Free tool · Cottage food label rules

Pennsylvania cottage food label rules

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

Another state Confirmed in official sources

Your label must include

Required statement

No exact statement is set by law here.

No required home-kitchen disclaimer. Net weight/count goes in the bottom third of the principal display panel, at least 8-point font. Baked goods sold directly to the consumer by the baker need no package label, but ingredient information must be available on request.

Brown Butter Toffee Cookies

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.

Contains: wheat, milk, eggs, tree nuts (almond), soy.

Sunny Crumb Co. · 123 Palm Ave, Your City, PA 00000

Net wt. 4 oz (113 g) · 2 cookies

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 Pennsylvania

Permit: Registration with a pre-opening inspection of the home kitchen required; $35 registration fee, renewed annually ($35); private wells need water testing; no pets in the home if the home kitchen is used (unless the processing area is fully separated).
Training: none formally required (must show basic food safety knowledge; written employee health policy required)
Sales cap: none
Where you can sell: Direct to consumers at home, farmers markets, roadside stands; retail and wholesale allowed once registered (some retail sites may need their own licensing).
Online & shipping: Internet sales allowed once registered; interstate sales bring FDA requirements (facility registration, etc.).
Law: No cottage food exemption. Home bakers must register as a Limited Food Establishment (home food processor) under the Food Safety Act, 3 Pa.C.S. Ch. 57

What we could not confirm (1)

Exact Pa.C.S. citation for the limited food establishment registration not confirmed from statute text

Check with: Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Food Safety

Last change to the law: PDA application packet revised Oct 2024; no cottage food law enacted as of Sept 2026

Sources

Made by BakersKeep

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

BakersKeep builds your Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Food Safety before you print. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

Pennsylvania cottage food label rules

Your label must include

Required statement

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

Other states