MDARD Food License: Michigan Food Establishment License Cost, Process, and Requirements

Cottage Food Doesn't Need an MDARD License

The most common misconception about selling food in Michigan is that you need a license from MDARD (Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development) to get started. If you're producing shelf-stable, non-potentially hazardous foods in your home kitchen and selling directly to consumers, you don't.

The cottage food exemption under MCL 289.4102 explicitly waives the licensing, registration, and inspection requirements that apply to commercial food businesses. There is no cottage food "permit" or "license" to apply for. There is no fee to pay. You can start selling as soon as your products and labels meet the statutory requirements.

The only optional registration is through the MSU Product Center ($50 one-time fee), which gives you an address-privacy code for your labels instead of printing your home address.

When You Do Need an MDARD License

An MDARD food establishment license becomes mandatory when your operation no longer fits the cottage food exemption. That happens when you:

• Exceed the $50,000 annual sales cap ($75,000 for high-unit-value products)
• Sell products that require refrigeration (TCS foods)
• Sell wholesale to stores or restaurants
• Manufacture shelf-stable acidified foods (hot sauces, pickles, salsas)
• Move production to a commercial facility

MDARD specifically covers businesses focused on wholesale distribution, manufacturing, internet shipping without pre-sale interaction, and processing of shelf-stable acidified or low-acid canned foods.

If your business sells directly to consumers for immediate consumption — a retail bakery, café, food truck, or event vendor — you'd typically get licensed through your local county health department instead.

The MDARD Licensing Process

Step 1: Secure a commercial kitchen. Before MDARD will review your application, you need a licensed commercial facility. This can be a leased private kitchen, a shared-use incubator kitchen, or a purpose-built facility. The kitchen must meet commercial infrastructure standards — non-porous surfaces, dedicated handwashing sinks, three-compartment ware-washing, mechanical ventilation, and proper waste disposal.

Step 2: Submit a plan review. MDARD requires a detailed plan review before you begin operations. Submit floor plans, equipment specifications, menus, water source documentation, and waste disposal plans. The MDARD plan review fee is $197. Plan reviews should be submitted at least 30 days before your intended opening date.

Step 3: Complete food manager certification. At least one person in the operation must hold a valid food manager certification from an ANSI-accredited program. ServSafe is the most common option, costing approximately $150 and valid for five years.

Step 4: Pass the pre-opening inspection. After plan review approval, MDARD or the local health department conducts an on-site inspection before you can begin production. Regular inspections continue after opening.

Step 5: Pay the annual license fee. Fees vary by jurisdiction and business type.

License Costs Across Michigan

Commercial food license fees are set locally by county health departments, and the variation is significant:

Annual retail food license (small operation, 0–25 seats):

• Oakland County: $338
• Western UP District: $350
• Livingston County: $680 (including state fee)

Plan review fees:

• Western UP District: $250–$650 depending on risk category
• Livingston County: $1,300–$1,560 depending on size
• MDARD (state level): $197

Mobile food unit licenses:

• Oakland County: $131–$182 depending on unit type
• Livingston County: $290 (including state fee)

Special Transitory Food Unit (STFU):

• Oakland County: $172
• Western UP District: $214 (including state fee)
• Livingston County: $304 (including state fee)

These fees are annual and come on top of facility costs, insurance, and operational expenses.

Acidified Food Processing (A Special Case)

If you plan to commercially produce shelf-stable acidified foods — hot sauces, pickled vegetables, salsas, barbecue sauces — you face additional requirements beyond the standard MDARD license:

• Complete Better Process Control School (BPCS) certification
• Register your facility with the FDA
• File formal process schedules with the FDA
• Get a Process Authority Review for each recipe (MSU Product Center charges $125 for the first recipe, $50 for each additional)
• Demonstrate that each product maintains an equilibrium pH at or below 4.6

This layer of FDA oversight exists because improperly acidified foods create conditions for Clostridium botulinum — the bacterium that causes botulism. The requirements are non-negotiable for commercial production.

The Bottom Line

If you're selling cookies, bread, or qualifying fruit-only jams from home, you don't need an MDARD license or any license at all. If you're ready to grow beyond the cottage food exemption — selling wholesale, adding refrigerated products, or scaling into commercial production — the licensing process is straightforward but requires planning and investment.

The Michigan Cottage Food & Home Food Business Guide covers both sides: the full cottage food compliance checklist and the step-by-step commercial licensing transition, including budgeting worksheets for plan review fees, kitchen rental, and ongoing costs.

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