Wisconsin, not Waukesha County, sets cottage-food rules. Non-hazardous home baked goods may be sold direct to consumers without a license. Home-canned high-acid foods (pickles) can be sold up to $5,000 a year under Wis. Stat. 97.29 with required labeling.
Waukesha County does not regulate home food businesses; Wisconsin law does. DATCP allows a home baker to sell baked goods that are not potentially hazardous directly to consumers without a license (wholesaling still requires a license). For home-canned high-acid foods, Wis. Stat. 97.29(2)(b)2 (the "pickle bill") exempts pickles or other processed vegetables/fruits with an equilibrium pH of 4.6 or lower from licensing when sold at a community/social event or farmers' market and the seller receives less than $5,000 per year. A point-of-sale sign and container labels with prescribed wording are mandatory. A home food business may still need to satisfy county home-occupation zoning conditions.
Selling outside these exemptions without a DATCP license, or without the required sign/labels, can bring DATCP enforcement and penalties under ch. 97.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Waukesha County, WI
Animal hoarding is addressed through Wisconsin's animal-cruelty and neglect statutes plus local pet-limit and kennel rules. Wis. Stat. 951.02 bars treating a...
Waukesha County, WI
Waukesha County does not set a general wildlife-feeding ban for residents; rules come from state DNR regulations and local ordinances. Wisconsin restricts fe...
Waukesha County, WI
Backyard composting is legal and encouraged. Household compost piles are exempt from state licensing, and Wisconsin bans yard waste (leaves, grass clippings,...
Waukesha County, WI
Waukesha County has no ordinance banning or specifically regulating artificial turf on ordinary lots. Near lakes and streams, though, artificial turf counts ...
Waukesha County, WI
Native-plant and prairie/no-mow yards are allowed and encouraged, but you must still meet the mandatory noxious-weed duty (Wis. Stat. 66.0407) and any munici...
Waukesha County, WI
Rain barrels and rain gardens are legal and encouraged in Waukesha County; there is no county ban on collecting rainwater. In the shoreland zone, rain garden...
See how Waukesha County's cottage food operations rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.