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District of Columbia cottage food label rules

What has to be on the label when you sell homemade baked goods in District of Columbia, and the limits that matter at a market. Checked September 2026.

Mostly confirmed. Check the open points below

Your label must include

Required statement

“Made by a cottage food business that is not subject to the District of Columbia’s food safety regulations”

Statement in 10-point or larger type in a color with clear contrast to the background.

Brown Butter Toffee Cookies
Sunny Crumb Co. · 123 Palm Ave, Your City, DC 00000
Ingredients: enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), butter (cream, salt), brown sugar, toffee bits (sugar, butter, almonds, soy lecithin), eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, sea salt.
Net wt. 4 oz (113 g) · 2 cookies
Contains: wheat, milk, eggs, tree nuts (almond), soy.
Made by a cottage food business that is not subject to the District of Columbia’s food safety regulations
Sample label for illustration, made from the checklist above. Your own label has to match your recipe and your state’s exact rules.

Made by BakersKeep

Set up this label once. Print it for every cookie.

BakersKeep builds your District of Columbia label from each recipe: ingredients in order, allergens and the required statement. Change a recipe and every label updates. It also prices your cookies, takes pre-orders and writes the week’s posts.

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This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules change and counties can add their own. Confirm with DC Health, Division of Food Safety (Cottage Food Business Registry) before you print. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

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