The essentials
District of Columbia, at a glance
Yes, after registering with DC Health.
The cottage-food route covers approved foods that do not need refrigeration for safety, prepared in your primary DC home kitchen. You need a home occupation permit, food-manager credentials and your registry identification number and certificate before operating. The old $25,000 annual cap was repealed in 2020. Current law also allows wholesale to licensed DC food establishments, with conditions.
Choose the route that fits
- Cottage Food Business Registry
- DC residential-kitchen non-potentially-hazardous food program; registered products and applicable conditions required.
- Microenterprise Home Kitchen
- Separate DC Health permit for qualifying ready-to-eat foods sold in approved street vending zones; not the cottage food registration.
- Sales limits
The old $25,000 annual cottage-food revenue cap was repealed effective March 10, 2020; current definition contains no annual dollar ceiling.
- Registration & permits
Register with DC Health and receive the cottage food identification number and certificate before operating; sell only approved registered products.
View official sources (9)
- Cottage Food Businesses DC Health
- D.C. Code § 7-742.01 Definitions Council of the District of Columbia
- D.C. Code § 7-742.02 Cottage food businesses Council of the District of Columbia
- 25-K Cottage Food Regulations, final rulemaking DC Health
- Cottage Food Expansion Amendment Act of 2019 Council of the District of Columbia
- Certificate of Need Improvement Amendment Act of 2025 Council of the District of Columbia
- Cottage Food FAQs DC Health
- Get a Home Occupation Permit DC Department of Buildings
- Microenterprise Home Kitchen Program DC Health
One step at a time
Your first four steps
Choose your menu and kitchen
Start with the approved-food list and check the entire recipe, including fillings and toppings.
Plain cookies and granola are straightforward examples; a cream-filled pastry is a different proposition. Use your primary DC residential kitchen. For an unlisted food, arrange pH and water-activity testing and DC Health approval before adding it to your menu.
Gather the prerequisites
Obtain the Department of Buildings home occupation permit, complete approved food-manager certification and obtain the District-issued CFPM credential.
If you sell by weight, gather proof of calibrated scales through DLCP. The cottage certificate and food-manager credential have different renewal clocks, so record each actual expiration date.
Apply with foods and label samples
Submit the registry application through the online portal with your proposed foods, packaging labels and $50 registration fee.
DC Health may request recipes and may require a preoperational inspection. The published complete-application review period is 30 business days; allow extra time for missing documents or inspection. Wait for your identification number and certificate before operating.
Plan storage and renewals
Keep finished cottage products on the business premises.
Schedule production separately from family cooking and other domestic kitchen activity, with pets and young children excluded from the work area. The cottage registration lasts two years; renew by submitting the new application and fee before continuing beyond expiration.
View official sources (9)
- Cottage Food Businesses DC Health
- D.C. Code § 7-742.01 Definitions Council of the District of Columbia
- D.C. Code § 7-742.02 Cottage food businesses Council of the District of Columbia
- 25-K Cottage Food Regulations, final rulemaking DC Health
- Cottage Food FAQs DC Health
- Get a Home Occupation Permit DC Department of Buildings
- Cottage Food Law Updates DC Food Policy Council
- Important Information for Cottage Food Business Registry Applicants DC Health
- Division of Food — Online Application Portal DC Health
Make what you love
Can you sell what you make?
These are examples. Check the complete recipe, preparation method and sales route before offering a product.
Foods that commonly fit
Check the conditionsApproved-menu examples include plain bread, cookies, brownies, non-refrigerated cakes, granola, dry baking mixes, roasted coffee, dried pasta and shelf-stable candy.
Category names are not automatic approval for every recipe. Check the finished food, process and packaging, then include the product in your registration.
Example scope: Examples assume non-TCS recipes with no prohibited filling, topping or process.
Foods and processes to avoid
Check the conditionsCream or custard pastries requiring refrigeration, raw cookie dough, meat jerky, pet treats, sugar-free preserves and fruit butters do not qualify.
Canned pickles and salsa, reduced-oxygen packaging and hermetically sealed jars are also prohibited. Jams appear on the allowed list, but that does not authorize prohibited canning methods. Honey has additional DOEE registration requirements.
View official sources (3)
- D.C. Code § 7-742.01 Definitions Council of the District of Columbia
- D.C. Code § 7-742.02 Cottage food businesses Council of the District of Columbia
- 25-K Cottage Food Regulations, final rulemaking DC Health
From your kitchen to your customers
Where and how you can sell
| Selling method | What matters |
|---|---|
| Home pickup, markets and events | Allowed for approved registered products within DC, subject to your home-occupation and venue requirements. Keep the location and customer handoff within the program’s District boundary. |
| Online orders | Allowed within DC. An online storefront does not create permission to send cottage products to Maryland, Virginia or another state. Restrict your promised fulfillment area accordingly. |
| Delivery and shipping | Outside-DC sales and shipping are not allowed under this program. Before offering delivery platforms or common-carrier shipments entirely within DC, confirm the specific arrangement with DC Health. |
| Wholesale and retail | Wholesale to licensed food establishments in DC is now allowed, subject to applicable requirements. Confirm the receiving business’s license and arrangement with DC Health. The agency separately excludes restaurant and grocery-store sales from its direct retail description; do not treat every resale arrangement as ordinary direct retail. |
View official sources (7)
- Cottage Food Businesses DC Health
- D.C. Code § 7-742.01 Definitions Council of the District of Columbia
- 25-K Cottage Food Regulations, final rulemaking DC Health
- Certificate of Need Improvement Amendment Act of 2025 Council of the District of Columbia
- Cottage Food FAQs DC Health
- Cottage Food Law Updates DC Food Policy Council
- Division of Food — Online Application Portal DC Health
Your label, explained
Every field has a purpose.
Use the example to understand the structure. Follow the District of Columbia requirements below for your product and sales route.
Your product
name
Your product name and actual net quantity
Your complete recipe and supplier ingredients
Issued cottage-food identification number; check additional identity obligations
The statement for your state, product and sales route
Packaged cottage food · check product-specific additions
A guide to the fields, not a ready-to-print label. Use your actual product and business details.
Name it. Measure it.
Identify your product and its actual net quantity. Check the state’s formatting and unit requirements below.
Use your actual recipe.
Check every ingredient and supplier label. Use the applicable ingredient and allergen declarations for your product.
Identify your operation.
Issued cottage-food identification number; check additional identity obligations
Use the wording for your route.
Requirements can differ by product and sales channel. Keep the disclosure, placement and type-size conditions together.
Build your product label
For an illustrative package of plain shortbread, put “Shortbread Cookies,” your issued cottage-food identification number, the actual ingredients in descending weight order, net weight and applicable allergens on the label.
Derive ingredients and allergens from your actual recipe and supplier ingredients. A nutrition claim triggers additional nutrition information. This example is a layout checklist, not a finished compliant label.
Example scope: Hypothetical approved non-TCS cookies; quantities and complete recipe have not been supplied. No claim is made that a copied example matches the seller’s product.
Use the required DC statement
Include: “Made by a cottage food business that is not subject to the District of Columbia's food safety regulations.” Use at least 10-point type with clear background contrast.
DC’s statutory label list uses your cottage-food ID. Confirm any additional identity/address obligations for your particular labeling and sales arrangement before relying on complete address privacy.
The wording for your label
Packaged cottage food · check product-specific additions
Made by a cottage food business that is not subject to the District of Columbia's food safety regulations.
View official sources (3)
- D.C. Code § 7-742.02 Cottage food businesses Council of the District of Columbia
- 25-K Cottage Food Regulations, final rulemaking DC Health
- The FASTER Act: Sesame Is the Ninth Major Food Allergen U.S. Food and Drug Administration
A useful head start
Your District of Columbia label kit.
Editable template, example label and starting checklist.
Personalize it for your products and business.
Enter your email. Get the files immediately.
Before your first sale
A few details worth getting right.
An example
A weekend cookie sale
Imagine a registered DC baker selling approved plain cookies through online orders collected at home.
Before taking orders, the baker checks that the cookie is on the registered menu, prepares its label and schedules production separately from family cooking. A Maryland shipping request is declined under the DC program. A café enquiry gets a separate licensed-establishment wholesale check before any supply agreement.
Example scope: Hypothetical registered producer with approved non-TCS cookies and permitted home pickup; not a real customer story.
Do not rely on the old wholesale ban
Some official PDFs still date from 2017 or 2021.
Their market-only or no-wholesale descriptions predate later statutory changes. Use the current law and DC Health’s updated wholesale guidance when planning where to sell.
An inspection exemption is not a promise
Preoperational inspection is discretionary, not universally waived.
DC Health also retains complaint and public-health inspection powers. Follow the determination for your registration rather than assuming a home kitchen cannot be inspected.
Remember sesame and real allergens
DC’s label requirements incorporate federal allergen information, which includes sesame.
Check the actual ingredients in purchased chocolate, flour blends and other components instead of copying another baker’s allergen line.
View official sources (8)
- Cottage Food Businesses DC Health
- D.C. Code § 7-742.01 Definitions Council of the District of Columbia
- D.C. Code § 7-742.02 Cottage food businesses Council of the District of Columbia
- 25-K Cottage Food Regulations, final rulemaking DC Health
- Certificate of Need Improvement Amendment Act of 2025 Council of the District of Columbia
- Cottage Food FAQs DC Health
- The FASTER Act: Sesame Is the Ninth Major Food Allergen U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Cottage Food Law Updates DC Food Policy Council
A few more answers
Common questions
Is the $50 fee my entire startup cost?
No. It is the cottage registration fee for two years. Training, the District food-manager credential, the home occupation permit and other applicable costs are separate. Confirm current charges with the issuing offices; this guide does not quote an unverified all-in startup total.
View sources for this answer (6)
- Cottage Food Businesses DC Health
- D.C. Code § 7-742.02 Cottage food businesses Council of the District of Columbia
- 25-K Cottage Food Regulations, final rulemaking DC Health
- Cottage Food FAQs DC Health
- Get a Home Occupation Permit DC Department of Buildings
- Important Information for Cottage Food Business Registry Applicants DC Health
Can I sell hot meals under this registration?
The cottage-food route is for approved non-TCS foods. DC has a separate Microenterprise Home Kitchen program for qualifying ready-to-eat foods, with its own permit, inspection and approved vending-zone rules. A cottage registration does not grant those additional permissions.
View sources for this answer (3)
- D.C. Code § 7-742.01 Definitions Council of the District of Columbia
- 25-K Cottage Food Regulations, final rulemaking DC Health
- Microenterprise Home Kitchen Program DC Health
Do I still need to handle taxes?
Yes. Cottage-food registration does not exempt you from applicable District or federal tax requirements. Keep the food-registration process separate from your tax and home-occupation responsibilities.
View sources for this answer (2)
- D.C. Code § 7-742.02 Cottage food businesses Council of the District of Columbia
- Get a Home Occupation Permit DC Department of Buildings
Keep it handy
Your first-sale checklist
Use this free checklist to keep track of your next steps. The conditions in this guide still apply.
0 of 4 completed · Restoring progress…
Official guidance
Sources, updates & your next step
Apply or confirm an unusual product
Use DC Health’s Division of Food Safety online portal for the registry application; the agency no longer accepts paper applications. For an unusual recipe, proposed delivery method or wholesale arrangement, contact food.safety@dc.gov or 202-535-2180 with your product and sales details.
Official sources 13 references
- Cottage Food Businesses →
DC Health · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- D.C. Code § 7-742.01 Definitions →
Council of the District of Columbia · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- D.C. Code § 7-742.02 Cottage food businesses →
Council of the District of Columbia · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- 25-K Cottage Food Regulations, final rulemaking →
DC Health · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Cottage Food Expansion Amendment Act of 2019 →
Council of the District of Columbia · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Certificate of Need Improvement Amendment Act of 2025 →
Council of the District of Columbia · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Cottage Food FAQs →
DC Health · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Get a Home Occupation Permit →
DC Department of Buildings · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- The FASTER Act: Sesame Is the Ninth Major Food Allergen →
U.S. Food and Drug Administration · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Cottage Food Law Updates →
DC Food Policy Council · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Microenterprise Home Kitchen Program →
DC Health · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Important Information for Cottage Food Business Registry Applicants →
DC Health · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Division of Food — Online Application Portal →
DC Health · Reviewed September 14, 2026
Guide updates September 14, 2026
Reviewed District of Columbia’s product eligibility, sales routes, starting requirements and label guidance against the official sources below. Current conditions and any dated changes are explained in the relevant sections of this guide.
View sources for this update (7)
- Cottage Food Businesses DC Health
- D.C. Code § 7-742.01 Definitions Council of the District of Columbia
- D.C. Code § 7-742.02 Cottage food businesses Council of the District of Columbia
- 25-K Cottage Food Regulations, final rulemaking DC Health
- Cottage Food Expansion Amendment Act of 2019 Council of the District of Columbia
- Certificate of Need Improvement Amendment Act of 2025 Council of the District of Columbia
- The FASTER Act: Sesame Is the Ninth Major Food Allergen U.S. Food and Drug Administration
This guide is a starting point. Confirm requirements for your products and location with the relevant authority. Examples are illustrative and are not a compliance approval.