the south carolina cottage food law, in plain english

what you can sell from your home kitchen in south carolina, 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

south carolina: 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 food from your home kitchen in south carolina under the home-based food production law. there’s no permit, registration, inspection or sales cap, as long as you make foods that don’t need refrigeration, like cookies, cakes, breads and candy. you can sell from home, at markets and events, online or by mail order within south carolina, and to retail and grocery stores. every package needs a label with the required all-caps statement.

south carolina cottage food rules at a glance

south carolina cottage food rules at a glance
the law	south carolina home-based food production law (the cottage law) (south carolina code of laws, section 44-1-143)
who runs it	south carolina department of agriculture (scda), retail food safety
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	yesmarkets and events can set their own vendor rules. your food must be packaged and labeled at home, not sliced or served on site.
selling online orders	yesonline and mail orders are allowed for delivery to south carolina addresses.
selling delivering it yourself	yesanywhere in south carolina. the law doesn’t say who has to deliver.
selling shipping within the state	yesmail order is allowed within south carolina.
selling shipping to other states	noscda says the law covers in-state sales only. food that crosses state lines falls under fda rules.
selling to stores, cafes and restaurants	yesto retail and grocery stores in your original packaging, if the store posts the required sign. a restaurant needs an scda variance to serve or cook with your food.

what can you sell from home in south carolina?

you can sell

cakes, cupcakes and cookies that don’t need refrigeration
breads, bagels and tortillas
candy, fudge and chocolates
jams and jellies from high-acid fruit, made with a tested recipe
pies with high-acid fruit fillings
dried herbs, spices and teas
roasted nuts, granola and trail mix
coffee you roast at home

you can’t sell

cheesecake and cream, custard or pumpkin pies
pickles, salsa, hot sauce, bbq sauce and pepper jelly
bottled drinks, kombucha and cold brew
meat, seafood and prepared meals
charcuterie boards
ice cream
cbd or delta 8 edibles

these are examples, not the full list. check the south carolina department of agriculture (scda), retail food safety before you sell something new.

how do you start a cottage food business in south carolina?

no state registration. south carolina 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 south carolina allows, and keep track of your sales if there’s a cap.

where and how can you sell in south carolina?

from your home	yes
at farmers markets and events	yesmarkets and events can set their own vendor rules. your food must be packaged and labeled at home, not sliced or served on site.
online orders	yesonline and mail orders are allowed for delivery to south carolina addresses.
delivering it yourself	yesanywhere in south carolina. the law doesn’t say who has to deliver.
shipping within the state	yesmail order is allowed within south carolina.
shipping to other states	noscda says the law covers in-state sales only. food that crosses state lines falls under fda rules.
to stores, cafes and restaurants	yesto retail and grocery stores in your original packaging, if the store posts the required sign. a restaurant needs an scda variance to serve or cook with your food.

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 south carolina?

“PROCESSED AND PREPARED BY A HOME-BASED FOOD PRODUCTION OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO SOUTH CAROLINA’S FOOD SAFETY REGULATIONS.”
the statement south carolina requires on your label

the label also needs:

your name and address (or your scda id number)
the product’s common name
ingredients, in order by weight
allergens
net weight, in us and metric units
the statement in all capital letters, in a color that contrasts with the background

what’s changed in south carolina, and what’s coming?

when	what
july 1, 2024	oversight of home-based food moved from dhec to the south carolina department of agriculture (scda)
may 23, 2022	s. 506 opened the law to all foods that don’t need refrigeration, allowed online and mail-order sales and sales to stores, added an optional id number for labels, and raised the small-seller exemption from $500 to $1,500

what else should you know in south carolina?

if you don’t want your home address on labels, ask scda for an id number to use instead.
if you net less than $1,500 a year, the law’s label and kitchen rules don’t apply, but scda says you must then sell in person, straight to the customer, and not through stores.
keep pets out of the kitchen while you work, and if you’re on a private well, have it tested for coliform bacteria at least once a year.
cities and counties can pass their own rules, since the state law applies only where no local ordinance says otherwise.
pet treats: pet treats aren’t covered. they fall under south carolina’s commercial feed act, which scda runs.

questions people ask

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

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

can i sell cottage food online in south carolina?

yes. online and mail orders are allowed for delivery to south carolina addresses.

can i ship cottage food in south carolina?

yes, within south carolina: mail order is allowed within south carolina. you can’t ship to other states. scda says the law covers in-state sales only. food that crosses state lines falls under fda rules.

how much can i sell from home in south carolina?

there’s no yearly sales cap.

can i sell to stores or coffee shops in south carolina?

yes. to retail and grocery stores in your original packaging, if the store posts the required sign. a restaurant needs an scda variance to serve or cook with your food.

what can’t i sell from home in south carolina?

the usual no’s: cheesecake and cream, custard or pumpkin pies, pickles, salsa, hot sauce, bbq sauce and pepper jelly, bottled drinks, kombucha and cold brew, meat, seafood and prepared meals, charcuterie boards. check with the south carolina department of agriculture (scda), retail food safety before you sell something new.

sources

this is general information to help you get started, not legal advice. we checked it against south carolina’s own pages on october 14, 2026, and laws change, so confirm with the south carolina department of agriculture (scda), retail food safety (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