Pennsylvania has no classic cottage food law and Chester County does not license home food producers. Instead you register a Limited Food Establishment with the PA Department of Agriculture, pay a $35 annual fee, and pass a home inspection. Only non-hazardous foods that need no refrigeration are allowed.
Home food businesses in Pennsylvania - anywhere in Chester County - operate under the state's Limited Food Establishment (LFE) program run by the PA Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Food Safety, not a county cottage food law. Registration costs $35 and renews annually at $35, and involves routine inspection of the home food production site. Only foods that are not time/temperature controlled for safety (baked goods, jams, jellies, candy, dry mixes, honey) are permitted; refrigerated/hazardous items require a full food license. Pennsylvania sets no revenue cap. Your municipal home occupation zoning rules still apply.
Selling home-produced food without the required Department of Agriculture registration is a state food-safety violation subject to enforcement, including cease-and-desist orders and fines.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Backyard composting is legal in Chester County and needs no county permit. The county encourages it through its Solid Waste Authority. Nuisance-style limits ...
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See how Chester County's cottage food operations rules stack up against other locations.
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