St Louis Cottage Food Rules

City vs. County: Two Different Worlds

The most important thing to understand about cottage food in the St. Louis metro is that St. Louis City and St. Louis County are separate jurisdictions with completely different rules. The city operates its own Department of Health, independent from the county's Department of Public Health. Where you live — literally which side of a street you are on — determines whether you can sell your home-baked goods at a local farmers market.

St. Louis City: Allowed, With a Multi-Step Registration

St. Louis City has adopted the state's cottage food exemptions and allows home food production for direct-to-consumer sales. But the city layers its own registration process on top of the state-level exemption. You need to complete three steps across multiple city agencies:

1. Home Occupancy Waiver and Conditional Use Permit — Filed with the Building Division. This confirms your residence is zoned for home business use and that your food operation meets home occupation standards.

2. Home Occupation License — Obtained from the License Collector's Office after your zoning approval.

3. Cottage Food Production Waiver — Issued by the City Department of Health. This waiver confirms that your home kitchen is exempt from routine health inspections for non-potentially hazardous items (shelf-stable baked goods, traditional fruit preserves, and dried herbs).

The Department of Health accepts payment for waiver fees by business check or money order only — no credit cards or personal checks.

Once you hold all three approvals, you can sell qualifying cottage food from home, through delivery, via online orders, and at city farmers markets including Soulard Farmers Market.

If you want to sell non-exempt products like salsa or hot sauce, you must manufacture them in an inspected commercial commissary and obtain a Temporary Health Permit — the cottage food waiver does not cover those items.

St. Louis County: No Home Food at Markets

St. Louis County enforces the most restrictive cottage food rules in Missouri. While you can legally produce cottage food in your home kitchen under RSMo § 196.298 (the state-level exemption overrides the county health department for home production), the county completely prohibits home-prepared foods at any county farmers market, community event, or public festival.

All prepared foods sold at county markets — including the Clayton Farmers Market and Boulevard Farmers Market in Richmond Heights — must originate from an inspected, licensed commercial kitchen. To vend at a county market, you need:

• A valid health permit from a licensed commissary kitchen
• A certified food handler on-site
• Mechanical refrigeration for cold holding (ice as a sole cooling method is not allowed)
• Mechanical heating devices for hot holding (sternos are prohibited at outdoor events)

This means a St. Louis County resident who bakes bread at home can sell it from their house, deliver it locally, and ship it within Missouri — but they cannot walk it to a neighborhood farmers market. Vendors who want market access in the county must rent commercial kitchen time and operate under a commercial food establishment permit.

Why the County Is Stricter

St. Louis County's Department of Public Health interprets the Missouri Food Code's local authority provisions broadly. While RSMo § 196.298 bars health departments from regulating home production itself, it does not prevent local health authorities from setting standards for public food sales venues. The county uses this distinction to require commercial-grade food safety controls at all public events within its borders.

Which Jurisdiction Am I In?

A St. Louis mailing address or a 631xx ZIP code is not enough to identify the jurisdiction. Check whether the property is in St. Louis City or a particular municipality in St. Louis County through the appropriate assessor; the city/county boundary, not the mailing label, controls which rules apply.

Home Sales Still Work in the County

Even under St. Louis County's strict market rules, you can still run a home-based cottage food business. Direct home sales, local delivery, and in-state online orders and shipping are all governed by the state-level Home Sales Law, which the county cannot override. You just cannot sell at public events.

Our Missouri Cottage Food & Home Food Business Guide breaks down the city registration sequence step by step and explains the county market workarounds, including how to find affordable shared commercial kitchen space if you want market access.

See more Missouri guides →