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Illinois cottage food label requirements and registration checklist
Answer a few plain-English questions about what you make and how you want to sell it. We check it against Illinois's current Cottage Food Operation rules — no sales cap, but CFPM certification and local registration are required — flag the choices that push you toward a licensed commercial kitchen, and build you a personalized checklist plus a printable label draft.
Free customized label/checklist after walk-through completion
Built from current Illinois Department of Public Health guidance and 410 ILCS 625/4. Not legal advice and not state approval — verify final requirements with the Illinois Department of Public Health or your local health department before you sell.
Free registration walk-throughSee fast whether you fit Illinois's Cottage Food Operation rules.
Free checklistKeep the CFPM requirement, prohibited-foods list, and sales-channel rules tied to your own answers.
Free label generationDraft Illinois's exact disclosure statement plus your registration and ingredient lines in one place.
Do you need a permit to sell cottage food in Illinois?
You need to register (not get a license) as a Cottage Food Operation with the local health department in the county where you live — the fee is capped at $50/year and there's no routine home inspection. Everyone who prepares or packages the food, including you, must hold a Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) certificate. Illinois has no annual sales cap and allows nearly all foods except an explicit prohibited list (meat/dairy/eggs beyond minor ingredient use, hazardous pies, non-acidified garlic-in-oil, low-acid canned foods, sprouts, cut leafy greens, cut fresh tomato/melon, wild mushrooms, alcohol, kombucha). Acidified/fermented foods and canned tomato products need an approved recipe or lab pH test on file. Sales must be direct-to-consumer and stay inside Illinois — no interstate shipping or wholesale resale.
Business name and the unit of local government where you're registered
Registration number and the county/municipality where it was filed
The product's common or usual name
Ingredients in descending order by weight, with allergens
Full processing date (month/day/year)
Net weight or net volume
Exact label statement: This product was produced in a home kitchen not inspected by a health department that may also process common food allergens. If you have safety concerns, contact your local health department.
Separately, an 8"×10" point-of-sale placard (or matching online listing notice) reading: This product was produced in a home kitchen not inspected by a health department that may also process common food allergens.
Common Illinois blockers
Meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, or dairy/raw eggs beyond minor ingredient use
Cheesecake, custard/cream pies, pumpkin or sweet-potato pie
Garlic-in-oil that isn't acidified, low-acid canned foods, sprouts, wild-harvested mushrooms, alcohol, or kombucha
Cut leafy greens, cut/pureed fresh tomato or melon (unless dehydrated, acidified, or blanched-and-frozen)
Shipping or selling to customers outside Illinois
Wholesaling to a retail store, restaurant, or any third party for resale
Not having CFPM certification for everyone who preps or packages the food
Illinois rule review
What this Illinois checker reviews before you print a label
The page is built from Illinois Department of Public Health — Cottage Food and the cited official sources below, then turns those rules into a practical pre-sale review.
Sales path
Home/farm pickup, farmers markets, fairs/events, delivery, or in-person pop-ups within Illinois
Online orders (website, Etsy, social media) fulfilled to Illinois customers, or in-state shipping of non-TCS products with a tamper-evident seal
Product fit
Non-perishable baked goods, non-perishable candy/caramels, buttercream frostings/icings (no raw egg), dry mixes, roasted coffee, dried herbs/spice mixes, or trail mix
Pickles, hot sauces, sauerkraut/kimchi, acidified salad dressings/vinegars/infused oils, or other acidified/fermented foods
Canned tomatoes or canned products containing tomatoes (e.g., salsa)
Fresh/frozen vegan soups, cut or spiralized vegetables, vegan ice cream, hummus, or uncanned refrigerator pickles
Label draft fields
Product name
Ingredients
Net weight or volume
Business name
Registration number
Date processed
City
Required home-kitchen disclosure
Major allergen statement
Final wording should be checked against 410 ILCS 625/4 — Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act, Cottage Food Operation before printing.
Needs extra review
Pickles, hot sauces, sauerkraut/kimchi, acidified salad dressings/vinegars/infused oils, or other acidified/fermented foods
Allowed, but you need either a lab-tested USDA/state-extension approved recipe followed exactly, or your own Cottage Food Safety Plan with a lab pH test (final equilibrium pH ≤ 4.6) filed with your local health department before you can sell it.
Canned tomatoes or canned products containing tomatoes (e.g., salsa)
Allowed, but you must either follow a USDA/state-extension tested recipe exactly, or submit a lab pH test for your specific tomato varietal and keep using only that varietal for every batch.
Fresh/frozen vegan soups, cut or spiralized vegetables, vegan ice cream, hummus, or uncanned refrigerator pickles
Allowed, but unless you provide a pH or water-activity test proving the product is shelf-stable, it must be stored, transported, and sold at or under 41°F.
Selling to a retail store, restaurant, or any third party for resale
Illinois cottage food must be sold directly by the operator, a family member, or an employee to the end consumer — not wholesaled for someone else to resell.
Use this order when you prepare the permit packet, label, and direct-sales plan.
Step 1
Check whether your product fits the Illinois cottage food path
Start with the product category and shelf-stability questions. The wizard flags foods that usually need refrigeration, separate licensing, or extra official review in Illinois.
Step 2
Confirm where and how you plan to sell
Choose every sales channel you expect to use. The result calls out direct-sale limits, shipping issues, wholesale/resale limits, and other channel rules that matter before you take orders.
Step 3
Draft the label from your actual product details
Enter the product name, ingredients, allergens, net weight, producer information, and any Illinois-specific disclosure or permit field requested by the form.
Step 4
Print the checklist and verify against official sources
A plain-English helper for Illinois cottage food sellers. Not legal advice and not state approval.
Illinois FAQ
Illinois cottage food questions
Short answers to the questions people usually ask before they start the wizard.
Can I sell homemade food in Illinois?
You need to register (not get a license) as a Cottage Food Operation with the local health department in the county where you live — the fee is capped at $50/year and there's no routine home inspection. Everyone who prepares or packages the food, including you, must hold a Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) certificate. Illinois has no annual sales cap and allows nearly all foods except an explicit prohibited list (meat/dairy/eggs beyond minor ingredient use, hazardous pies, non-acidified garlic-in-oil, low-acid canned foods, sprouts, cut leafy greens, cut fresh tomato/melon, wild mushrooms, alcohol, kombucha). Acidified/fermented foods and canned tomato products need an approved recipe or lab pH test on file. Sales must be direct-to-consumer and stay inside Illinois — no interstate shipping or wholesale resale.
What does the Illinois checker do?
It walks through the state-specific blockers, then produces a printable checklist and a label draft using the answers you entered.
What should I verify before selling in Illinois?
Verify your product category, sales channel, annual limit or registration requirement, and label wording against Illinois Department of Public Health — Cottage Food before relying on the checklist.
Is the label draft official approval?
No. It is an informational draft based on the page sources. Check final wording with 410 ILCS 625/4 — Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act, Cottage Food Operation or the responsible local agency before printing labels.