Michigan's Cottage Food Law lets you sell certain homemade non-hazardous foods without a license. Annual gross sales are capped at $50,000 ($75,000 for items $250+ per unit) until October 1, 2026. It is a state law, not a Kent County rule.
Michigan's Cottage Food Law (MCL 289.4102) allows home producers to make and sell non-potentially-hazardous foods (baked goods, jams, dry mixes) directly to consumers without a food establishment license, if products are properly labeled. Gross sales must not exceed $50,000 annually, or $75,000 if any product sells for $250 or more per unit, until October 1, 2026, after which the caps may be adjusted for inflation. Kent County does not administer cottage food; it is regulated by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, though local zoning still applies to where you operate.
Exceeding the sales cap or selling prohibited/hazardous foods removes cottage food protection and requires full state food-establishment licensing; violations can bring MDARD enforcement.
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See how Kent County's cottage food operations rules stack up against other locations.
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