Cottage food law
Georgia cottage food law for home bakers
Under the Georgia cottage food law, you can bake shelf-stable foods such as breads, cakes, cookies, and candies in your home kitchen and sell them without a state license: since HB 398 took effect on July 1, 2025, the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) no longer issues or requires a cottage food license. You still have to complete an ANSI-accredited food safety course, bake only foods that are not potentially hazardous, label every product correctly, and follow the cottage food rules. This page sums up what changed, what you can sell and where, and how to price your bakes so the business pays you.
| Topic | Georgia rule |
|---|---|
| State license | Not required since July 1, 2025 (HB 398); the GDA no longer issues one |
| Registration and fee | Optional GDA identification number for labels; check the fee, if any, with the GDA |
| Sales cap | No dollar cap stated in the GDA guidance |
| Allowed foods | Foods that are not potentially hazardous: breads, cakes, cookies, candies, fruit pies, jams, granola, and more |
| Where you can sell | Direct to customers, online, and through retail stores and restaurants; local governments may restrict third-party sales |
| Shipping | Not confirmed; check with the GDA before shipping, especially out of state |
| Training | ANSI-accredited food safety course; food handler level is accepted |
| Labeling | Cottage food rules and FDA standards, with your address or GDA identification number |
| Inspections | Only after complaints or foodborne illness investigations |
| Sales tax | Check with the Georgia Department of Revenue |
Last verified October 11, 2026
This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules change: check them with your state or local authority before you sell.
What changed in the Georgia cottage food law in 2025
Before July 2025, Georgia home bakers needed a cottage food license from the GDA, which cost 100 dollars a year and came with a licensing inspection of the home kitchen. HB 398 removed that license. The GDA no longer runs routine licensing inspections; it inspects in response to consumer complaints or foodborne illness investigations.
The license is gone, but the rules are not. The GDA states that cottage food operators must still follow the cottage food regulations: the food safety training, the list of allowed foods, the labeling rules, and, if your home uses a private well, yearly water testing for total coliform and fecal coliform.
HB 398 also opened new places to sell, including retail stores and restaurants, and the GDA now offers an optional identification number you can print on labels instead of your home address. The GDA marks its HB 398 page as under revision, so check it again before you rely on a detail.
Foods you can sell under Georgia cottage food rules
Georgia allows foods that are not potentially hazardous, which means foods that stay safe at room temperature and do not need refrigeration. The GDA's list of approved products covers most of what a home baker makes.
- Loaf breads, rolls, and biscuits
- Cakes, except those that need refrigeration
- Pastries and cookies
- Candies and confections
- Fruit pies
- Jams, jellies, and preserves
- Dried fruits
- Dry herbs, seasonings, and mixtures
- Cereals, trail mixes, and granola
- Coated or uncoated nuts
- Vinegar and flavored vinegar
- Popcorn, popcorn balls, and cotton candy
Foods that are not allowed
Anything that needs refrigeration to stay safe falls outside the law. For a baker that usually means cheesecakes, cream or custard fillings, cream cheese frostings, meringue pies, and fresh fruit toppings. A cake with a buttercream made with butter, sugar, and flavoring may qualify; the same cake with whipped cream does not. When a recipe is borderline, ask the GDA Cottage Food Program before you sell it.
Pet food and pet treats are not cottage foods in Georgia. They need a feed license from the GDA's Agricultural Inputs division instead.
Where you can sell in Georgia
You can sell directly to customers: from home, at farmers markets and events, and through online sales. HB 398 also lets cottage food operators sell through retail stores and restaurants, which must post signage stating that cottage foods are not subject to commercial food regulations or inspection. Local governments may prohibit sales through third-party vendors in their area, so check your city or county rules before you supply a shop.
Shipping is the open question. Sources disagree on whether cottage foods may be mailed across state lines, and selling into another state can bring federal rules into play. Until you confirm it with the GDA, deliver in person or ship only within Georgia.
Training, labels, and other requirements
Training: you must complete an ANSI-accredited food safety training program. The GDA states that food handler level training is acceptable for cottage food operators, so you do not need the longer certified food manager course. Keep your certificate.
Labels: every product must be labeled under the cottage food rules and FDA standards. A label usually shows the product name, net quantity, ingredients in descending order by weight, allergens, and your name with either your physical address or your GDA identification number, plus a statement that the food was made in a home kitchen not inspected by the state. The required disclosure wording and minimum type size are set in the rules; copy them from the GDA's Food Labeling Requirements page rather than from a summary.
Local rules: a state license is no longer required, but your city or county may still require a business license or have zoning rules for home businesses. Sales tax is handled by the Georgia Department of Revenue; check with them how sales tax applies to your products and whether you need to register.
Price your cottage food so it pays
Without a license fee, the biggest cost of a Georgia cottage food business is underpricing. Many home bakers price by gut feel and lose money once packaging, electricity, and their own time are counted. The fix is to cost each recipe and price from that cost.
Here is an example for an 8-inch vanilla layer cake with buttercream, using illustrative numbers. Ingredients come to 11.40 dollars, the cake box, board, and label to 3.10 dollars, and oven time and electricity to about 1.20 dollars, for 15.70 dollars in materials. Add 2 hours of your time at 18 dollars an hour, 36 dollars, and the full cost is 51.70 dollars. To keep a 30 percent margin, divide the cost by 0.70: the suggested price is about 73.86 dollars, which you might round to 74 dollars. In Farinu you set a markup over cost rather than a margin: a 30 percent margin is about a 43 percent markup, and 51.70 dollars times 1.43 is about 73.93 dollars.
Farinu does this math for you. It costs every recipe from ingredients, packaging, sub-recipes such as the buttercream, labor, machines, and overhead, then suggests a price from the markup or target price you set, keeps retail and wholesale price lists for when you start supplying stores, and alerts you when an ingredient price rise eats into your margin. The free plan covers up to 10 recipes.
| Cost line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | 11.40 dollars |
| Box, board, and label | 3.10 dollars |
| Oven time and electricity | 1.20 dollars |
| Labour, 2 hours at 18 dollars | 36.00 dollars |
| Full cost | 51.70 dollars |
| Price for a 30 percent margin | about 74 dollars |
Sources
- Georgia Department of Agriculture, Cottage Food
- Georgia Department of Agriculture, Starting a cottage food business (published before HB 398)
- Georgia Department of Agriculture, Cottage Food Update: HB 398 frequently asked questions
Questions
- Do I need a cottage food license in Georgia?
- No. Since July 1, 2025, under HB 398, the Georgia Department of Agriculture no longer issues or requires a cottage food license. You still need an ANSI-accredited food safety course, proper labels, and to follow the cottage food rules. This is not legal advice; confirm your situation with the GDA.
- Can I sell cakes from home in Georgia?
- Yes, as long as the cake does not need refrigeration. Cakes with buttercream made from butter and sugar may qualify; cheesecakes and cakes with whipped cream, custard, or cream cheese frosting do not.
- Is there a sales limit for cottage food in Georgia?
- The GDA guidance we checked does not set a dollar cap on cottage food sales. Check the current rules with the GDA if your sales grow large.
- Can I sell cottage food online in Georgia?
- Yes, the GDA lists online sales as allowed. Whether you may ship across state lines is not confirmed, so check with the GDA before mailing orders outside Georgia.
- What training do Georgia cottage food operators need?
- An ANSI-accredited food safety training program. The GDA says food handler training is acceptable for cottage food operators.
Related pages
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