Home cooking, baking, and preserving are expressly allowed as a home occupation under the Forsyth County UDO. To sell packaged foods you also need North Carolina Department of Agriculture home-processing/cottage-food approval; the county does not license kitchens.
UDO Section B.2-6.4(D)(2)(a)(ii) lists 'home cooking, baking or preserving' among the service occupations eligible for a home-occupation zoning permit, subject to all the standard conditions (25 percent floor area, family plus one employee, no exterior evidence). Food safety and labeling are handled at the state level: the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) Food and Drug Protection Division inspects home kitchens and issues cottage-food/home-processing approval for non-potentially-hazardous foods like baked goods, jams, and candies. Approved cottage foods must be properly labeled. Potentially hazardous foods generally cannot be produced in a home kitchen. Confirm your product category with NCDA&CS before selling.
Selling home-produced food without required NCDA&CS approval violates state food law; operating outside the UDO home-occupation conditions can cause the county to revoke the zoning permit.
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See how Forsyth County's cottage food operations rules stack up against other locations.
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