Massachusetts cottage food law
Sell cottage food in Massachusetts
Massachusetts cottage food law, label rules, and a free storefront. Massachusetts'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 Massachusetts's rules. CottageOps configures the Massachusetts label disclosure for you, tracks your sales against the cap, and gives you a free storefront to take orders.
What Massachusetts's cottage food law says
- Sales cap
- No statewide sales cap — Massachusetts doesn't set an annual revenue ceiling on cottage food sales.
- Refrigerated (TCS) foods
- Massachusetts'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 Massachusetts consumers — pickup, in-state delivery, farmers markets, and online sales to in-state customers.
Required label disclosure in Massachusetts
Massachusetts doesn't mandate one fixed statewide disclosure sentence on cottage food labels. Your label still needs the product name, ingredients in descending order by weight, the net weight, a “Contains” allergen statement for any FDA major allergens, and your name and address as the producer. Confirm current label requirements with your Massachusetts cottage food authority — CottageOps lays out the required fields for you.
Before you sell in Massachusetts
Massachusetts requires a permit and a kitchen inspection before you sell.
Before accepting orders in Massachusetts, 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 Massachusetts cottage-food law
The detail behind the summary above: Massachusetts'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
- 105 CMR 590 (Massachusetts State Sanitary Code, Ch. X — Minimum Sanitation Standards for Food Establishments; residential-kitchen permit path) (Massachusetts residential-kitchen permit (105 CMR 590))
- Revenue cap
- No cap stored.
- Allowed foods
- Non-TCS (shelf-stable) foods produced in a locally-permitted residential kitchen.
- Refrigerated (TCS) / prohibited
- Conservative shelf-stable only (engine refuses TCS labels for MA).
- Where you can sell
- Direct to consumer; a permit AND a local board-of-health inspection are required before sale (permit + inspection tier).
- Labeling notes
- There is NO single statewide mandated disclosure SENTENCE — the LOCAL board of health approves each label. A flat "not inspected" line would be factually WRONG (permitted MA kitchens ARE locally inspected). The label renders the universal fields + standing disclaimer footer with no state-disclosure line.
- Watch-outs
- Permit + local board-of-health inspection required before sale (stronger gated tier).
- No statewide mandated disclosure sentence — each label is locally approved (engine stores an empty string).
General information, not legal advice — confirm with your state agency. Last verified 2026-06-15.
Ready to start selling in Massachusetts?
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Massachusetts cottage food FAQ
What must a Massachusetts cottage food label include?
A compliant Massachusetts 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, and the producer's name and address. Massachusetts does not mandate a specific cottage-food disclosure statement, so the generator lays out those required fields for you automatically as you type.
What is the required cottage food disclosure in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts does not mandate a specific cottage-food disclosure statement on the label. The generator simply lays out the required fields (product name, ingredients, net weight, allergens, and your name and address) without adding a disclosure line.
Can I sell TCS or refrigerated cottage food items in Massachusetts?
No — Massachusetts'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 Massachusetts doesn't permit it, so you don't print a non-compliant label.
Is this Massachusetts cottage food label generator really free?
Yes. Building and previewing your Massachusetts-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 Massachusetts bakers, plus our guides for every other state:
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A free Massachusetts storefront, the Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts cottage food authority before selling. Last verified: 2026-06-13.