the kansas cottage food law, in plain english

what you can sell from your home kitchen in kansas, who you register with, where you can sell, and what the label has to say. checked against the state’s own pages on october 14, 2026.

by tommy + omarchecked october 14, 2026

kansas: no registration, no sales cap, sell online, ship within the state. tap any state to see its rules.

on this page

1at a glance 2what you can sell 3how to start 4where you can sell 5labels 6what’s changed 7good to know 8questions 9sources

the short answer

yes, you can sell homemade food in kansas without a license, as long as it doesn’t need refrigeration or special processing and you sell it straight to the person who’ll eat it. there’s no registration, training or sales cap. you can sell from home, at farmers markets and craft fairs, and online, including shipping. cream pies, cheesecake, jerky, pickles and canned vegetables need a licensed kitchen.

kansas cottage food rules at a glance

kansas cottage food rules at a glance
the law	kansas direct-to-consumer food license exemption (kansas statutes annotated 65-689(d)(4))
who runs it	kansas department of agriculture, food safety and lodging program
registration	no no state registration
kitchen inspection	no
training	no
yearly sales cap	no sales cap
selling from your home	yes
selling at farmers markets and events	yesfarmers markets, craft fairs, bazaars and fairs
selling online orders	yes
selling delivering it yourself	yeskeep the food in your hands until it reaches the buyer: no consignment or leaving it with someone else
selling shipping within the state	yes
selling shipping to other states	limitedkansas allows it, but the receiving state’s rules apply
selling to stores, cafes and restaurants	noselling to stores or on consignment needs a license (a 2026 law makes an exception for honey)

what can you sell from home in kansas?

you can sell

cookies, breads and cinnamon rolls
cakes without cream fillings
fruit pies
traditional fruit jams and jellies
honey and nuts
spice mixes
roasted coffee beans

you can’t sell

cream or meringue pies, custards and cheesecake
cream-filled cupcakes or donuts
jerky and summer sausage
pickles and canned vegetables
home-canned foods other than traditional jams and jellies
pepper jelly, unless a process authority has evaluated it

these are examples, not the full list. check the kansas department of agriculture, food safety and lodging program before you sell something new.

how do you start a cottage food business in kansas?

no state registration. kansas doesn’t ask cottage food sellers to register with the state. check your city or county for local rules, like zoning or a business license.
label everything the way the law asks (below).
start selling in the ways kansas allows, and keep track of your sales if there’s a cap.

where and how can you sell in kansas?

from your home	yes
at farmers markets and events	yesfarmers markets, craft fairs, bazaars and fairs
online orders	yes
delivering it yourself	yeskeep the food in your hands until it reaches the buyer: no consignment or leaving it with someone else
shipping within the state	yes
shipping to other states	limitedkansas allows it, but the receiving state’s rules apply
to stores, cafes and restaurants	noselling to stores or on consignment needs a license (a 2026 law makes an exception for honey)

on wareby, food is always pickup or delivery by the shop, never a courier and never shipped, which fits the rules in every state. how to sell food online from home.

what goes on a cottage food label in kansas?

the label also needs:

the common name of the food
your name and address

what’s changed in kansas, and what’s coming?

when	what
2026	beekeepers can sell their own unaltered, packaged honey and honeycomb to stores without a food license, up to $35,000 a year, with a label saying it isn’t routinely inspected

what else should you know in kansas?

kansas has no separate cottage food law. the rule comes from an exemption in the state food licensing law, and the kansas department of agriculture decides which foods qualify.
pepper jelly made with pepper pieces or seeds must be evaluated by a process authority, such as the kansas value added foods lab at k-state, before you sell it. a little pepper vinegar or pepper powder is fine.
if you sell eggs, the rules depend on flock size: with 51 to 250 hens, ungraded eggs must be kept at 45 degrees fahrenheit or colder.
you don’t need a license, but the state can still inspect or act if it gets a complaint.

questions people ask

do i need a license to sell baked goods from home in kansas?

no state registration is needed for cottage food in kansas. check your city or county for local rules, like zoning or a business license.

can i sell cottage food online in kansas?

yes. you can take orders and payment online.

can i ship cottage food in kansas?

yes, within kansas. shipping to other states is limited. kansas allows it, but the receiving state’s rules apply.

how much can i sell from home in kansas?

there’s no yearly sales cap.

can i sell to stores or coffee shops in kansas?

no. selling to stores or on consignment needs a license (a 2026 law makes an exception for honey).

what can’t i sell from home in kansas?

the usual no’s: cream or meringue pies, custards and cheesecake, cream-filled cupcakes or donuts, jerky and summer sausage, pickles and canned vegetables, home-canned foods other than traditional jams and jellies. check with the kansas department of agriculture, food safety and lodging program before you sell something new.

sources

this is general information to help you get started, not legal advice. we checked it against kansas’s own pages on october 14, 2026, and laws change, so confirm with the kansas department of agriculture, food safety and lodging program (and your city or county) before you sell. spot something out of date? email hello@shopwareby.com.

written by tommy + omar

we sold cinnamon rolls from home as minnesota cottage food producers before we opened a licensed kitchen and built wareby. our story