Home baker and cook guide
How to sell homemade food in Colorado
Colorado's Cottage Foods Act allows trained producers to sell qualifying non-potentially-hazardous foods directly to informed consumers without a retail food license or routine inspection. Start with the official program below, then confirm the rules for your product, preparation setting, and local jurisdiction.
Official resources last reviewed 2026-07-21. Rules can change.
Official Colorado resources
Open the official pages below for registration, labeling, allowed foods, and temperature rules. This app collects your application only. After approval, classify every meal when you publish.
What the official pathway currently emphasizes
- Complete one of the accepted food-safety training options before starting and keep the certificate current.
- Eligible foods must not require refrigeration for safety; CDPHE publishes detailed eligible and ineligible examples.
- Products must be packaged and labeled with the required identification, ingredient, allergen, and home-kitchen disclaimer information.
- Sales must be direct to the informed end consumer rather than wholesale resale.
A practical preparation sequence
- Check each finished product against CDPHE's current eligibility list.
- Complete an accepted food-safety course.
- Prepare compliant packaging and labels.
- Confirm direct-sale and local business requirements before launch.
Questions to answer before listing
- Which foods may be produced in your proposed kitchen?
- Does the product require refrigeration or temperature control?
- Are registration, training, inspection, testing, or permits required?
- What must appear on the product label and customer disclosure?
- Where may you advertise, sell, deliver, ship, or arrange pickup?
- Do county, city, zoning, tax, or tribal rules add requirements?
Prepare your local kitchen page
Once you understand the applicable pathway, create a kitchen profile, describe your general pickup area, upload real food photos, and post specific preorder windows. Kitchen Counter-Measures does not approve a product on behalf of a regulator.