Cottage food laws · Rhode Island

Selling homemade food in Rhode Island.

Rhode Island is the strictest home-bakery state in the country — it was the last state in the nation to let non-farmers sell homemade food at all — but the door is open. The catch is who you are, not what you’d like to sell: if you’re a home baker (not a farm), you register for $65 a year, finish a food-handler course, and sell baked goods only — cookies, breads, cakes, double-crust pies — direct to neighbors, delivered in person within the state. The wider list — jams, syrup, candy — is a separate, farmers-only path. Here’s the whole picture, in plain English.

Verified against R.I. Gen. Laws § 21-27-6.2, § 21-27-6.1 and the RI Department of Health’s Cottage Foods program

Last checked June 13, 2026 — every section links its sources.

A friendly guide, not legal advice — we’re not lawyers. Always confirm the details with your own city and state before you sell.

A sunlit front porch with fresh loaves on a table and an OPEN sign

The 2-minute version

Three cards, the whole story — and the first thing to settle is whether you’re a farm, because that’s what decides which path (and which food list) you get. Everything below is detail, with the actual laws linked so you never have to take our word for it.

A home baker (not a farm)?

Then your path is cottage food — open to everyone, but the food list is baked goods only: cookies, breads, cakes, brownies, double-crust pies. No jams, candy, or granola. Register with RIDOH for $65 a year, finish a food-handler course, and sell direct to neighbors. Cap is $50,000 a year.

$65/yearBaked goods onlyFood-handler courseIn-person delivery

A working farm?

A qualifying farm can use the farm-home path instead — same $65 a year, but it unlocks the wider list: jams, jellies, vinegars, maple syrup, candies, dried herbs. The catch: your kitchen must be on a working farm whose operator qualifies for the state’s commercial-farming sales-tax exemption. Not a farm? This path isn’t open to you.

$65/yearJams, syrup, candyFarmers onlyNo stated cap

Cheesecake or anything refrigerated?

Anything that needs refrigeration to stay safe — cheesecake, cream pies, custards — is out of both home paths. That’s licensed-facility territory, not a home kitchen. The home rules are for shelf-stable food only.

Not allowedBoth home pathsRefrigeration = out
Sound doable? Show me the steps ↓Meet the Rhode Island porch bakers already doing it

Two ways to sell in Rhode Island — and which one you get depends on WHO YOU ARE

In shortThe split here is unusual: it’s not what you want to sell, it’s whether you run a farm. A home baker (non-farmer) gets the cottage path — baked goods only. A qualifying working farm gets the farm-home path — the wider list of jams, syrup, and candy. There is no home path that lets a non-farmer sell jam.

Most states split their home-food paths on what you make. Rhode Island splits on who you are — and that’s the one thing to get right before anything else. If you’re an ordinary home baker (not a farm), the cottage path is yours, and it’s baked goods only. A non-farmer simply cannot sell jam, candy, or granola from home in Rhode Island — no matter how much they’d like to. The wider food list exists, but it lives on a farmers-only path: the kitchen has to be on a qualifying working farm. So the first question isn’t “what do I want to make?” — it’s “am I a farm?”

Path A · for everyone (most porch shops start here)Baked goods only

Cottage Food Manufacture

Open to anyone (§ 21-27-6.2). You register with the RI Department of Health (RIDOH) for $65 a year, finish a food-handler course before your first registration, and sell baked goods that don’t need refrigeration — and only baked goods, direct to neighbors. Cap is $50,000 a year.

The hard lines: you (or your designee) deliver in person within Rhode Island — online orders yes, shipping no — and no wholesale or consignment.

Pick this path if: you’re a home baker, not a farm, and everything you sell is a shelf-stable BAKED GOOD — cookies, breads, cakes, brownies, double-crust pies. (If you want to sell jam, candy, or syrup and you’re not a farm, there is no home path for that in Rhode Island.)

Path B · the wider list — but farmers onlyFarmers only

Farm Home Food Manufacture

This path (§ 21-27-6.1) opens up a wider food list — jams, jellies, vinegars, maple syrup, candies and fudges, dried herbs — for the same $65 a year. But the kitchen must be on a working farm, and the operator must qualify for Rhode Island’s commercial-farming sales-tax exemption (the state treats that as a real agricultural operation, not a backyard garden).

If you’re not a farm, this path isn’t open to you — no matter what you want to make.

Pick this path if: you run a working farm whose operator qualifies for Rhode Island’s commercial-farming sales-tax exemption, and you want to sell the wider list — jams, jellies, vinegars, maple syrup, candies, dried herbs — alongside your baked goods.

The cheesecake test cuts across both: does it need refrigeration to stay safe? If yes (cheesecake, cream pies, custards), neither home path works — that’s licensed-facility territory. And if your cottage sales pass $50,000 a year, or you want to sell wholesale or to stores and restaurants, the home paths end and you need a food processor license — $120/yr retail or $300/yr wholesale, which means a licensed facility, not a home kitchen. Many porch shops never need it.

Sources: R.I. Gen. Laws § 21-27-6.2 · R.I. Gen. Laws § 21-27-6.1 · R.I. Gen. Laws § 21-27-1 (definitions) · RIDOH — Cottage Foods

Where you can sell

In shortCottage food: direct to neighbors statewide, but YOU deliver it — pickup or in-person delivery within Rhode Island. Online, mail, and phone ORDERS are fine; shipping is not. No wholesale, no consignment, and a list of named venues is off-limits. Farmers markets and festivals are allowed but need a $100/yr peddler license.

Direct to neighbors, statewide — but you deliver it yourself. The cottage law registers sales “direct to consumers whether by pickup or delivery within the state.” You can advertise and take orders by internet, mail, and phone — but the statute is specific about how it gets to the buyer: “the cottage food licensee or their designee shall deliver, in person, to the customer within the state.” In plain terms: online orders yes, shipping no. No mail carrier, no courier, no out-of-state sales. If it isn’t handed over in person inside Rhode Island, it isn’t allowed.

The hard boundaries — no wholesale, no resale channels. The cottage law says “no such operation shall engage in consignment or wholesale sales,” and names specific places you may not sell into: grocery stores, restaurants, long-term-care facilities, group homes, daycare facilities, and schools. Every sale runs from you to the person eating it.

Farmers markets and festivals — allowed, but they need a second license. RIDOH requires a retail food peddler license ($100/yr) to sell cottage food at a farmers market or a temporary event like a festival. The good news: “One license can be used for all temporary events and farmers markets regardless of the location” — one peddler license covers the whole state for the year. (The peddler-license requirement is RIDOH’s program rule for market/event venues; the $100 fee itself is set in statute.)

Farm-home path (farmers only). A qualifying farm sells “at farmers’ markets, farmstands, and other markets and stores operated by farmers for the purpose of the retail sale of the products of Rhode Island farms.”

Sources: R.I. Gen. Laws § 21-27-6.2 · R.I. Gen. Laws § 21-27-6.1 · R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-1-54 (fee schedule) · RIDOH — Cottage Foods

What you can sell

In shortCottage path (everyone): baked goods only — and that’s narrower than almost every other state. No jams, candy, granola, or vinegars for a home baker. The wider list lives on the farmers-only farm-home path. Anything needing refrigeration is out of both.

Cottage path (everyone) — baked goods only

The statute limits cottage food “to the production of baked goods that do not require refrigeration or time/temperature control for safety, including but not limited to”:

  • Double-crust pies
  • Yeast breads
  • Biscuits
  • Brownies
  • Cookies
  • Muffins
  • Cakes (that don’t need refrigeration)

That’s the whole list. No jams, jellies, candies, granola, dried mixes, or flavored vinegars for a home baker — Rhode Island’s cottage law is narrower than almost every other state’s. Two RIDOH FAQ glosses help at the margins: buttercream and frosting are fine (items refrigerated for quality, not safety, are allowed, so a frosted cake counts), and RIDOH allows single-crust fruit pies even though the statute names only double-crust ones — both ride on the agency’s “other goods as defined by the department” authority, so they’re agency guidance, not statute text.

Farm-home path (farmers only) — the wider list

  • Jams, jellies & preserves
  • Vinegars & acid foods
  • Double-crust pies (farm fruit)
  • Yeast breads
  • Maple syrup
  • Candies & fudges
  • Dried herbs & spices

A qualifying farm can make “nonpotentially hazardous food and foods that do not require refrigeration,” including jams, jellies, preserves and acid foods such as vinegars (from locally grown produce); double-crust pies made with locally grown fruit; yeast breads; maple syrup from trees on the farm or within a 20-mile radius; candies and fudges; and dried herbs and spices. This list is only open if you’re a qualifying farm — a non-farmer is held to baked goods only.

Out of both home paths

  • Cheesecake
  • Cream pies
  • Custard pies
  • Anything needing refrigeration for safety

Anything that needs refrigeration for safety is outside both the cottage and the farm-home path — cheesecake, cream pies, custard pies. That’s licensed-facility territory, not a home kitchen. (Refrigeration for quality, like a frosted cake, is fine — see the cottage note above.)

Sources: R.I. Gen. Laws § 21-27-6.2 · R.I. Gen. Laws § 21-27-6.1 · RIDOH — Cottage Food FAQ

The rules that actually matter

In shortThe cottage path caps at $50,000/yr, is baked goods only, and is in-person-delivery-only within the state — no wholesale, no consignment, no named venues. Your home kitchen has real standards to meet, and while there’s no routine inspection, RIDOH can inspect at any time.

  • $50,000 a year in gross sales (cottage path)The statute is exact: total annual gross sales “shall not exceed fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) per calendar year.” Past it, you “shall either obtain a food processor license or cease operations,” and the director of health can “request documentation to verify the annual gross sales figure” — so keep records. The farmers-only farm-home path has no stated cap in its statute.
  • Baked goods only — for a home baker (non-farmer)The single biggest limit. A non-farmer can sell baked goods and nothing else; the wider list of jams, candy, and syrup is gated behind being a qualifying farm. This is the line that makes Rhode Island the strictest home state in the country.
  • You deliver in person, in-state — and no wholesaleNo shipping, no out-of-state sales, no consignment or wholesale, and none of the named venues (grocery, restaurants, long-term-care facilities, group homes, daycares, schools). Every sale is hand-delivered to a neighbor inside Rhode Island.
  • Your kitchen has standards — and RIDOH can knockThe statute requires a two-compartment sink (or a 150°F-rinse dishwasher plus a one-compartment sink); nonabsorbent, corrosion-resistant prep surfaces; self-closing bathroom doors where a bathroom opens into the kitchen; pets kept out of prep and storage; and — on a private well — an annual water test. Registration is affidavit-based with no pre-approval inspection, but “the director of health or designee may inspect a cottage food operation at any time,” and may investigate after a complaint or outbreak.
  • Sales tax — sort it out before you openCottage sales are “subject to applicable sales tax” under the statute, but most plain, unprepared baked goods end up exempt as groceries unless sold with utensils. RIDOH points registrants to the Division of Taxation to register and confirm which items count — see the common questions below.

Sources: R.I. Gen. Laws § 21-27-6.2 · R.I. Gen. Laws § 21-27-6.1 · RIDOH — Cottage Food FAQ

Getting set up

In shortThe cottage path is a food-handler course, a kitchen brought to standard, and an affidavit-based application by mail to RIDOH with the $65 fee. No pre-approval inspection. Selling at markets adds a $100/yr peddler license. Farmers use the farm-home application and prove the farm qualifies.

Cottage path (everyone)

  1. Finish a food-handler course firstBefore your first registration you must complete a Food Safety Manager Course, an ANSI-approved food handler course, or another course approved by the department. RIDOH lists accepted programs on its Cottage Foods page.
  2. Get your kitchen to standardThe sink/dishwasher setup, nonabsorbent prep surfaces, a self-closing bathroom door where a bathroom opens into the kitchen, and a well-water test if you’re on a private supply.
  3. Apply to RIDOH’s Center for Food ProtectionMail to Center for Food Protection, 3 Capitol Hill, Room 203, Providence, RI 02908-5097 with the $65 fee (a check or money order payable to “General Treasurer, State of Rhode Island”), proof of completed food-handler training, a notarized affidavit of compliance, a list of food products (with recipes — ingredients, quantities, processing steps) and your labels, and well-water test results if you’re on a private supply.
  4. No pre-approval inspectionRegistration is affidavit-based; RIDOH reserves the right to inspect later.
  5. Keep your certificate (and a copy of the affidavit) in the kitchenRegistration is valid one year — renew annually ($65).
  6. Selling at a market or festival? Add the peddler licenseA $100/yr retail food peddler license — one covers all markets and events statewide. And sort out sales tax with the Division of Taxation if it applies to your lineup.

No pre-approval kitchen inspection, no separate state business license beyond the registration itself. (Local zoning is a separate matter outside the food law.)

Farm-home path (farmers only)

  1. Use the same $65, one-year, affidavit structureRegister with RIDOH the same way — the difference is what you must prove.
  2. Show the farm qualifiesAttach proof that the operator is eligible for the § 44-18-30(32) commercial-farming sales-tax exemption. RIDOH’s Farm Home Food Manufacturer application captures this.
  3. Confirm the food-handler course with RIDOHThe food-handler-course requirement is written into the cottage statute, not the farm-home statute — confirm directly with RIDOH whether it applies to your farm registration.

The wider food list (jams, syrup, candy, dried herbs) is yours once the farm eligibility is established.

Sources: R.I. Gen. Laws § 21-27-6.2 · R.I. Gen. Laws § 21-27-6.1 · RIDOH — Cottage Foods · RIDOH — Farm Home Food Manufacturer application

Labels

In shortThe two paths label differently — don’t mix them up. The cottage label carries a verbatim 10-point government disclaimer string; the farm-home label has NO disclaimer string at all. Cottage keys to the maker or operation; farm-home keys to the farm name.

Cottage food label (§ 21-27-6.2)

  • Name, address, and telephone number. The statute says “Name” — this is the maker or the operation behind the food (either works); pair it with the address and phone.
  • Ingredients, in descending order of predominance by weight or volume
  • Allergen information, as specified by federal and state labeling requirements — such as milk, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans
  • This exact statement, in at least 10-point type, in a clear and conspicuous way that contrasts with the label background: “Made by a Cottage Food Business Registrant that is not Subject to Routine Government Food Safety Inspection”
Honey Wheat Sandwich Bread
Ingredients: flour (wheat), water, honey, butter (milk), yeast, salt.
Contains: wheat, milk.
Maple Lane Bakery · 123 Maple Lane, Providence, RI 02908 · (401) 555-0142
Made by a Cottage Food Business Registrant that is not Subject to Routine Government Food Safety Inspection
Cottage food label — note the verbatim disclaimer at 10-pt, contrasting with the background.

Farm-home food label (§ 21-27-6.1)

  • The farm name, address, and telephone number. This path keys to the farm, not the individual maker.
  • Ingredients listed on the product
  • No required government disclaimer statement. Unlike the cottage path, the farm-home label carries no disclaimer string — don’t add one that isn’t in the statute.
Wild Blackberry Jam
Ingredients: blackberries, sugar, pectin, lemon juice.
Stony Brook Farm · 88 Orchard Road, Tiverton, RI 02878 · (401) 555-0199
Farm-home label — note: the farm name, and NO disclaimer line.

The cottage statute adds one carve-out: the disclaimer isn’t required “unless products have been prepared in a commercial kitchen licensed by the department” — so if you bake in a rented licensed commercial kitchen, you can drop the line. Print the disclaimer in the statute’s casing (note the lowercase “that is not”); RIDOH’s FAQ renders it in title case, but the statute is the binding source.

Sources: R.I. Gen. Laws § 21-27-6.2 · R.I. Gen. Laws § 21-27-6.1

What changed recently

In shortRhode Island was the 50th and last state to let non-farmers sell homemade food — the cottage law took effect in 2022. A 2024 reenactment changed nothing seller-facing, and no 2025 or 2026 amendment passed. Stale aggregators saying “2020” or “fee varies” are wrong; the statute controls.

  • The law was born — June 27, 2022Rhode Island enacted its cottage food law as part of the FY2023 budget (P.L. 2022, ch. 231; effective June 27, 2022), becoming the 50th and last state in the nation to let non-farmers sell homemade food. First registrations opened November 1, 2022.
  • A technical reenactment, nothing seller-facing — 2024The statute’s History of Section line shows a 2024 amendment (P.L. 2024, ch. 403), but that’s the General Assembly’s annual technical reenactment vehicle. The $50,000 cap, the $65 fee, the baked-goods-only food list, the in-person-delivery rule, and the verbatim label string are all unchanged from 2022.
  • No change — 2025–2026No enacted bill amended either home-food statute in the 2025 or 2026 sessions. Expansion proposals have been floated (raising the cap, broadening the food list beyond baked goods), but none has become law — the regime is still baked-goods-only at $50,000. (Watch out for stale aggregator pages that say the law was “enacted 2020” or that the fee and cap “vary,” or that you can “ship within the state” — all three are wrong. The statute controls: 2022, $65/$50,000, in-person delivery only.)

Sources: R.I. Gen. Laws § 21-27-6.2 · H 7123 Sub A (2022 enactment)

Common questions

Can I sell jam, fudge, or granola from home in Rhode Island?
Not on the cottage path — it’s baked goods only for a home baker (non-farmer). The wider list (jams, candies, syrup, dried herbs) is open only on the farmers-only farm-home path, where the kitchen has to be on a qualifying working farm. If you’re not a farm, there’s no home path that lets you sell jam in Rhode Island.
What decides which path I can use in Rhode Island?
Who you are, not what you want to sell. A working farm (one whose operator qualifies for the commercial-farming sales-tax exemption) can use the farm-home path and its wider food list. Everyone else uses the cottage path — open to all, but baked goods only.
Can I sell cheesecake from home in Rhode Island?
No — cheesecake needs refrigeration for safety, which puts it outside both home paths. That’s licensed-facility territory, not a home kitchen.
Can I take orders on my website in Rhode Island?
Yes — advertising and sales by internet, mail, and phone are permissible. But you (or your designee) must deliver in person to the customer within the state, so online orders yes, shipping no.
Can I ship my cookies to another state from Rhode Island?
No. The cottage law is in-person-delivery-only and within the state — no mail or courier shipping, no out-of-state sales. (A search snippet that says you can “ship within the state” is wrong; the statute requires in-person delivery.)
Do I need a license or registration in Rhode Island?
Yes — unlike some states, Rhode Island requires you to register with RIDOH and pay $65 a year, plus finish a food-handler course before your first registration. There’s no pre-approval kitchen inspection, but RIDOH can inspect later.
What about farmers markets and festivals?
You can sell there, but you need an added $100/yr retail food peddler license — one license covers all markets and events statewide for the year.
Do I charge sales tax in Rhode Island?
Cottage sales are “subject to applicable sales tax,” but most plain, unprepared baked goods end up exempt as groceries unless sold with utensils. RIDOH points registrants to the Division of Taxation to register and confirm which items count — sort it out before you open.
Can a grocery store or restaurant carry my cookies in Rhode Island?
No — that’s wholesale, and the cottage law bars consignment and wholesale outright, and names grocery stores and restaurants specifically among the venues you can’t sell into.
Is there a limit on how much I can earn in Rhode Island?
Yes — $50,000 a year in gross sales on the cottage path. Past it, you need a food processor license (a licensed facility, not a home kitchen). The farmers-only farm-home path has no stated cap.

Sources: R.I. Gen. Laws § 21-27-6.2 (cottage food manufacture) · R.I. Gen. Laws § 21-27-6.1 (farm home food manufacture) · R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-1-54 (fee schedule) · RIDOH — Cottage Foods

You won’t be doing this alone

12 home bakers and porch shops are already selling across Rhode Island under these exact rules. Browse their pages and learn from people two steps ahead of you — what they bake, how they price, how they talk about their bread. Cottage bakers are famously generous with what they’ve learned, and most are a DM away on Instagram.

See all 12 in the directory →List your porch shop — always free to list

This page is educational, not legal advice — we’re not lawyers, just neighbors who read Rhode Island’s official sources and wrote down what they say (every claim above links to its source). Rhode Island is the strictest home state in the country, and its two paths split on WHO YOU ARE: a home baker (non-farmer) gets the cottage path and baked goods only, while the wider food list is a farmers-only path that requires a qualifying working farm. RIDOH runs the registration and can update its program details (forms, accepted courses, the peddler-license rule), and the Division of Taxation handles the sales-tax side — check those before you rely on a detail here. Always double-check the details with your own city and state before you sell. When something here and the law disagree, the law wins; if you spot that happening, tell us and we’ll fix it.