Cottage food label requirements in South Carolina
Home-Based Food Production, S.C. Code § 44-1-143 (as amended by 2022 Act No. 208); S.C. Code § 46-57-20 (2023 Act No. 60, eff. July 1, 2024). Regulated by South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA). Checked against state sources on .
Not fully verified. We could not confirm every detail for South Carolina on a primary state source when we checked. Treat these items as unconfirmed and check them with South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA) before you print: disclaimerText, wholesale, shippingInterstate, shippingInState, agencyUrl.
The statement your label needs
PROCESSED AND PREPARED BY A HOME-BASED FOOD PRODUCTION OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO SOUTH CAROLINA'S FOOD SAFETY REGULATIONS.
Type size and placement: Conspicuous, in all capital letters, in a color that provides a clear contrast to the background
What is different in South Carolina
- Retail stores selling home-based food must post a sign with the same statement
- No health claims allowed on home-based food (SCDA)
- Optional SCDA ID number can be printed instead of home address
- Operations with under $1,500 annual net earnings are exempt from the section
- Section applies absent a contrary local ordinance
- Permit
- No permit or registration for most baked goods. No retail food permit required from SCDA. Optional SCDA Home-based Food ID number may replace the address on labels. Program moved from DHEC to SCDA on July 1, 2024.
- Sales cap
- No annual sales cap found in state sources
- Where you can sell
- Directly to a person (individual consumer), including online and by mail order, or to retail stores including grocery stores, within South Carolina. Restaurants may use home-based food only with an SCDA-approved variance.
- Online orders
- Yes
- Ship in state
- Yes
- Ship out of state
- No
- Sell to shops / cafés
- Yes
- Allowed foods
- Nonpotentially hazardous foods, e.g. shelf-stable cakes, cookies and cupcakes, dried herbs and spices, high-acid pies and fillings, roasted nuts, sourdough bread. Not allowed: TCS foods, cheesecake, bottled beverages, charcuterie boards, hot sauce/BBQ sauce, aluminum canned goods.
What a South Carolina cottage food label must show
- Name and address of the home-based food production operation, or SCDA-issued identification number
- Standard name of the product
- Ingredients in descending order of predominance by weight
- The required statement (above)
- Allergen statement listing each major allergen (SCDA guidance); other federal labeling requirements
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). South Carolina allows cottage food orders online or by phone. Shipping within the state is allowed, and products may not cross state lines.
Make a South Carolina label now
The South Carolina 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 South Carolina’s rules above before selling.
True size. South Carolina statement.
South Carolina cottage food questions
What statement has to be on a South Carolina cottage food label?
South Carolina requires: “PROCESSED AND PREPARED BY A HOME-BASED FOOD PRODUCTION OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO SOUTH CAROLINA'S FOOD SAFETY REGULATIONS.” (Conspicuous, in all capital letters, in a color that provides a clear contrast to the background).
Do I need a permit to sell baked goods from home in South Carolina?
No permit or registration for most baked goods. No retail food permit required from SCDA. Optional SCDA Home-based Food ID number may replace the address on labels. Program moved from DHEC to SCDA on July 1, 2024.
Is there a sales limit for cottage food in South Carolina?
No annual cap appears in the state sources we checked. No sales cap in § 44-1-143; operations with net earnings under $1,500 a year are exempt from the section.
Can I sell cottage food online or ship it in South Carolina?
South Carolina allows cottage food orders online or by phone. Shipping within the state is allowed, and products may not cross state lines.
Sources
- S.C. Code Title 44 Ch. 1, § 44-1-143 Home-based food production operations (statute)
- S.C. Code Title 46 Ch. 57, § 46-57-20 (2023 Act No. 60) (statute)
- SCDA: Home-Based Food Production (Cottage Law) fact sheet, 5/1/26 (agency)
- South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA) (agency)
Checked October 18, 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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