Why this matters
Selling from home in Florida
Florida’s Home Sweet Home Act lets you start a cottage food business without a state food permit, license, or routine home inspection. The annual gross sales limit is $250,000. That is the money customers pay before you subtract ingredients, packaging, delivery costs, or your own pay. Keep sales records from the start so a busy holiday season does not leave you guessing about your total.
The freedom to start does not make every recipe a cottage food. Build your menu around foods that keep safely at room temperature, such as qualifying baked goods, dry mixes, and candies. A hot dinner or a dessert that needs refrigeration needs a licensed food-service or processing path. Ask about that path before accepting deposits for a menu outside cottage food.
Florida allows online orders and shipping within the state. Cottage foods go directly to the buyer, not to stores or restaurants for resale. Plan your labels before publishing the menu: include the required cottage food disclaimer, ingredients, allergens, quantity, and business details. General home-business conditions such as parking can still matter even though local governments cannot add their own cottage food permit. Official guidance.
Annual revenue cap
$250,000 gross/year.
gross/year
$250,000
Required label language
Every package carries a statutory disclaimer.
The disclaimer below must appear on every package, in the exact casing the statute specifies:
Required on every label
Made in a cottage food operation that is not subject to Florida's food safety regulations
— Florida Statute § 500.80 (HB 663 'Home Sweet Home Act', effective July 1, 2021)
Sales channels
Where you can sell in Florida
Online ordering
YesYesShipping within the state
YesYesSeller delivery
YesYesThird-party delivery (DoorDash, Uber Eats)
ConditionalConditionalInterstate sales
NoNoWholesale to retail stores
NoNoLicense, permit & registration
Florida registration and permits
No state cottage food license, permit, or registration is required for qualifying Florida cottage foods. Keep gross annual sales within $250,000 and follow the product and label rules in § 500.80. Official guidance.
- Registration
Not required
- Labeling standard
Standard
- Inspection
None
- Food safety certification
Not required
- Address privacy
Not available
Food categories
Foods the basic cottage food rules usually do not cover.
- Tcs
- Meat
- Poultry
- Fish
- Shellfish
- Dairy
- Canned Goods
- Acidified Foods
- Fermented Foods
- Garlic In Oil
- Beverages
- Cut Produce
How to start
Steps to a legal first sale in Florida.
Build your menu around Florida's non-TCS cottage food lane, then write the required label before you publish online orders.
- Check each recipe against FDACS cottage food guidance.
- Prepare labels with your physical address and the Florida cottage food disclaimer.
- Decide how you will package orders for pickup or in-state shipping.
- Record gross sales from every selling channel.
Frequently asked
Florida cottage food — your questions answered.
How much is a permit to sell food in Florida?
There is no permit fee — Florida's Home Sweet Home Act (§ 500.80) lets you sell shelf-stable cottage foods with no state license or registration. The gross annual sales cap is $250,000, and cities and counties cannot require their own cottage food permit. Official guidance.
Can I sell cooked food from home in Florida?
Florida cottage food is limited to shelf-stable items, so hot, ready-to-eat cooked meals fall outside it. The path to yes for prepared food is a licensed or commissary kitchen, or catering under a food-service license. Shelf-stable foods — baked goods, jams, candies, dry mixes — you can sell directly and ship in-state up to the $250,000 gross annual sales cap. Official guidance.
Can I sell tacos from home in Florida?
It depends on the taco. Shelf-stable components can qualify, but assembled hot tacos and meat fillings need temperature control, which the cottage food law does not cover — those go through a licensed kitchen. Dry spice blends, baked goods, and similar shelf-stable items are fine to sell directly under Florida's cottage food program. Official guidance.
Can a Florida city or county add its own cottage food permit or rules?
No — § 500.80(6) preempts local governments from prohibiting cottage food operations or regulating how you prepare, process, store, or sell cottage food products. General home-based business conditions like zoning and parking can still apply under § 559.955, but food-specific local rules are blocked. Official guidance.
Can I ship Florida cottage food out of state?
Keep your cottage food shipping within Florida. Before accepting an out-of-state order, ask FDACS and the destination state which licensed food-business path would cover it. Official guidance.
Do I need a cottage food license or permit in Florida?
No state cottage food license, permit, or registration is required for qualifying Florida cottage foods. Keep gross annual sales within $250,000 and follow the product and label rules in § 500.80. Official guidance.
Florida cottage food laws: what is the short version?
You can sell qualifying shelf-stable cottage foods without a state license or permit, up to $250,000 in gross annual sales. Online orders and in-state shipping are allowed; wholesale is not. Official guidance.
What foods can I sell from home in Florida?
Qualifying breads, cookies, candies, and dry mixes fit the shelf-stable path. Cooked meals and refrigerated desserts need a licensed kitchen or food-service permit. Official guidance.