Sammamish, WA Home Business: Cottage Food Operations (2026)

Sammamish does not write its own cottage food rules; the City's Home Business Guide directs residents to the Washington State Department of Agriculture. To sell food from your home in Washington you must obtain a WSDA Cottage Food Operation Permit, authorized under the 2011 Cottage Food Law (RCW 69.22.030) and Chapter 16-149 WAC. The permit allows a home-based operator to sell up to $35,000 in approved cottage food products per year, directly to the end consumer only (farmers markets, farm stands, events, the operator's own CSA, and online with in-person pickup or delivery within Washington — no shipping, no wholesale, no out-of-state sales). Allowed products are non-potentially hazardous, shelf-stable items: baked goods, candies, chocolates, jams/jellies/preserves/fruit butters made to standardized recipes, dried mixes, vinegars, nuts and snacks. Refrigerated items (cream/custard pies, dairy, fermented foods, canned/pickled goods, meat or fish) are prohibited. The current permit fee is $355 and the permit must be renewed every two years; WSDA inspects the home kitchen, and applicants need a Food Worker Card and a Washington business license. Per the Home Business Guide and WSDA, food that must be made in a commercial kitchen cannot be produced in a domestic kitchen — a separate commercial kitchen requires a City of Sammamish building permit and King County Health Department inspection and approval before operating.