Best Platform to Sell Baked Goods in Washington State

Once WSDA confirms how your customers may pay, you can set up a Homegrown storefront and try it free for 7 days.

Washington lets you sell bread, cookies, cakes and pies from your home kitchen once you hold a Cottage Food Permit from the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA). For a selling platform, the rule that matters is payment. WSDA's FAQ allows orders over the internet, but it adds that the customer pays you and gets the food from you directly, and the statute itself is stricter. That one rule decides which platform fits, so this guide starts there and then compares six real setups with every fee on the table.

If you have not applied for your permit yet, our Washington cottage food law guide covers the permit, the inspection and the label line by line. This page is about the next question: once you are legal, where do you sell?

What Can You Sell Under Washington's Cottage Food Law?

You can sell low-risk foods that stay safe without refrigeration, and only the specific products WSDA approves on your permit, which can list up to 50 master products (a product and its variations count as one). WAC 16-149-120 lists the common allowed products, and WSDA's cottage food page groups the common ones like this:

• Loaf breads, rolls, biscuits, quick breads and muffins
• Cakes, including birthday, anniversary and wedding cakes, with frostings or glazes that are cooked or shelf stable
• Sweet breads with fresh fruit or vegetables baked into the batter, like zucchini bread, with no fresh fruit garnish (WSDA's 2026 brochure lists "any foods containing fresh fruits or vegetables" as not permitted, so name the recipe on your application and confirm with WSDA)
• Pastries, scones, cookies, bars, crackers and donuts
• Pies, except pumpkin pies, custard-style pies, unbaked fresh fruit pies and pies that need refrigeration after baking (pumpkin comes from WSDA's FAQ)
• Candies cooked on a stove or in a microwave with a candy thermometer: fudge, caramels, brittles, taffy and chocolates
• Jams, jellies, preserves and fruit butters made to FDA's full-sugar standards
• Granola, trail mixes, nuts and snack mixes
• Dry herb blends, teas, and bread, soup and dip mixes from approved sources
• Small-batch roasted coffee beans and vanilla extract
• Vinegars from approved sources rebottled with fruit or herbs, which come from WAC 16-149-120 and WSDA's 2026 brochure rather than the page's list

WSDA's prohibited list matters just as much for a baker. Cream, custard and meringue pies, cakes or pastries with cream, cream cheese or fresh fruit fillings or with fresh fruit garnishes, low-sugar frostings, focaccia topped with vegetables or cheese, and anything that needs refrigeration are all out. Dried fresh fruit and vegetables are out too: WSDA's FAQ says freeze-drying fresh produce is not allowed and that low-temperature dehydrators do not give a cook step.

The annual cap is $35,000 in gross sales, counted per home, not per person. The permit costs $355 for two years and comes after a home-kitchen inspection. You also need a Food Worker Card and a Washington business license (WSDA calls it a Master Business License). Every label carries WSDA's home-kitchen statement (the exact wording is in the label section below), along with the product name, your business name and permit number, ingredients, allergens and net weight.

Can You Take Payment Online for Cottage Food in Washington?

Not by WSDA's FAQ wording: it lets you take orders over the internet, but wants the money and the food to change hands face to face. Of the six Washington sources below, three ban internet sales outright (the statute, one FAQ answer and WSDA's April 2026 blog post), two allow online orders that finish in person, and one reads looser still, which is why every platform choice below comes back to this.

Here is what each source says, as loaded on October 8 and 9, 2026:

1. The statute. RCW 69.22.020 says cottage food products "may only be sold directly to the consumer and may not be sold by internet, mail order, or for retail sale outside the state."
2. WSDA's rule. WAC 16-149-040 says an operation "may maintain an internet website displaying available products provided any sales arising from the website are completed as in-person transactions."
3. WSDA's FAQ on the internet. "You can advertise your products on the Internet and take orders over the Internet." Its shipping answer adds that "product delivery and payments must be directly from the producer to the end consumer in a person to person transaction."
4. WSDA's FAQ on who you may sell to. "Internet, mail, consignment, wholesale, & retail sales outside the state are prohibited."
5. WSDA's 2026 brochure. "You can make sales through a personal website or social media sites such as Facebook, X, or Etsy, but you cannot ship your products to customers."
6. WSDA's April 2026 blog post. "Starting a Cottage Food Business in Washington State", dated April 9, 2026 and loaded October 9, 2026, says "Online, wholesale, and out-of-state sales are not allowed under this permit."

That puts Washington bakers in an unusual spot. In many states, the "best platform" question is about fees. Here, the first filter is whether a tool lets the customer pay at pickup, and of the online stores in this guide, Shopify and Hotplate document one.

Why Do Washington Bakers Need a Selling Platform?

A selling platform turns scattered messages into a list of orders you can bake from. Even when payment happens at your door, the order still has to come from somewhere, and a home baker juggling texts, comments and DMs loses track fast.

Common problems Washington bakers face without one:

• Rain does not stop orders. Outdoor farmers markets in a wet winter are hit or miss. An ordering link gives regulars a way to order the weeks the market is slow or closed.
• Several markets, several days. A baker might sell Saturday at one market and Sunday at another. Without one list, pickup times and quantities get mixed up.
• Custom cakes and cookie orders. Celebration cakes need a date, a flavor, a design and a count. Details lost in a text thread mean a remake.
• Holiday and harvest spikes. Pie orders before Thanksgiving and cookie boxes in December can swamp a normal week, and manual tracking breaks first.
• Selling beyond market hours. A market caps your selling to a few hours a week. A link reaches every past customer any day.
• Tracking the $35,000 cap. WSDA can ask in writing for documentation of your gross sales, and an order history is the easiest proof.

What changes in Washington is the payment step. The platform that collects orders may not be the one that collects money, and a setup that keeps those two jobs separate is the one that fits WSDA's FAQ.

Where Can You Sell Home Baked Goods in Washington?

You can sell home baked goods anywhere you hand them to the customer in person inside Washington, and WSDA's sources name these places: your home, your farm stand, farmers markets, holiday bazaars, festivals, craft fairs, charitable organization functions, and a shop you run yourself. WAC 16-149-040 names farmers markets, craft fairs and charitable organization functions; WSDA's 2026 brochure adds your home, your farm stand, holiday bazaars and festivals; and WSDA's FAQ adds "other public venues" and its example of a baker selling from her own antique shop.

Where you cannot sell, from WAC 16-149-040, WSDA's FAQ and WSDA's 2025 overview slides:

• By mail, courier or any shipping service
• Through third-party delivery companies
• On consignment, wholesale, or through a broker or distributor
• To restaurants, coffee shops or grocery stores for resale
• Outside Washington State

Our guide to whether you can ship cottage food explains why Washington is one of the no-shipping states. If markets are your main channel, the Washington farmers market vendor permit guide covers what you need on market day. You must post a copy of your permit at every place you sell.

Best Platforms for Selling Baked Goods in Washington

The six setups below cover the common routes. Each one is judged on the same three things: how the customer pays, what it costs on a $20 order, and how closely it matches WSDA's person-to-person wording.

Facebook and Instagram With Pay at Pickup: The Lowest-Cost Start

Posting your weekly menu on Facebook or Instagram and taking orders by direct message costs nothing to run, and the customer pays you at pickup with cash or a card tap. That matches WSDA's FAQ wording more closely than any online checkout, and WSDA's brochure names Facebook as a place to make sales.

For card taps, Square Free charges no monthly subscription, and Square's fee page lists its in-person rate at 2.6% + 15¢. On a $20 loaf that is $0.67 to the baker. Cash costs nothing.

Pros:

• No platform cost at all
• Payment happens in person, which fits the FAQ
• Your regulars already follow you there

Cons:

• Orders scatter across messages and comments
• No inventory count, so you can oversell a bake
• You track pickup times and who has paid by hand

Best for: Bakers starting out, whose weekly orders still fit in one message thread. Our guide on whether it is legal to sell food on Facebook covers Meta's rules.

Shopify: Full E-commerce Platform With Pay at Pickup ($29 to $39 per Month)

Shopify is the full online store in this list, and one of two tools here (Hotplate is the other), whose help center documents a way to take the order online and the money in person. Its help center page on manual payment methods says you can set up a manual payment method for "paying in person," mark the order paid when you collect, and that "you aren't charged third-party transaction fees for manual payments." Pair that with Shopify's pickup option and switch off online card payment in your payment settings, so the customer orders online, then pays you at the door.

Shopify Basic costs $29 a month billed yearly or $39 billed monthly, after a 3-day trial and $1 a month for the first 3 months. If the customer taps a card at pickup, Shopify's pricing page lists Basic's in-person card rate at 2.6% + 10¢, or $0.62 on a $20 order.

Pros:

• Online ordering with payment collected in person
• Real inventory, product pages and an order list
• Room to grow if you later move to a licensed kitchen

Cons:

• $29 a month minimum on yearly billing, the highest plan cost here
• More setup than a one-link storefront: a theme, pages, pickup and payment settings

Best for: Bakers who want a full storefront and want payment at pickup from day one, and who will sell enough to cover the plan.

Homegrown: For Washington Cottage Food Operators Once WSDA Says Yes ($10 per Month)

At $10 a month billed annually, Homegrown is built for local food vendors who sell through pickup, local delivery and farmers markets, but its checkout takes card payment online, so it does not match WSDA's person-to-person payment wording. Homegrown's own signup page says customers "pay with credit or debit card when they order," and there is no pay-at-pickup option. Ask WSDA before you use it for cottage food.

If WSDA tells you in writing that an online card payment with in-person pickup is fine for your operation, Homegrown puts a Washington baking business on one link. It costs $10 a month billed annually ($12.50 billed monthly) with no percentage fees beyond standard payment processing, and no shopper fee. Compared with the alternatives in this guide, the plan price stays flat as orders grow and only card processing scales: Shopify Basic is $29 a month billed yearly, Etsy takes 6.5% of every sale on top of its processing fee, and Hotplate adds 5% + $0.55 to each order unless you choose to pay it yourself.

What Homegrown does for a Washington baker:

• One link where customers pick from your permitted products, pay, and choose a pickup window you set, or local delivery inside the radius you set
• Multiple pickup spots, like your porch and two market booths, on one storefront
• Real-time inventory counts per product, so you can list exactly the 24 loaves you plan to bake
• Every order and payment in one dashboard, which doubles as your record against the $35,000 cap
• Setup that the signup page says takes most vendors under 15 minutes, with a 7-day trial (no charge until day 8)

What Homegrown does not do:

• No pay-at-pickup option; payment always happens online at checkout
• No shipping, which Washington bans for cottage food anyway
• It does not track your $35,000 cap for you
• Customers create a Homegrown account to place their first order
• No drops (timed product release) feature
• Your storefront is listed on the Homegrown marketplace, but plan on most orders coming from people you send to your own link

Best for: Washington bakers who have WSDA's written OK for online payment, and bakers in other states without Washington's payment wording.

Square Online: Free Option With POS Integration, Paid at Checkout

Square Online comes with every Square plan, including Square Free at $0 a month, and it syncs with the Square reader you may already use at a market booth. The limit for Washington is the checkout. Square's help page on website payments lists cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Afterpay and Cash App Pay at checkout, and no pay-at-pickup option, so the customer pays online. Square Free's online rate is 3.3% + 30¢, or $0.96 on a $20 order.

Pros:

• $0 a month on Square Free
• Same item list as your market reader
• Pickup and local delivery settings built in

Cons:

• Payment is online, so ask WSDA first
• The highest card processing rate in this guide on the free plan

Best for: Bakers who already run Square at the market. Our breakdown of what Square Online's free plan really costs goes deeper.

Hotplate: Pre-Order Drops, Paid by Card or in Cash at Pickup

Hotplate is built for timed pre-order "drops," and its site says "customers order and pay ahead of time during a set window." Its default checkout takes the card payment at that point, which does not match WSDA's person-to-person payment wording. Hotplate has no monthly plan. Its pricing page shows customers a 5% + $0.55 fee at checkout, which is $1.55 on a $20 order, and the baker pays 2.9% + $0.30 processing on the $21.55 the customer's card is charged, or $0.92. Hotplate lets the baker pay the 5% + $0.55 instead, which raises the baker's cost to $2.43 an order.

Hotplate also lists Cash among its checkout options. Its help article "How to accept cash, Venmo, or Zelle" says you switch Cash on under Checkout in Settings, the customer picks it at checkout and sees your payment instructions, and you click Confirm Payment once you have the money. The same article says external payment methods "appear right below Card and Cash App" at checkout, and it documents no way to turn card off, so customers can still prepay online unless you ask them to pick Cash. A 2026 Hotplate changelog post says the portal now shows "the amount you need to collect on pickup." Cash can only be switched on for your whole storefront, not for a single event, and chasing a cash customer who never shows up is on you. A cash order has no card processing fee, but the Hotplate fee still applies: Hotplate's pricing help article says that on a $20 cash order the customer pays you $21.55, and Hotplate deducts the $1.55 from your payout. Cash is the option that matches WSDA's face-to-face wording; Venmo and Zelle, which Hotplate offers the same way, are app transfers, so ask WSDA before you count them as in person.

Pros:

• No monthly plan
• Built for timed pre-order windows that sell out
• A Cash option at checkout, with the amount to collect shown for pickup

Cons:

• The default card checkout is prepaid and stays on next to Cash, so ask WSDA first, or switch on Cash and ask customers to choose it
• Cash orders still carry the 5% + $0.55 fee, deducted from your payout
• Customers see an added fee unless you cover it

Best for: Bakers who sell in timed drops and switch on Cash and ask customers to choose it, or who have WSDA's written OK for card prepay. Our Hotplate alternative comparison has the full fee math.

Etsy: Marketplace With Built-In Traffic That Expects Shipping (6.5% Per Transaction)

Etsy is a national marketplace, which makes it the weakest fit for a Washington cottage food baker even though WSDA's brochure names it. Etsy's payments policy says shops using Etsy Payments "agree to ship sold items once a payment transaction is complete," and its fees policy prohibits moving a sale off Etsy. Shipping is banned for Washington cottage food, and taking the payment off Etsy breaks Etsy's rules, so neither half of an online Etsy sale fits. Etsy's fees policy does allow in-person sales through a Square reader, which skip Etsy's 6.5% transaction fee and pay Square's processing fees plus a $0.20 Etsy fee per sale (a listing renewal or a "Square manual" fee) instead, but an order placed on Etsy.com still runs through Etsy Payments and expects shipping.

Etsy charges $0.20 per listing, a 6.5% transaction fee, and US payment processing of 3% + $0.25 on the order total. On a $20 order that is $1.30 + $0.85 + $0.20 = $2.35, or 11.75% of the sale. A one-time set-up fee may also apply when you open the shop.

Pros:

• Large built-in buyer audience
• Easy shop setup

Cons:

• Built around shipping, which Washington bans for cottage food
• Payment is online, and off-Etsy payment is not allowed
• The highest per-order cost in this guide except Hotplate when the baker covers its fee ($2.43 an order, card processing included)

Best for: Washington bakers with a WSDA Food Processor License and a commercial kitchen, not cottage food.

How Do These Platforms Compare for Washington Bakers?

The cheapest setup that fits WSDA's FAQ costs nothing: a social post with cash at pickup. Among online stores, Shopify and Hotplate are the two here that document a way to pay at pickup: Shopify's manual payment method, and Hotplate's Cash option, where the customer's cash total still includes Hotplate's 5% + $0.55 fee. The online checkouts from Homegrown, Square Online and Hotplate's default all land between $46.25 and $54 a month for the baker at 50 orders, card processing included, and Etsy costs more than twice that.

Scroll sideways to see every column.

We checked every price on October 8, 2026: Homegrown on findhomegrown.com/signup, Square on its fees and online store plans pages, Shopify on its pricing page and its manual payments help page, Hotplate on its pricing page and its help articles on pricing and on accepting cash (and Hotplate's pricing page and cash article again on October 9), and Etsy on its fees and payments policies. Card fees are figured on the $20 price, one item per order, with no tax, tips or delivery fee. Hotplate's default row is the exception: the worked example on Hotplate's pricing page charges processing on more than the subtotal, so we figure that row on the $21.55 the customer's card is charged, which includes Hotplate's fee. The Homegrown month is 50 card fees of $0.88 plus the $10 plan billed annually ($56.50 on monthly billing). The Shopify card month is 50 fees of $0.62 plus the $29 plan billed yearly ($70.00 on monthly billing). Square tap figures assume a Square Free account.

On $1,500 a month in sales, about 75 orders of $20, Etsy's fees come to about $176.25 while Homegrown costs $10 plus $66 in card processing, $76.00 in all: a $100.25 monthly difference. The fee gap is real, but in Washington the payment rule comes first.

How Do You Take Orders Online and Still Get Paid in Person?

You collect the order online and the money at the hand-off, which is the setup closest to WAC 16-149-040 and WSDA's FAQ. Here is how a weekly bake runs that way:

• Post a fixed menu with quantities. List only products named on your permit, with the same names, and say how many of each you will bake.
• Take orders in one place. A Shopify store with pay at pickup, an order form on your own site, or a single pinned post where people comment, rather than five different apps.
• Close orders before you bake. A Wednesday night cutoff for a Saturday pickup gives you an exact count to shop and bake for.
• Set one or two pickup windows. Saturday 10 to noon at your porch, or your market booth during market hours.
• Collect payment at the hand-off. Cash, or a card tap on a reader or phone. Hand over the labeled product in the same moment.
• Log the sale. Write down the date, the product and the amount so your yearly total against the $35,000 cap is always one sum away.

What Does Each Platform Cost a Year at the $35,000 Cap?

At the full $35,000 cap, sold as $20 orders, a Washington baker takes 1,750 orders a year, and the platform costs range from $0 with cash to $4,252.50 on Hotplate when the baker covers its fee, with Etsy close behind at $4,112.50. The chart shows what the baker pays in one year:

Every card setup except Etsy and Hotplate with the fee on the baker lands within $507.50 of the others at the cap, so fees alone should not decide this. And the two cheapest card setups both take payment in person, which is the same direction WSDA's FAQ points.

What Do You Need Before Your First Sale?

You need a WSDA Cottage Food Permit, a Food Worker Card for each person who makes the food, and a Washington business license before you sell a single cookie on any platform. WSDA's cottage food page says the application averages 6 to 8 weeks from a complete application to an issued permit, and a 2026 WSDA blog post says 4 to 6; plan for the longer one. Our step-by-step Washington startup guide walks through the order. The short list:

• Check each product against WSDA's allowed list before you apply
• Get each person named on the application a Food Worker Card
• Get a Washington business license
• Check with your city and county about zoning and local laws for running a business from your home, as WSDA's page tells you to
• Write a label for every product and variation, with "Permit #: ____" as a placeholder
• Apply to WSDA with the $355 fee, labels and a kitchen diagram (WAC 16-149-060 asks for the diagram)
• Pass the home-kitchen inspection; a failed one costs $125 to schedule again

WSDA's page says not to send recipes with the application, because the application is a public record. WAC 16-149-120 still says recipes go in with it, so ask WSDA which instruction to follow if your form asks for them.

What Must Your Labels and Online Listings Say?

Your online listing name must match the product name on your permit, and every package carries the full WSDA label (WSDA can allow a label sheet instead for large cakes and bulk containers, under WAC 16-149-110): 6 required details, plus a nutrition line only when you make a nutrition claim. WSDA's FAQ is strict on names: a product called "Blueberry Cake" on your permit must be labeled and sold as "Blueberry Cake," and cupcakes from a cake recipe need their own label.

Every Washington cottage food label includes:

• Your business name and WSDA permit number
• The product name, matching your permit
• Ingredients in order by weight, with sub-ingredients listed
• Allergens under federal labeling rules
• Net weight or net volume
• Nutrition information only if you make a nutrition claim
• "Made in a home kitchen that has not been subject to standard inspection criteria," in at least 11-point type

WSDA's FAQ says you no longer need your home address on the label. On a platform listing, copy the ingredient and allergen lines from your approved label so the online version and the package agree. Our cottage food labeling guide has templates.

How Does the $35,000 Cap Change Which Platform You Pick?

The cap makes a flat monthly price easier to plan around than a percentage fee, because your sales have a ceiling but percentage fees grow with every order. $35,000 a year is about $673 a week or $2,917 a month.

Three ways the cap shapes the choice:

• Percentage fees bite hardest near the cap. Etsy's stack takes 11.75% of a $20 order, so a baker at the cap pays $4,112.50 a year. A flat plan plus card processing stays near $1,660 on Homegrown or $1,433 on Shopify with card taps.
• You need a sales record. WAC 16-149-040 says WSDA may ask in writing for documentation of your gross sales. A platform's order history, or your own log if you sell by message, is that record.
• Going over has consequences. RCW 69.22.050 says you must get a food processing plant license or stop, with no refund of permit fees. Our guide to hitting your cottage food revenue cap covers the options.

What Mistakes Do Washington Bakers Make With Online Ordering?

The most common mistake is turning on an online checkout because it is the default, without asking WSDA first. The full list:

• Taking card payment online without WSDA's written OK. The FAQ says payment happens person to person.
• Shipping an order. Washington bans mail and courier shipping for cottage food, including to a customer in Washington.
• Using a delivery app. Third-party delivery companies are out; you hand the order over yourself.
• Listing a product that is not on your permit. You can sell only the exact products WSDA approved, under the same names.
• Renaming a product online. "Berry Pie" on your storefront is a different product from "Peach and Blueberry Pie" on your permit.
• Selling to a coffee shop. Wholesale and resale need a WSDA Food Processor License.
• Not tracking sales. Without a running total you cannot see the $35,000 cap coming.
• Skipping the market's own rules. A cottage food permit lets you sell at farmers markets under state law, but a market can still ask for more, like proof of $1 million in liability insurance.
• Promising same-day delivery by app. Customers used to food delivery apps will ask; the answer in Washington is a pickup window or a drop-off you make yourself.

Most of these come back to one habit: before you switch on any new ordering tool, read its checkout and fulfillment settings against WSDA's FAQ, and send WSDA a one-paragraph email describing the setup.

Which Platform Should Washington Bakers Choose?

Pick the setup by how your customers will pay first, then by cost: a social post with cash at pickup costs $0, Shopify with pay at pickup starts at $29 a month, and Homegrown is $10 a month once WSDA approves online payment.

• "I am just starting and sell mostly to friends and market regulars." A Facebook or Instagram post with cash or a Square tap at pickup. $0 a month.
• "I want a real online store and payment in person." Shopify Basic with a pay-at-pickup manual payment method, at $29 a month billed yearly.
• "WSDA told me in writing that online card payment with in-person pickup is fine." Homegrown at $10 a month on annual billing, with pickup windows, local delivery and inventory on one link.
• "I already use Square at my market booth." Square Online, once WSDA approves online payment, or keep Square for in-person taps only.
• "I want a national audience." Etsy only fits with a Food Processor License and a commercial kitchen, because cottage food cannot ship.

Washington's $35,000 cap and two-year permit make it a workable state for a home bakery. The Washington State Legislature's RCW 69.22 is the law, and WSDA's cottage food page answers the permit, label and sales questions. Rules change, so verify your state's current rules with WSDA before you sell.

Once WSDA has confirmed how your customers may pay, try Homegrown for 7 days, no charge until day 8, and give your regulars one link for next week's pickup.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much can I sell under Washington's cottage food law?

The current limit is $35,000 in gross cottage food sales per year, set by RCW 69.22.050, which has WSDA review it every four years and raise it for inflation. The cap counts your gross sales of cottage food products, and it is figured per home, so two bakers in one kitchen share one $35,000 limit. Spread evenly, that is about $2,917 a month.

Do I need a permit to sell baked goods from home in Washington?

Yes. Washington requires a Cottage Food Permit from WSDA before you sell, at $355 for two years, and WSDA inspects your home kitchen before it issues the permit. You also need a Food Worker Card for each person who makes the food and a Washington business license, and WSDA tells you to check your city and county zoning rules for running a business from home.

Can I sell baked goods online in Washington?

You can take orders online under WSDA's FAQ, but the money and the food must change hands in person, and you cannot ship. The statute (RCW 69.22.020) says cottage food "may not be sold by internet," while WSDA's rule allows a website if sales finish in person. Ask WSDA in writing before you take card payments online, on any platform.

What baked goods sell best in Washington?

We do not have Washington-only sales data, so we will not rank products by state. Across Homegrown's whole catalog on October 8, 2026, 51% of listed products were in the Bakery category, at a median listed price of $11.00. In Washington, stick to WSDA's allowed list: breads, cookies, cakes with shelf-stable frosting, fruit pies that are baked, scones and candies all qualify, while pumpkin, custard and cream pies do not.

Do I need insurance to sell baked goods from home in Washington?

Neither RCW 69.22 nor WSDA's cottage food page lists liability insurance as a permit requirement. Markets can require it, though. The 2022 vendor handbook for Seattle's Neighborhood Farmers Markets requires general liability insurance that includes product liability, says the policy should carry at least $1 million in coverage, and requires the markets to be named as an additional insured.

What labeling is required for cottage food in Washington?

Washington requires your business name and WSDA permit number, the product name, ingredients in order by weight with sub-ingredients, allergens, net weight or volume, and the statement "Made in a home kitchen that has not been subject to standard inspection criteria" in at least 11-point type (RCW 69.22.020 and WAC 16-149-110). Nutrition information is needed only if you make a nutrition claim, and WSDA's FAQ says your home address is no longer required.

Can I sell at Seattle-area farmers markets as a cottage food operator?

The state allows it: WAC 16-149-040 permits cottage food sales at farmers markets, and you must display a copy of your permit there. Each market sets its own rules, though. Seattle's Neighborhood Farmers Markets run seven markets, and their 2022 vendor handbook says vendors who sell processed foods, including baked goods, "MUST have a current Food Processor License" from WSDA, so a cottage food permit alone may not be enough there. Ask each market's manager before you apply.

What is the difference between cottage food and a food processing plant in Washington?

A cottage food operation bakes in your home kitchen under a WSDA permit, sells only to the end consumer, and caps sales at $35,000 a year. A food processing plant operates under a WSDA Food Processor License in an inspected facility, can sell wholesale, and has no sales cap. Under RCW 69.07.040, the yearly processor license costs $92 for gross sales up to $50,000 and $147 from $50,001 to $500,000, and WSDA's Food Processors page says every license expires June 30.

How do I get a cottage food permit in Washington?

Apply to WSDA, not your county. You send the application with your labels, a kitchen diagram, signed copies of your Food Worker Cards and a copy of your business license, pay the $355 fee for a two-year permit, and pass a home-kitchen inspection. WSDA's cottage food page says the process averages 6 to 8 weeks (a 2026 WSDA blog post says 4 to 6, so plan for the longer one), and a failed inspection costs $125 to schedule again.

Can I sell cottage food to restaurants or grocery stores in Washington?

No. Washington's cottage food law allows sales only to the end consumer, so restaurants, coffee shops, grocery stores, wholesalers and consignment are all out. To sell to a business for resale, WSDA requires a Food Processor License and a licensed facility.

How do I price baked goods for a cottage food business in Washington?

A common rule of thumb is to start with your ingredient and packaging cost per item and multiply by 3 to 4 for a retail price. A dozen sourdough dinner rolls that cost $4 in ingredients and packaging would retail for $12 to $16 on that rule. Then add the platform: at $2,000 a month in $20 orders, Etsy's fees run about $235 while Homegrown costs $98 with card processing, and cash at pickup costs nothing. Our baked goods pricing guide shows the full math.

Where can I sell cottage food in Washington besides farmers markets?

You can sell from your home, at craft fairs, charitable events and festivals, from a shop you run yourself, and through orders taken online and handed over in person. Every sale goes directly to the end consumer inside Washington, with no shipping and no third-party delivery. A weekly market plus a porch pickup window covers the rainy months.

Related Reading

These answer the questions Washington bakers ask next:

• Washington cottage food law, the permit, fees, label and payment rules in full
• How to start a cottage food business in Washington, the setup steps in order
• Best platform to sell cookies online, the national comparison for cookie vendors
• Can you ship cottage food?, which states allow mail orders and why Washington does not
• Hotplate alternative, what Hotplate's fees cost a baker at real volumes

Your bakery deserves an ordering system that fits the rules you bake under. When WSDA confirms how your customers may pay, Homegrown gives you one link with pickup windows, local delivery and inventory for $10 a month billed annually, with no commission and only standard card processing of 2.9% + $0.30 per order. Start your 7-day trial; you are not charged until day 8.

*This guide is general information, not legal advice. Cottage food rules change, so verify your state's current rules with WSDA before selling. Last verified: October 9, 2026.*