Michigan Home Bakery Requirements: What You Need to Sell Baked Goods From Home

No License Needed — But There Are Rules

Michigan doesn't require a bakery license, health inspection, or state permit to sell baked goods from your home kitchen. Under the cottage food exemption (MCL 289.4102), home bakers can produce and sell qualifying products from their primary residence with no application process and no fees.

That said, "no license" doesn't mean "no regulation." The exemption imposes specific limits on what you can bake and sell, how your products must be labeled, where you can sell them, and how much you can earn.

What Baked Goods You Can Sell

The cottage food exemption permits shelf-stable baked goods that don't require refrigeration:

• Breads, rolls, and biscuits
• Cookies, brownies, and bars
• Muffins, scones, and quick breads
• Unfilled donuts
• Fruit pies with shelf-stable fillings (apple, cherry, blueberry)
• Celebration cakes with standard buttercream frosting
• Cake pops and dry crackers

The products that get home bakers in trouble are the ones that need cold storage. Cheesecakes are out. Cream pies, custard pies, and pumpkin pie are out. Cream-filled pastries, éclairs, and any cake with cream cheese frosting, whipped cream topping, or fresh fruit are out.

The frosting determines whether a cake qualifies. A wedding cake with buttercream made from butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla is cottage food. The same cake with cream cheese frosting becomes a TCS (Time/Temperature Control for Safety) product that requires commercial licensing.

Kitchen Standards

Your production kitchen must be the kitchen in your primary single-family residence — the house, apartment, or rental you actually live in. You cannot bake in a detached garage, barn, or a friend's kitchen.

While your kitchen isn't subject to pre-opening inspection, Michigan law requires you to maintain sanitary conditions:

• Keep pets out of the kitchen during production, cooling, and packaging
• Don't prepare family meals simultaneously with cottage food production
• Store ingredients and finished products at least 6 inches off the floor
• Use food-grade, airtight containers for storage
• Sanitize all food-contact surfaces before production using a proper bleach solution (1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon unscented chlorine bleach per quart of warm water)
• Wash hands for at least 20 seconds with warm water and liquid soap before, during, and after food preparation

If your home uses a private well, test the water annually for coliform bacteria and nitrates. Municipal water connections are considered compliant based on public water testing.

Sales Limits and Channels

Home bakeries fall under the standard cottage food sales cap of $50,000 per year in gross sales. If you exclusively sell items priced at $250 or more per unit — custom multi-tiered wedding cakes, for example — the cap rises to $75,000.

You can sell directly to consumers at farmers markets, craft fairs, roadside stands, pop-up events, and from your home. Since March 2026, online ordering with in-state delivery is also legal, though you must offer buyers a real-time two-way communication option before completing the sale.

You cannot sell baked goods wholesale to grocery stores, cafes, restaurants, or retail shops. Consignment sales through third-party stores are also prohibited.

Labeling Your Baked Goods

Every product needs a label with:

• Product name
• Net weight in US and metric units
• Complete ingredient list in descending order by weight
• Allergen declarations (wheat, eggs, milk, etc.)
• The mandatory MDARD disclaimer in 11-point font: "Made in a home kitchen that has not been inspected by the Michigan department of agriculture and rural development."
• Your name and home address — or your MSU Product Center registration code and phone number if you've registered for address privacy ($50 one-time fee)

When a Home Bakery Outgrows Cottage Food

If you're approaching the $50,000 cap, want to add products that require refrigeration, or want to sell wholesale to local shops, you'll need to transition to a licensed commercial kitchen. Shared-use incubator kitchens across Michigan rent space for $200–$1,000 per month, which lets you scale without building your own facility.

The Michigan Cottage Food & Home Food Business Guide walks through everything a home baker needs — product eligibility, compliant label templates, revenue tracking, and the commercial transition checklist for when your baking business is ready to grow.

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