Free tool · Cottage food label rules

Georgia cottage food label rules

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

Another state Mostly confirmed. Check the open points below

Your label must include

Business name, address, and telephone number of the cottage food operator (or the GDA-issued identification number instead of the address)
Required statement (includes allergen warning)

Required statement

“This product was produced at a residential property that is exempt from state inspection. This product may contain allergens.”

At least 10-point font (O.C.G.A. § 26-2-473). Must be on the package label for packaged goods, on a placard at the point of sale for unpackaged goods, or on the webpage for online sales. For phone or custom orders it may be given verbally, with full info available on request. Retailers must display cottage foods separately, with conspicuous signage saying they are exempt from state inspection. The old rule 40-7-19-.09 statement (‘MADE IN A COTTAGE FOOD OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO STATE FOOD SAFETY INSPECTIONS’, Times New Roman/Arial, 10 pt) is superseded for operators under HB 398.

Sunny Crumb Co. · 123 Palm Ave, Your City, GA 00000 · (305) 555-0188

This product was produced at a residential property that is exempt from state inspection. This product may contain allergens.

Sample label for illustration, made from the checklist above. Your own label has to match your recipe and your state’s exact rules.

Key limits in Georgia

Permit: none — HB 398 removed the state cottage food license and the $100 fee as of 7/1/2025. An optional GDA Identification Number registration lets you print an ID number instead of your home address.
Training: GDA’s page says operators must complete ANSI-accredited food safety training (Food Handler is acceptable); the HB 398 statute itself does not mention training
Sales cap: none
Where you can sell: Direct to consumers (farmers markets, events, from home) and also to retail food sales establishments (grocery stores, restaurants, convenience stores) if they display the items separately with the required signage. Local governments may ban third-party/retail sales.
Online & shipping: Online and mail-order sales are expressly allowed (§ 26-2-472). The statute does not limit sales to Georgia, but federal law and the receiving state’s rules still apply.
Law: Cottage Food Items, O.C.G.A. §§ 26-2-470 to 26-2-478 (HB 398, Ga. L. 2025, p. 582); older rules Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 40-7-19

What we could not confirm (4)

Whether ANSI food safety training is still legally required: GDA’s page says ‘must’, but HB 398 statute is silent; it may apply only to the optional ID-number registration
Whether the optional ID-number registration has a fee
Statute lists only business ID + statement; it does not expressly require product name/ingredients/net weight. General food-labeling (misbranding) rules may still apply. GDA links a separate ‘Food Labeling Requirements’ guide I could not confirm
Whether GDA has formally amended/repealed rule 40-7-19 to match HB 398 (the rule text online still shows the license system)

Check with: Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA), Cottage Food program

Last change to the law: HB 398 (2025), signed 5/13/2025, effective 7/1/2025

Sources

Made by BakersKeep

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

BakersKeep builds your Georgia 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.

Join the founders list See how it works

This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules change and counties can add their own. Confirm with Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA), Cottage Food program before you print. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

Georgia cottage food label rules

Your label must include

Required statement

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

Other states