New Jersey lets home cooks sell approved shelf-stable foods with a Cottage Food Operator Permit from the New Jersey Department of Health, or NJDOH, under N.J.A.C. 8:24-11. Food must be made in the private kitchen of the operator's residence.

Sources: N.J.A.C. 8:24-11 (NJDOH Cottage Food rules page); NJDOH Cottage Food Project

License or permit

A Cottage Food Operator Permit from NJDOH is required before you sell. The permit costs $100, lasts two years from issuance and costs $100 to renew. Applicants need a food protection manager certificate from an accredited program. For private wells, a total coliform analysis is required. Contact your local zoning board first; if zoning does not allow cottage food, you are not eligible.

Sources: N.J.A.C. 8:24-11.1 and 8:24-11.6 (NJDOH rules page); NJDOH Apply/Renew page

Sales cap

Gross annual sales, before taxes and expenses, may not exceed $50,000.

Sources: N.J.A.C. 8:24-11.3(b) (NJDOH rules page)

What you can sell

Only products on NJDOH's approved list are allowed, including baked goods, candy, chocolate-covered nuts and dried fruit, dried fruit, dried herbs and seasonings, dried pasta without egg, dry baking mixes, fruit jams, jellies and preserves, fruit pies, fruit empanadas and fruit tamales (not pumpkin), fudge, granola, cereal and trail mix, processed honey and sweet sorghum syrup, nuts and nut butters, popcorn and caramel corn, roasted coffee and dried tea, vinegar and mustard and waffle cones and pizzelles.

Sources: NJDOH approved food list

What you cannot sell

Foods that need time or temperature control for safety, which NJDOH calls TCS foods, and products with prohibited ingredients such as cream, cheese, cream cheese, custard, meat, fish, vegetables, fresh fruit, pumpkin, sweet potato, mushrooms, tofu, alcohol, CBD and THC are not allowed. Cheesecake, cheese or cream-filled pastries and frostings such as cream cheese, meringue, Swiss meringue, buttercream, French buttercream, German buttercream, whipped cream and ganache are not allowed.

Sources: NJDOH prohibited foods page; NJDOH approved food list

How you can sell

Products must be handed over in New Jersey at the operator's home (not for on-site eating), at the consumer's New Jersey home, at a New Jersey farmers market or farm stand, to consumers at a New Jersey temporary retail food establishment or elsewhere in New Jersey to the consumer. Orders, payments and marketing may happen online, by phone or by mail, but mail, common carrier and interstate delivery are banned. Wholesale and retail food establishment sales are banned.

Sources: N.J.A.C. 8:24-11.2(b) and 8:24-11.3(a) (NJDOH rules page)

Labels

Labels must show the common name, ingredients by weight, a "Contains" allergen statement, the operator's name, business name and permit number, the municipality followed by "New Jersey" or "NJ," and the statement "This food is prepared pursuant to N.J.A.C. 8:24-11 in a home kitchen that has not been inspected by the Department of Health." At points of sale other than the operator's or consumer's home, the permit and a placard with that statement must be displayed.

Sources: N.J.A.C. 8:24-11.4 (NJDOH rules page)

Read the full New Jersey cottage food law guide and FAQs

New Jersey cottage food makers

Counties with listings

North Jersey (101 listings)

Bergen County

Essex County

Hudson County

Morris County

Passaic County

Sussex County

Union County

Warren County

Central Jersey (56 listings)

Hunterdon County

Mercer County

Middlesex County

Monmouth County

Somerset County

South Jersey and the Shore (103 listings)

Atlantic County

Burlington County

Camden County

Cape May County

Cumberland County

Gloucester County

Ocean County

Salem County

New Jersey cottage food rules in plain English

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