosure for you, tracks your sales against the cap, and gives you a free storefront to take orders.
What Maryland's cottage food law says
- Sales cap
- $50,000 per year, gross sales. In Maryland 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
- Maryland'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 Maryland consumers — pickup, in-state delivery, farmers markets, and online sales to in-state customers.
Required label disclosure in Maryland
Every Maryland 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 Maryland-required disclosure below. CottageOps fills the disclosure in for you, verbatim:
Made by a cottage food business that is not subject to Maryland's food safety regulations.
Before you sell in Maryland
Maryland doesn't require a permit to start.
Maryland 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 Maryland cottage-food law
The detail behind the summary above: Maryland'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
- Md. Code Regs. (COMAR) 10.15.03 (Maryland cottage-food / on-farm home-processing regulations) (Maryland Cottage Food regulations)
- Enforcing agency
- Maryland Department of Health, Office of Food Protection
- Revenue cap
- $50,000/year. 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 MD).
- Where you can sell
- Direct to consumer.
- Labeling notes
- Disclosure "Made by a cottage food business that is not subject to Maryland's food safety regulations." at ≥10pt.
General information, not legal advice — confirm with your state agency. Last verified 2026-06-15.
Ready to start selling in Maryland?
Make a free Maryland label in seconds, then claim your free CottageOps storefront. Free in 2026 — no card required. $19/mo in 2027, no transaction fees.
Maryland cottage food FAQ
What must a Maryland cottage food label include?
A compliant Maryland 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 Maryland-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 Maryland?
Maryland requires this exact disclosure on the label: "Made by a cottage food business that is not subject to Maryland's food safety regulations." You never type it — the generator applies the current Maryland disclosure for you the moment you pick your state.
Can I sell TCS or refrigerated cottage food items in Maryland?
No — Maryland'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 Maryland doesn't permit it, so you don't print a non-compliant label.
Is this Maryland cottage food label generator really free?
Yes. Building and previewing your Maryland-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 Maryland bakers, plus our guides for every other state:
Free in 2026 — no card required.
A free Maryland storefront, the Maryland 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 Maryland cottage food authority before selling. Last verified: 2026-06-13.