"Cottage food" laws let home cooks and bakers make certain low-risk foods in their own kitchen and sell them legally, without building out a licensed commercial kitchen. Every state writes its own version of this exemption, and the rules on sales caps, licensing, and food safety training vary widely — see our full cottage food laws by state guide for the complete picture. This page covers Michigan specifically.
Michigan's Cottage Food Law: A Recently Raised Sales Cap
Michigan's home-kitchen exemption is simply called the Cottage Food Law, found in the state's Food Law of 2000 (MCL 289.1101 et seq., with the cottage food exemption at MCL 289.4102) and administered by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD). For years the annual gross sales cap sat at $25,000. Under Public Act 51 of 2025 (House Bill 4122), signed December 23, 2025, that cap roughly doubled: cottage food operators can now gross up to $50,000 a year, or up to $75,000 a year if at least one product they sell is priced at $250 or more per unit (think large custom cakes or grazing boards). Starting October 1, 2026, MDARD is authorized to adjust both figures annually for inflation using a three-year average of the Detroit-area Consumer Price Index.
⚠️ These dollar figures come from Public Act 51 of 2025 as reported by MDARD guidance and multiple secondary legal summaries current as of August 2026. Because the law changed recently and includes a new inflation-adjustment mechanism starting in October 2026, confirm the exact current cap on MDARD's Cottage Food page before relying on it for your own tax year.
What You Can (and Can't) Sell in Michigan
Time/Temperature Control for Safety (TCS) Foods
Meat, poultry, and seafood; dairy-based items; cheesecake and cream or custard pies; low-acid canned vegetables; kombucha and other fermented foods; and anything else that needs refrigeration to stay safe.
Shelf-Stable Home Foods
Baked goods that don't require refrigeration, jams and jellies, candy, dried fruit, dried herbs and spice blends, cereal, granola, dry baking mixes, vinegar, and popcorn.
🍯 Honey and maple syrup are regulated separately from cottage food products under Michigan's Food Law, with their own smaller sales exemption. If you produce either, don't assume the cottage food rules or cap on this page apply to them — check MDARD's maple syrup and honey guidance directly.
Michigan's allowed-products list is updated periodically by MDARD, so if an item isn't a clear match, check the current MDARD "What Can I Make?" page before you start selling.
Do You Need a Food Handler Card in Michigan?
No. Michigan's Cottage Food Law does not require a food handler card, food safety certificate, registration, or license as a condition of operating. Michigan State University Extension offers optional, no-cost food safety training that many operators take anyway — it isn't mandatory, but it can help with buyer confidence at farmers markets and online. Our guide on whether home bakers need a food handler card walks through the practical reasons it's often worth getting one regardless, and our Michigan food handler card requirements page covers what's required for anyone who needs certification for other reasons, such as working outside a cottage food operation.
How Registration Works (Spoiler: There Isn't One)
Products must be made only in the kitchen of your primary domestic residence in Michigan.
Stick to non-TCS items covered by MDARD's cottage food guidance.
No license application is filed with MDARD — accurate labeling is what actually gets checked.
A one-time, low-cost registration lets you print a registration number and phone number on your label instead of your home address, for privacy.
No inspection or state sign-off is required before you begin.
💲 There's no MDARD license, application, or fee to operate as a cottage food producer in Michigan. The only optional cost is the small MSU Product Center registration fee, and that's purely for label privacy — it isn't required to sell legally.
Where You Can Legally Sell
Michigan cottage food sales have traditionally meant direct, in-person transactions: home pickup, farmers markets, farm stands, and community events. Public Act 51 of 2025 expanded that starting March 24, 2026, to allow online sales, mail order, and third-party food-delivery platforms — but only for orders delivered within Michigan, and only after the seller offers the buyer a genuine two-way interaction (in person or a live video call where both sides can see and hear each other) before the sale. Wholesaling to retail stores or selling on consignment is still outside the cottage food exemption.
🚫 Shipping across state lines is not covered by Michigan's cottage food exemption. The moment a product crosses a state border it becomes interstate commerce, which puts it under federal FDA rules instead of Michigan's Food Law — so cottage food sales need to stay in-state.
Do You Need a Home Kitchen Inspection?
No. MDARD does not inspect a cottage food operator's home kitchen before or during operation. In exchange for skipping inspection, Michigan requires every product label to carry a specific disclosure so buyers know what they're getting.
Labeling Requirements
Every cottage food product sold in Michigan must be prepackaged with a compliant label before sale. At minimum, expect to include the product name, your business name and home address (or your MSU Product Center registration number and phone in place of an address), a complete ingredient list in descending order by weight, net weight or volume, any required allergen statement, and this exact disclosure in a readable, contrasting font: "Made in a home kitchen that has not been inspected by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development." Double-check current label wording against MDARD's published guidance before you print packaging, since disclosure language is exactly the kind of detail that gets enforced.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Michigan require a food handler card to sell cottage food?
No. Michigan's Cottage Food Law does not require a food handler card, food safety certificate, registration, or license to operate. MSU Extension offers optional free food safety training, and getting certified anyway can still help with buyer trust at markets and online.
What is the sales cap for cottage food in Michigan?
Under Public Act 51 of 2025, the annual gross sales cap is $50,000, rising to $75,000 if at least one cottage food product is priced at $250 or more per unit. Beginning October 1, 2026, MDARD may adjust both figures for inflation using a three-year average of the Detroit-area Consumer Price Index. Confirm the current figure with MDARD before relying on it for a specific tax year.
Can I ship or sell my Michigan cottage food products out of state?
No. Michigan's 2026 reforms legalized online sales, mail order, and third-party delivery, but only for deliveries within Michigan. Shipping cottage food products to an out-of-state buyer is not covered by the exemption, because crossing a state line triggers federal FDA jurisdiction.
Does Michigan inspect a cottage food operator's home kitchen?
No. MDARD does not inspect a cottage food operation's home kitchen before or during operation. Instead, every product label must carry a disclosure stating it was made in a home kitchen that has not been inspected by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Weighing whether to get a food handler card anyway? Find approved courses and requirements for your state.
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