South Carolina lets you sell non-hazardous homemade foods from a Dorchester County kitchen with no SCDHEC permit, no inspection, and no revenue cap. Products carry a required label, and sales go directly to the consumer.
Cottage food in Dorchester County is governed by state law, not the county. Under S.C. Code Section 44-1-143, a home-based food production operation may prepare non-potentially-hazardous, shelf-stable foods, such as baked goods, candies, jams, and dried mixes, in a home kitchen with no SCDHEC permit or inspection, and the 2022 amendments removed the old revenue cap. Every product must be labeled and carry the statutory disclaimer stating it was made in an operation not subject to South Carolina's food safety regulations. Sales are direct to the consumer, including online and by mail order. Refrigerated or otherwise hazardous foods fall outside the exemption and require full SCDHEC permitting. Operators still hold a county business license.
Selling potentially hazardous foods that need refrigeration, or skipping the required label, falls outside the Section 44-1-143 exemption and pulls the operation under full SCDHEC retail food permitting, with stop-sale orders possible.
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See how Dorchester County's cottage food operations rules stack up against other locations.
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