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Can I sell food from home in Illinois?
Illinois cottage food law at a glance
| Home food sales allowed | yes Cottage Food Operation (Home-to-Market Act) |
|---|---|
| Law | 410 ILCS 625/4 (Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act), as amended by P.A. 102-0633 (SB 2007, eff. Jan 1, 2022); IDPH rules |
| Sales cap | No cap (per secondary sources; removed in 2018) |
| Permit or registration | registration. Register with the local health department where you live, renewed annually. The fee is set locally; secondary sources report up to $50. A food protection manager certificate is reportedly required (secondary). Health departments may require well water tests and lab tests (pH or water activity) and approve recipes for canned or acidified foods. |
| Sell in person | yes |
| Take online orders | yes |
| Ship within the state | yes |
| Ship to other states | no |
| Sell to shops and cafes | no |
| Where you can sell, details | IDPH: sales go direct to consumers by the owner, a family member, or an employee, never for resale. Per secondary sources, shipping is limited to non-perishable items within Illinois in tamper-evident packaging. Extension guidance allows pop-up sales inside licensed facilities if the operator is present and products are clearly separated. |
yes = allowed; limited = allowed with conditions; no = not allowed; unverified = we could not confirm it from an official source.
What foods can you sell from home in Illinois?
Allowed: Any food not on the prohibited list, e.g. baked goods (non-PHF), candy, frostings without raw eggs, jams, sourdough and starters, dried or freeze-dried foods, and pre-bottled drinks. Canned tomatoes and acidified or fermented foods are allowed with approved recipes or testing and a food safety plan.
Not allowed: Meat, poultry, fish, shellfish; dairy (except in non-PHF baked goods, candy, or frosting); most egg uses; pumpkin, sweet potato, custard, and cream pies, cheesecake; garlic-in-oil unless acidified; low-acid canned foods; sprouts; most cut leafy greens; cut or pureed tomato or melon; wild mushrooms; alcohol; kombucha.
Label requirements in Illinois
Required statement: This product was produced in a home kitchen not inspected by a health department that may also process common allergens. If you have safety concerns, contact your local health department. exact wording from an official source
Other label items: Per the IDPH Cottage Food Labeling checklist (file dated 12/26/2025): common or usual name; all ingredients, including any color, artificial flavor and preservative, in descending order by weight; major food allergen labeling (milk, egg, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, sesame); net weight; date the product was processed; the registration number from the local health department; the name of the municipality or county where the registration was filed; and the statement above 'in prominent lettering'. The health department where the product is sold may allow unpackaged sales with other prominent written notice (brochure, placard, menu, table tent, electronic notice). The U of I Extension guide (2026 addendum) lists the same items.
Selling from home in Illinois? The Cottage Kitchen Toolkit prices your recipes for markets, pre-orders and shops. It scales batches and prints ingredient and allergen labels with Illinois's required statement filled in. It also has this guide for all 50 states and DC. One-time price, and it works offline.
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Administered by local health departments, so practice varies by county. Commercial kitchens can't be used for cottage food. The older Home Kitchen Operation tier (bakers only, county opt-in) has largely been superseded. Extension updated its guide in 2026 (addendum dated May 2026). Round 2 (2026-10-24): label statement now taken from the IDPH labeling checklist (official). The Extension guide and the 2011 statute text word it 'common food allergens'; IDPH's checklist says 'common allergens'. The current 410 ILCS 625/4 text on ilga.gov still could not be fetched (certificate error), so the no-cap and shipping facts still rest on secondary sources.
Sources
- Illinois Dept. of Public Health - Cottage Food official
- IDPH - Cottage Food Labeling checklist (PDF, 12/26/2025) official
- University of Illinois Extension - Cottage Food secondary
- U of I Extension - Addendum to the 2024 Cottage Food Guide (2026) secondary
- Forrager - Illinois cottage food law secondary
Last checked: 2026-10-24 · confidence: medium (high = key facts confirmed on an official page; medium = partly confirmed or secondary sources agree; low = a single secondary or outdated source). Summaries are our own wording, not the text of the law.
This page is a research summary, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities and counties can add their own rules. Confirm with your state agency and local health department, using the official sources below, before you sell.