Ramapo College of New Jersey Home Business: Cottage Food Operations Rules (2026)

New Jersey was the last state in the U.S. to legalize cottage food operations, finally enacting the Home Baker License law at N.J.A.C. 8:24-11 effective October 4, 2021, following the Heather Russinko v. Jefferson Township case. The law permits home baking of non-potentially hazardous baked goods with the following requirements: $100 Home Baker License from the NJ Department of Health (renewable annually), limited to $50,000 annual gross sales, only direct-to-consumer sales allowed (farmers markets, home pickup, event sales), no delivery via third-party platforms like Uber Eats or DoorDash, no wholesale or restaurant sales, no online sales with mail shipment. Permitted products include cookies, cakes, brownies, muffins, breads, pastries, and other shelf-stable baked goods. Prohibited: items requiring refrigeration, custards, cream-filled pastries, cheesecakes, meat products, canned goods, fermented foods. Labeling requirements under N.J.A.C. 8:24-11.5 include business name, address, ingredients list with allergen disclosure (FDA 'Big 9': milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy, sesame), net weight, and the disclaimer 'Made in a home kitchen and not inspected by the Department of Health.' No commercial kitchen or health inspection required. Bergen County operators may still need municipal zoning approval as home occupation; most Bergen towns (Hackensack, Paramus, Teaneck, Fort Lee, Ridgewood) permit home bakers as home occupations with registration. Federal Cottage Food tax considerations: income over $400 requires Schedule C on Form 1040.