Georgia Cottage Food Law 2025

Georgia Cottage Food: The Basics

Georgia is a Tier 1 cottage food state — no license, no registration, no home inspection required before you start selling. You can begin selling homemade food products in Georgia as soon as your labels are correct and you are within the $10,000 annual gross sales limit.

That $10,000 cap is low by national standards — many neighboring states are at $20,000 or $25,000. If you are serious about growing a cottage food business in Georgia, plan from the start for what happens when you approach that ceiling.

What makes Georgia particularly worth understanding is its labeling requirements. Georgia specifies required label content in law, including exact disclaimer language. Getting the label wrong is the most common compliance failure for Georgia cottage food sellers — and the easiest to prevent.

What You Can Sell in Georgia

Georgia allows cottage food sales of non-TCS (non-Temperature Control for Safety) foods — products that are shelf-stable at room temperature without refrigeration. Commonly permitted products:

• Baked goods: cookies, cakes (no custard or cream fillings), breads, muffins, scones, biscuits, brownies
• Jams, jellies, and preserves — high-sugar, high-acid shelf-stable products
• Candy: fudge, pralines, hard candy, brittles, chocolate bark
• Granola, trail mix, roasted nuts
• Dried herbs and spice blends
• Fruit butters (apple butter, peach butter)
• Dried goods: dried pasta (egg-free), dried fruit, tea blends

Not permitted: Any food requiring refrigeration. Custard pies, cream-filled cakes, cheesecakes, meat products, most dairy products, home-canned low-acid vegetables, acidified canned foods (salsa, pickles in most cases).

Georgia Cottage Food Label Requirements — Field by Field

Georgia's cottage food law (O.C.G.A. § 26-2-390 et seq.) specifies exactly what must appear on every label. Here is every required field, explained:

Field 1: Your Name

Your full legal name as the producer. First and last name. Georgia does not require a business name or DBA — your personal name is sufficient. If you are operating under a business name, you can include it, but your personal name must be present.

Example: "Sarah Mitchell" or "Sarah Mitchell / Peach State Sweets"

Field 2: Your Home Address

The physical street address where the food was produced — which must be your personal residence (the home where you live). Include street number, street name, city, state, and zip code. A P.O. Box alone is not sufficient in Georgia; the physical production address must be present.

Example: "142 Magnolia Lane, Athens, GA 30601"

Field 3: Description of the Product

The common name of the food product. This should be clear and specific enough that the buyer knows what they are purchasing. Avoid vague terms.

Example: "Peach Jam" or "Double Chocolate Chip Cookies" — not just "Baked Goods"

Field 4: Ingredients in Descending Order

A complete list of all ingredients in descending order by weight — the ingredient that weighs the most goes first. This is federal food labeling standard practice, and Georgia requires it.

Sub-ingredients must be broken out if the sub-ingredient itself contains something a buyer would care about. For example, if you use chocolate chips as an ingredient, you should either list the chocolate chip sub-ingredients (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, milkfat, soy lecithin, vanilla) or declare the whole compound ingredient with its components in parentheses.

Example: "Ingredients: Sugar, Peaches, Pectin, Lemon Juice"

Field 5: The Required Disclaimer — Exact Language

Georgia law requires this specific statement to appear on every cottage food product label:

This is the exact phrasing specified under Georgia cottage food law. Do not paraphrase it. Do not shorten it. Do not substitute similar-sounding language. The disclaimer must appear legibly on the label.

There is no minimum font size specified, but it should be clearly readable — a minimum of 6pt is broadly recommended for food labels, and larger is better.

Field 6: Allergen Disclosure (Federal Requirement)

While Georgia's cottage food statute does not explicitly enumerate allergen labeling, the FDA's Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) applies to most packaged foods, including cottage food sold in labeled packages. The 9 major allergens that must be declared are: Milk, Eggs, Fish, Shellfish, Tree Nuts (specify the specific nut), Peanuts, Wheat, Soybeans, and Sesame.

You can declare allergens in two ways:

• Within the ingredient list: "Ingredients: Flour (Wheat), Butter (Milk), Eggs, Sugar, Vanilla"
• With a "Contains:" statement: "Contains: Wheat, Milk, Eggs"

For shared kitchen or shared equipment scenarios: if your equipment also processes peanuts and you make a peanut-free product, you should consider a "May Contain" or "Made in a facility that also processes peanuts" advisory — though these cross-contact advisories are voluntary, not required.

Field 7: Net Weight or Net Volume

The net amount of product in the package, by weight (for solid foods) or volume (for liquids). Express in both US customary and metric units per FDA convention.

Example: "Net Wt. 8 oz (227g)" or "Net Contents 8 fl oz (236 mL)"

What Does NOT Need to Be on Your Label

Georgia cottage food labels do not require:

• Nutrition Facts panel (this is required for commercial packaged food but cottage food is generally exempt)
• UPC barcode
• A business license number
• Lot numbers or expiration dates (though best-by dates are a good customer service practice)

Example: A Complete Georgia Cottage Food Label

Where You Can Sell in Georgia

• Farmers markets — Georgia has excellent markets; Atlanta, Decatur, Savannah, Augusta, and most county markets accept cottage food vendors
• Direct from home — permitted; check HOA rules and local zoning for your address
• Community events, craft fairs, festivals
• Not permitted: Online sales, shipping, third-party retail consignment

The $10,000 Cap

Georgia's $10,000 annual gross sales cap is low. It resets each January 1. Gross means total revenue before expenses. A seller doing two farmers markets per weekend during peach season can approach this quickly. If you exceed it, you need a Georgia Department of Agriculture food manufacturer license — which requires producing in an inspected, licensed commercial kitchen.

Shared-use commercial kitchens operate in Atlanta, Savannah, and other Georgia cities. Many food business incubator programs offer hourly kitchen rental. This is the natural next step for a cottage food operation that outgrows the $10,000 cap.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Do I need any license to sell baked goods from home in Georgia?+
  No license or registration is required in Georgia to sell cottage food under $10,000 per year. You simply need compliant labels and must sell direct to consumers.
• Can I sell at Decatur Farmers Market or the Atlanta Farmers Market?+
  Yes — most Georgia farmers markets welcome cottage food vendors. Contact each market's management directly; markets set their own vendor application processes, fees, and space availability.
• Can I write my own wording for the disclaimer?+
  No. Georgia law specifies exact language: "NOT FOR RESALE — PROCESSED AND PREPARED WITHOUT STATE INSPECTION." Do not paraphrase or modify this language. Use it word for word.
• Can I sell homemade peach jam online and ship it?+
  No. Georgia's cottage food law requires direct in-person sales only. You cannot take online orders and ship product — even within Georgia. All sales must be between you and the consumer face to face.
• What happens if I sell over $10,000 in a year?+
  You would need to obtain a Georgia food manufacturer license from the Georgia Department of Agriculture, which requires producing in an inspected commercial kitchen. There are shared-use commercial kitchens in Atlanta and other Georgia cities that cottage food graduates use to transition into licensed operations.

Official Source

Georgia cottage food law: O.C.G.A. § 26-2-390 et seq. Administered by the Georgia Department of Agriculture.

Georgia Dept. of Agriculture →