Home Business in Chester County, PA (2026)
2 rules for unincorporated Chester County, Pennsylvania.
Verified from official government sources
Cottage Food Operations
Pennsylvania has no classic cottage food law and Chester County does not license home food producers. Instead you register a Limited Food Establishment with the PA Department of Agriculture, pay a $35 annual fee, and pass a home inspection. Only non-hazardous foods that need no refrigeration are allowed.
Cottage Food / Limited Food Establishment
Some RestrictionsPA Dept. of Agriculture - Limited Food Establishment
These kitchens can only make non-hazardous foods that do not require refrigeration of the finished product.
Home Daycare
A family child care home caring for four, five, or six unrelated children is licensed by the PA Department of Human Services under 55 Pa. Code Chapter 3290, not by Chester County. It needs a Certificate of Compliance and passes annual unannounced inspections. Municipal zoning may also apply.
Home Daycare Rules (State-Certified)
Some Restrictions55 Pa. Code §3290.4 (Family child care home)
A home other than the child's own home, operated for profit or not-for-profit, in which child care is provided at any one time to four, five or six children unrelated to the operator.
All Chester County ordinances
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