Massachusetts cottage food laws
Rules change, so always confirm with the official Massachusetts source.
The law: Residential Kitchens / Cottage Food Operations; 105 CMR 590 and 500
What you can sell
Shelf-stable baked goods, jams and jellies may be produced in permitted residential kitchens.
What you can't sell
Cream-filled pastries, cheesecake, custard, cut produce, tomato/barbecue sauces, pickles, relishes and salad dressings are excluded. Acidification, vacuum packaging, curing/smoking and most hermetically sealed thermal processing are prohibited.
Do you need a license or permit?
Retail kitchens need local board-of-health inspection and a permit; wholesale kitchens need state DPH licensing and inspection. Local permit fees and current state wholesale fees were not confirmed.
Sales limits
No statewide dollar cap is stated in the residential-kitchen FAQ; statutory absence of a cap was not separately confirmed.
Where you can sell
Retail permits cover direct sales including internet and mail sales; wholesale licensing covers sales to stores and restaurants. Interstate sellers must comply with federal law and destination-state law.
Label requirements
Complete packaged-food label requirements and any exact warning wording were not confirmed from the residential-kitchen FAQ. Have the permitting authority review labels before sale.
Good to know
Local zoning and municipal rules apply. Private water supplies require testing before permitting and at least annually afterward. Some details on this page could not be fully confirmed from official sources, so check with the state agency before you sell.
Pricing your products
Knowing your real cost per item matters as much as following the law.
Try Oven Elf free →Source: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/residential-kitchen-questions-and-answers
General summary, not legal advice.
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