Cakes and cupcakes with buttercream or royal icing (no raw eggs — meringue powder is fine)
Fruit pies and shelf-stable baked goods with cheese (target water activity ≤ 0.85)
Par-baked items with no prohibited ingredients
Needs a different path
Cheesecake, custard, cream, pumpkin and sweet-potato pies, and pastries with hazardous fillings → licensed kitchen
Cream-cheese or whipped-cream frostings that aren’t shelf-stable → keep ≤ 41°F, or test water activity
Selling to cafés, stores or restaurants (wholesale) → licensed facility
Shipping or delivering out of state → federal rules apply
2Three steps to compliant sales
A
Get certified
Every person who prepares or packages your food needs an ANSI-accredited Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) certificate — about 8 hours, proctored exam, $100–$300, valid 5 years. A basic food-handler card does not count.
B
Register with your local health department
Register in the county (or Chicago) where you live: annual, capped at $50, no routine kitchen inspection. Submit a label for each product category, your CFPM, and a water test if you’re on a private well. Allow up to six weeks. One registration = one home kitchen.
C
Label, sign, and sell direct
Pre-package with the required label and post the home-kitchen notice at the point of sale (8×10 in. placard in person; on the product page online). Sell direct to consumers anywhere in Illinois — farmers markets, online, delivery, pickup, in-state shipping of non-TCS foods with a tamper-evident seal. No wholesale, no resale, no out-of-state.
3Quick-reference table
Item
Rule
Regulator
Registration
Local health department where you live; annual; ≤ $50; certificate + registration number; valid statewide.
Local health dept
Certification
ANSI-accredited CFPM for everyone who prepares or packages food (not required for sales/admin staff).
Health department may ask for a water-activity test; without one, sell/store/transport ≤ 41°F.
Local health dept
Label must-haves
Operation name + local government unit; registration # + county/municipality; common name; every ingredient (incl. sub-ingredients) by weight; federal allergen labeling (milk, eggs, wheat, peanuts, soy, fish, tree nuts, shellfish, sesame); processing date (month/day/year); net weight; and the home-kitchen statement.
IDPH / local health dept
4Frequently asked
Can I supply a coffee shop or grocery store?
No. Cottage food can’t be sold wholesale or for resale — including as an ingredient in another business’s menu item.
Is sourdough treated as a TCS food?
No. Sourdough bread and starter don’t need refrigeration or a special food-safety plan.
Do bake sales for charity need registration?
A religious, charitable or nonprofit fundraiser selling non-potentially hazardous baked goods is exempt from registering.
Can I sell through Etsy or an online farmers market?
Yes, inside Illinois, with the home-kitchen notice on the shop page at the point of sale and you clearly identified as the seller.
Printable checklist
CFPM certificates for everyone who bakes or packages
Registration submitted with a label for each product category
Recipes checked against the prohibited list (custard, cream, cheesecake, pumpkin…)
Labels: full ingredients, allergens, processing date, net weight, registration #
Home-kitchen statement on every label AND at point of sale
Cold-hold (≤ 41°F) plan for any frosting that isn’t shelf-stable
Register with IDOR; add local grocery tax to checkout
Product-liability insurance quoted
Sales tax: Groceries: Illinois’ 1% state grocery tax ended Jan 1, 2026, but many cities and counties (Chicago included) now levy their own 1% local grocery tax — check the rate for each delivery address. Register with the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) through MyTax Illinois.
Selling on a marketplace: Cottage-food sales must be made by the registered operator (or a listed family member/employee) directly to the consumer, inside Illinois. Online listings work when the operator is clearly the seller and the home-kitchen notice appears at the point of sale. A platform can list and take payment, but should not take title, repack, or distribute the product.