Michigan Cottage Food Kitchen Sanitation and Well Water Testing Requirements

No Inspection Does Not Mean No Standards

Michigan's cottage food exemption removes the pre-opening inspection and routine health department visits. It does not remove the obligation to produce food in sanitary conditions. MDARD retains enforcement authority over cottage food operations and can inspect your home kitchen in response to a consumer complaint.

What that means in practice: you will not have an inspector scheduling a walk-through before your first batch of cookies. But if a customer reports a foodborne illness, finds a foreign object in your product, or files a complaint about your production conditions, MDARD can investigate. The state of your kitchen at that point determines whether you receive a corrective action order — or face product seizure and penalties.

Surface Sanitation Protocol

Before every production session, all food-contact surfaces — countertops, mixing bowls, utensils, baking sheets, and processing equipment — must be washed, rinsed, sanitized, and air-dried.

The recommended sanitizer is a dilute solution of unscented liquid chlorine bleach:

• Dilution ratio: 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of concentrated, unscented bleach per quart of warm water
• Target concentration: 50 to 99 parts per million (ppm) of available chlorine
• Contact time: at least 1 minute — the surface must remain visibly wet for the full duration
• Verification: use chlorine-sensitive test strips (available at restaurant supply stores) to confirm the concentration falls within the 50–99 ppm range

Do not use splashless bleach, scented bleach, or color-safe bleach alternatives. These products contain additives that leave chemical residues on food-contact surfaces. Only standard, concentrated, unscented household chlorine bleach is appropriate for food-contact sanitizing.

Prepare a fresh sanitizer solution daily. Chlorine concentration degrades over time, especially in warm water and sunlight.

Kitchen Environment Rules

Several environmental controls apply during cottage food production:

Pets must be excluded from the kitchen during all production, cooling, and packaging. Pet hair, dander, and saliva are contamination vectors. If your kitchen has an open floor plan with no door separating it from living spaces, you need a reliable way to keep animals out of the production area for the entire session.

No simultaneous domestic activity. Family meal preparation, laundry, and child care should not happen in the kitchen while cottage food is being produced. This prevents cross-contamination between domestic and commercial food preparation.

Storage standards. All raw ingredients and packaged finished products must be stored at least 6 inches off the floor on wire shelving, in food-grade airtight containers, or on elevated racks. Storage areas must be dry, free of domestic clutter, and protected from pests, standing water, and chemical fumes (cleaning products, paint, gasoline from an attached garage).

Handwashing

Wash hands with warm running water and liquid soap for at least 20 seconds before, during, and after food preparation. Dry with single-use paper towels — not a shared cloth towel.

Specific handwashing triggers during production:

• Before starting any food preparation
• After touching raw eggs, flour, or other potentially contaminated ingredients
• After using the restroom
• After touching your face, hair, or phone
• After handling packaging materials, garbage, or cleaning supplies
• After any interruption in the production process

Private Well Water Testing

If your home is connected to a municipal water system, you are covered by the public water utility's testing program. No additional action is needed.

If your home relies on a private well, the water quality matters. Well water is the water you use to wash your hands, rinse your equipment, and mix ingredients. If it is contaminated, everything it touches is compromised.

Recommended annual testing for cottage food producers on private wells:

Every 3–5 years, also test for arsenic (threshold: 10 ppb or lower). Your local health department can direct you to a certified laboratory and current testing options.

PFAS and lead contamination zones. If the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) or your local health department has identified a groundwater contaminant plume near your well — PFAS contamination sites are scattered across Michigan, particularly in areas near former military bases and industrial facilities — do not use your well water for cottage food production until the contamination is resolved. If the well is equipped with an NSF-certified carbon filtration system proven to reduce the contaminant to safe levels, production may continue, but verify with your local health department.

Septic System Considerations

Cottage food production generates more wastewater than typical residential use — sanitizing surfaces, washing equipment, and rinsing ingredients all add volume. If your home uses a private septic system, ask your local health department whether a professional inspection is recommended before starting a food business.

A septic system failure during active production could contaminate your well water, your yard, and your food — and it would create exactly the kind of public health situation that triggers MDARD enforcement action.

The Michigan Cottage Food & Home Food Business Guide includes a kitchen sanitation checklist, sanitizer dilution reference, production batch log, and well water testing schedule designed for cottage food operators.

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