Minnesota · Cottage Food Exemption

Part of our walk-through for all 50 US states — see every state.

Minnesota 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 Minnesota's current cottage food exemption — Tier 1/Tier 2 registration, the $78,000 sales cap, required training, and the in-person-delivery rule for online/phone orders — flag the choices that push you toward a full food license, and build you a personalized checklist plus a printable label draft.

Free permit walk-through Free label generation Free checklist
Free customized label/checklist after walk-through completion

Built from current Minnesota Department of Agriculture guidance and Minn. Stat. § 28A.152. Not legal advice and not state approval — verify final requirements with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture before you sell.

  • Free registration walk-throughSee fast whether you fit Minnesota's Tier 1 or Tier 2 cottage food rules.
  • Free checklistKeep the training requirement, sales cap, and delivery rules tied to your own answers.
  • Free label generationDraft Minnesota's exact disclosure statement plus your registration and ingredient lines in one place.

Do you need a permit to sell cottage food in Minnesota?

You need to register (not get a license) as a Minnesota cottage food producer with the state. Tier 1 (up to $7,665/yr gross receipts) has no fee but requires free online training and an exam every year; Tier 2 ($7,666–$78,000/yr) costs $50/yr and requires an approved safe food handling course every 3 years. Above $78,000/yr you need a full food license instead. Minnesota allows non-potentially-hazardous foods plus home-canned goods tested at pH ≤ 4.6 or water activity ≤ 0.85 — but home-canned products can never be sold outside Minnesota. Phone/internet orders are fine only if you personally deliver within Minnesota; shipping by mail or common carrier, and hand-delivery outside Minnesota, aren't allowed yet (a 2027 law change will add in-state shipping). No wholesale or retail resale.

Minnesota label requirements

  • Preparer's name and registration number or address
  • Date the product was prepared or canned
  • Ingredients in descending order by weight, with allergens
  • Net weight or net volume
  • Exact label statement: These products are homemade and not subject to state inspection.
  • The same statement must also appear at your point of sale and on any website offering the products for sale

Common Minnesota blockers

  • Potentially hazardous/TCS foods, meat, dairy, poultry, or untested low-acid canned goods
  • Selling or delivering to a customer or location outside Minnesota (home-canned products can never be sold outside Minnesota at all)
  • Shipping or mailing cottage food via USPS, UPS, FedEx, or another common carrier
  • Gross receipts over $78,000/yr without moving to a full food license
  • Not completing the training required for your tier
  • Wholesaling to a retail store, restaurant, or any third party for resale