Wisconsin's 'Pickle Bill' (Wis. Stat. §97.29(2)(b)) and the 2017 Court-ordered expansion allow home baking and canning sales without a license up to $5,000/year (baked goods) with no cap on pickled items. Madison, Fitchburg, and Dane County farmers markets all host cottage food vendors.
Wisconsin's cottage food framework has two tracks. The 'Pickle Bill' Wis. Stat. §97.29(2)(b) permits sales of home-canned high-acid foods (pickles, salsa, jams, jellies) up to $5,000 per year without a DATCP food-processing license, provided processing follows approved recipes and a UW Extension training. Dane County Circuit Court (Lamers v. DATCP, 2017) struck down the state's prior ban on home-baked goods sales, and DATCP now allows home-baked non-potentially-hazardous goods sold directly to consumers at farmers markets, community events, or home pickup. Labels must include: producer name and address, product name, full ingredient list in descending weight order, allergen declarations (FALCPA), and the statement 'This product was made in a private home not subject to state licensing or inspection.' Potentially hazardous foods (meat, dairy, baked goods requiring refrigeration) still require a DATCP-licensed commercial or shared kitchen. Dane County and Madison impose no additional cottage-food licensing but farmers market rules apply. Home zoning must still allow a home occupation under Madison MGO §28.151.
Selling non-approved items or exceeding the $5,000 Pickle Bill cap: DATCP cease-and-desist and forfeitures under Wis. Stat. §97.72 $100 to $1,000. Labeling omissions: DATCP warnings then fines. Zoning violations under Madison MGO §28.151: citation $100 to $500.
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