Cottage food label requirements in Connecticut
Cottage Food Operations (Cottage Food Operator License), Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 21a-62b to 21a-62h (PA 18-141; cap raised by 2022 public act). Regulated by Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Food and Standards Division. Checked against state sources on .
Not fully verified. We could not confirm every detail for Connecticut on a primary state source when we checked. Treat these items as unconfirmed and check them with Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Food and Standards Division before you print: annualCapUSD, disclaimerText, permitType, agencyUrl.
The statement your label needs
Made in a Cottage Food Operation that is not Subject to Routine Government Food Safety Inspection.
Type size and placement: At least ten-point type in a clear and conspicuous manner
What is different in Connecticut
- Must produce in home kitchen of a private residential dwelling; no rented commercial kitchens
- Online/phone/mail orders OK but delivery must be in person within CT; no mail or carriers
- No consignment, wholesale, grocery or restaurant sales
- Specialty cakes: label info may go on an invoice delivered with the cake
- Permit
- License required. Annual Cottage Food Operator License from DCP, $50 fee. Approved food safety course (food processing and packaging) required. Written local zoning approval; private well water must be tested. DCP may inspect; license must be displayed at point of sale.
- Sales cap
- $50,000 a year. $50,000 gross sales per calendar year (raised from $25,000 effective Oct 1, 2022); above it a food manufacturing establishment license is needed.
- Where you can sell
- Directly to consumers, person-to-person, by the producer or designee within Connecticut (home, farmers' markets, events).
- Online orders
- Orders online or by phone, delivered in person
- Ship in state
- No
- Ship out of state
- No
- Sell to shops / cafés
- No
- Allowed foods
- Non-potentially hazardous foods such as breads, cakes, cookies, fruit pies, candy, jams/jellies meeting 21 CFR 150, dried fruit, dry herbs and mixes, granola, nuts, roasted coffee, maple syrup products. No beverages, fruit butters, or cooked vegetable products.
What a Connecticut cottage food label must show
- Name and physical address of the cottage food operation (no P.O. box)
- Name of the cottage food product
- Ingredients in descending order of predominance by weight, including sub-ingredients
- Net weight or net volume, with metric equivalent
- Allergen labeling as specified in federal labeling requirements
- The required statement (above)
Federal rules still apply on top: ingredients in descending order by weight (21 CFR 101.4), the nine major allergens declared by name (FALCPA and the FASTER Act), and net quantity in ounces and grams (21 CFR 101.7). Connecticut lets you take orders online or by phone, but the food must be handed over in person (pickup or your own delivery). Mailing or shipping is not allowed, and products may not cross state lines.
Make a Connecticut label now
The Connecticut statement is already on it. Type your ingredients, tick the allergens and print on Avery sheets or a thermal roll. To have the ingredient order and allergens worked out from a costed recipe, use the workbench.
Still missing: business name and address.
Print at 100% scale with no margins. Check the result against Connecticut’s rules above before selling.
True size. Connecticut statement at 10 pt minimum.
Connecticut cottage food questions
What statement has to be on a Connecticut cottage food label?
Connecticut requires: “Made in a Cottage Food Operation that is not Subject to Routine Government Food Safety Inspection.” (At least ten-point type in a clear and conspicuous manner).
Do I need a permit to sell baked goods from home in Connecticut?
License required. Annual Cottage Food Operator License from DCP, $50 fee. Approved food safety course (food processing and packaging) required. Written local zoning approval; private well water must be tested. DCP may inspect; license must be displayed at point of sale.
Is there a sales limit for cottage food in Connecticut?
Yes: $50,000 in gross sales a year. $50,000 gross sales per calendar year (raised from $25,000 effective Oct 1, 2022); above it a food manufacturing establishment license is needed.
Can I sell cottage food online or ship it in Connecticut?
Connecticut lets you take orders online or by phone, but the food must be handed over in person (pickup or your own delivery). Mailing or shipping is not allowed, and products may not cross state lines.
Sources
- CT DCP: Cottage Food in Connecticut - a guide for cottage food operators (agency)
- CT DCP: Maple Syrup & Cottage Food (Jan 2019) (agency)
- Conn. Gen. Stat. Chapter 417 (statute)
- Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Food and Standards Division (agency)
- Permit or registration page (agency)
Checked October 17, 2026. This is a checklist built from the sources above, not legal advice. Rules change; your county or the agency has the final word. Spotted something out of date? The about page explains how we check.
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