Georgia cottage food label requirements and HB 398 checklist
Answer a few plain-English questions about what you make and how you want to sell it. We check it against Georgia's current cottage food statute (HB 398), flag anything that isn't allowed, and build you a personalized checklist and a printable food label.
Free customized label/checklist after walk-through completion
Built from O.C.G.A. §§ 26-2-470 to 26-2-478 (HB 398, effective 2025-07-01) and Georgia Department of Agriculture guidance. Not legal advice and not government approval — GDA is still updating some of its published guidance to match the new statute, so verify final requirements with the Georgia Department of Agriculture before selling.
Free permit walk-throughSee right away if a choice would block you from selling under Georgia's cottage food statute.
Free checklistYour answers folded into Georgia's current requirements, ready to print or save as PDF.
Free label generationThe new Georgia disclosure statement plus name, address, and product details, assembled into a printable draft.
Do I need a license to sell homemade food in Georgia?
Not anymore — Georgia's HB 398, effective July 1, 2025, removed the old cottage food license and fee entirely. There's no registration, no pre-op inspection, and no gross sales cap under the current statute (O.C.G.A. §§ 26-2-470 to 26-2-478). Georgia also expanded sales channels significantly: online orders, mail order, and sale through grocery stores and restaurants are now allowed, in addition to direct in-person sale — though wholesale to a broker/distributor and shipping out of state still aren't covered. Georgia's Department of Agriculture is still updating some of its own published guidance to catch up with the new law, so this page is built against the statute itself. The wizard below checks the product-type and sales-channel choices that commonly change the answer.
Statement of identity (product name) and net weight
Ingredients in descending order by weight, including sub-ingredients
Allergen statement for the major food allergens
Business name plus address and phone, or a GDA Identification Number instead of the address
“This product was produced at a residential property that is exempt from state inspection. This product may contain allergens.” in at least 10-point font
Common Georgia cottage food blockers
Baked goods needing refrigeration (cream cheese icing, tres leche-style fillings)
Cooked vegetable products, cooked rice/beans, or most home-canned foods (other than jam/jelly)
Fruit butters, beverages (including cider), honey, and syrup
Meat, poultry, seafood, standalone eggs/dairy, raw milk, alcohol, cannabis products, or pet food
Wholesale sale to a broker or distributor for resale
Shipping or selling to a customer outside Georgia
Making food in a rented/shared kitchen, vacation home, motor home, or outbuilding