Missouri Cottage Food Law

What Missouri's Cottage Food Law Actually Says

Missouri operates under a dual-pathway system for home food production, and the difference between the two paths determines what you can sell and where you can sell it.

The first pathway is the Home Sales Law (RSMo § 196.298), originally established by Senate Bill 525 in 2014 and significantly expanded by House Bill 1697 in August 2022. This is the one most home bakers and jam-makers rely on. Under this statute, state and local health departments cannot require permits, licenses, inspections, or food safety training for qualifying home food operations. The law applies statewide, and local health departments cannot override it.

The second pathway is the Individual Stands Exemption under the Missouri Food Code. This covers a broader range of products — including candies, honey, granola, and dry mixes — but only applies to in-person sales at physical stands and farmers markets, and only in jurisdictions that have adopted the provision.

Most confusion around Missouri's cottage food rules comes from people mixing up these two pathways.

What You Can Sell (and What You Cannot)

Under the Home Sales pathway, you are limited to three categories of non-potentially hazardous foods:

• Baked goods: Breads, cookies, cakes, pastries, fruit pies, and similar shelf-stable items
• Traditional jams and jellies: Standard fruit preserves made with traditional sugar-based recipes
• Dried herbs and herb mixes: Dehydrated single herbs, blended seasonings, and dry rubs

Under the Individual Stands exemption (where local codes allow), the list expands to include candies, honey, sorghum, cracked nuts, granola, popcorn, dry cookie and cake mixes, and dry packaged soup mixes.

Several products are explicitly excluded from home kitchen production: cheesecakes, cream-filled pastries, cream cheese frostings, sugar-free or hot pepper jams, salsas, pickles, hot sauces, and any product requiring refrigeration. These trigger commercial kitchen requirements regardless of where you plan to sell.

The $50,000 Sales Cap Is Gone

One of the most common misconceptions is that Missouri cottage food sellers face a $50,000 annual gross revenue cap. HB 1697 permanently removed that limit when it took effect on August 28, 2022. There is no annual sales cap under Missouri law — you can sell as much as you produce from your home kitchen, provided you stay within the permitted product categories and sales channels.

Approved Sales Channels

Under the Home Sales pathway, you can sell through:

• Direct pickup from your home
• Local delivery to customers within Missouri
• Online orders from buyers located in Missouri
• In-state shipping via common carriers (USPS, FedEx, UPS)

The critical restriction is that both the producer and the buyer must be in Missouri. Shipping across state lines triggers federal food manufacturing regulations, and no cottage food exemption covers interstate commerce.

Under the Individual Stands exemption, sales must be conducted in person at physical stands, roadside setups, and farmers markets. No online sales or shipping is allowed under this pathway.

Labeling Requirements

Every packaged cottage food product needs a label with six elements:

1. Your full business name and home address
2. The common product name
3. A complete ingredient list in descending order by weight
4. Allergen declarations for the eight major allergens plus sesame
5. Net weight in both English and metric units
6. The uninspected kitchen disclaimer: "This product is prepared in a kitchen that is not subject to inspection by the Department of Health and Senior Services."

Some county health departments require you to insert their county name into the disclaimer — check with your local jurisdiction.

City-by-City Variations

Missouri's cottage food law is a state-level exemption, but it does not override local zoning ordinances or business licensing requirements. Here is where things get complicated:

Kansas City requires a Zoning Clearance Letter (free) and a KCMO Business License through KC BizCare. No health permit is needed for prepackaged non-potentially hazardous cottage food when you do not offer samples; a Farmers Market Vendor Permit is required for prepackaged potentially hazardous foods or samples of those foods.

St. Louis City requires a Home Occupancy Waiver, Conditional Use Permit, Home Occupation License, and a Cottage Food Production Waiver from the Department of Health.

St. Louis County prohibits home-prepared foods at all county farmers markets and community events. You can still sell from home or ship within Missouri, but public market sales require a commercial kitchen.

Springfield recognizes cottage food as a legal home occupation. A Farmers' Market Food Permit ($144 annually, pro-rated) is required if you offer samples or prepare potentially hazardous items on-site.

Columbia allows cottage food at the Columbia Farmers Market, but the market is "producer-only" with a $30 application fee, $100 annual membership, and an ingredient sourcing audit.

What Triggers a Commercial Kitchen Requirement

You must move to a licensed commercial kitchen if you plan to:

• Sell wholesale to stores, restaurants, or distributors
• Produce any product requiring refrigeration
• Make acidified foods (pickles, salsas, hot sauces)
• Ship products across state lines
• Sell at farmers markets in St. Louis County

Getting Compliant

The state-level exemption from health department licensing does not mean you have zero paperwork. Most Missouri home food businesses still need a local business license or home occupation permit, a sales tax license from the Department of Revenue, and potentially a Fictitious Name Registration ($7) or LLC filing ($50) with the Secretary of State.

Our Missouri Cottage Food & Home Food Business Guide walks through both the Home Sales and Individual Stands pathways step by step, with city-specific checklists for Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield, Columbia, and Independence. It covers product classification, labeling templates, sales tax registration, zoning clearance, and the exact triggers for commercial kitchen transition — so you can start selling without the guesswork.

See more Missouri guides →