York County, SC Home Business: Cottage Food Operations (2026)

Section 44-1-143 defines a "home-based food production operation" as an individual working from their dwelling who prepares, processes, packages, stores and distributes nonpotentially hazardous foods for sale directly to a person, including online and by mail order, or to retail stores including grocery stores; the definition excludes aluminum canned goods and charcuterie boards. Operators must take reasonable steps to protect food from contamination, including direct supervision of anyone besides the operator handling food, keeping pets out of the preparation area, banning domestic activities in the kitchen during production, and barring anyone with a communicable illness from handling product.

The dwelling must have an approved water supply, separate ingredient storage, a properly functioning refrigeration unit, adequate handwashing and utensil-cleaning facilities, a working toilet, no evidence of pests, and approved sewage disposal. Every package must be labeled with the operation's name and address (or a state-issued ID number in place of the address), the product name, ingredients in descending order by weight, and a required warning statement. Operations with net earnings under $1,500 a year are exempt from the section entirely. 672(E) of the Land Development Code lists home-based food production operations defined by § 44-1-143 as an exempt home occupation, meaning a compliant cottage food business needs no county home occupation permit at all.