Washington cottage food law
Sell cottage food in Washington
Washington cottage food law, label rules, and a free storefront. Washington's cottage food law lets home bakers sell directly to consumers up to a $35,000 sales cap — provided you sell directly to consumers, label every product correctly, and follow Washington's rules. CottageOps configures the Washington label disclosure for you, tracks your sales against the cap, and gives you a free storefront to take orders.
What Washington's cottage food law says
- Sales cap
- $35,000 per year, gross sales. In Washington 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
- Washington'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 Washington consumers — pickup, in-state delivery, farmers markets, and online sales to in-state customers.
Required label disclosure in Washington
Every Washington 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 Washington-required disclosure below. CottageOps fills the disclosure in for you, verbatim:
Made in a home kitchen that has not been subject to standard inspection criteria.
Before you sell in Washington
Washington requires a permit and a kitchen inspection before you sell.
Before accepting orders in Washington, 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 Washington cottage-food law
The detail behind the summary above: Washington'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
- Wash. Rev. Code Ch. 69.22 (Washington cottage-food operations) (Washington Cottage Food law)
- Wash. Admin. Code Ch. 16-149
- Revenue cap
- $35,000/year (⚖️ confirm current figure — raised per 2026 sources). 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 WA).
- Where you can sell
- Direct to consumer; a permit AND a kitchen inspection are required before sale (permit + inspection tier).
- Labeling notes
- Disclosure "Made in a home kitchen that has not been subject to standard inspection criteria." at ≥11pt with contrasting color (WSDA).
- Watch-outs
- Permit + kitchen inspection required 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 Washington?
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Washington cottage food FAQ
What must a Washington cottage food label include?
A compliant Washington 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 Washington-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 Washington?
Washington requires this exact disclosure on the label: "Made in a home kitchen that has not been subject to standard inspection criteria." You never type it — the generator applies the current Washington disclosure for you the moment you pick your state.
Can I sell TCS or refrigerated cottage food items in Washington?
No — Washington'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 Washington doesn't permit it, so you don't print a non-compliant label.
Is this Washington cottage food label generator really free?
Yes. Building and previewing your Washington-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 Washington bakers, plus our guides for every other state:
Free in 2026 — no card required.
A free Washington storefront, the Washington 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 Washington cottage food authority before selling. Last verified: 2026-06-13.