In Louisiana, you can sell homemade foods with no state permit and a $30,000 sales cap — but if you sell breads, cakes, cookies, or pies, there's no cap at all. Louisiana even allows cream and custard pastries that most states ban (with pasteurized milk). This guide covers exactly what you can sell, how to label it, where you can sell it, and how to start.
The short version: Louisiana requires no state cottage food permit — just sales-tax certificates. The general cap is $30,000/year, but baked goods (breads, cakes, cookies, pies) have no revenue limit. The allowed list is broad and includes cream/custard-filled pastries (if you use pasteurized milk), candies, jams, honey, pickles, sauces, and spices. Label every product with your name, address, ingredients, quantity, and a statement that it wasn't made in a licensed or regulated facility.
The general cap is $30,000 in gross annual sales — but breads, cakes, cookies, and pies are exempt from the cap (no limit).
| Louisiana rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Sales cap | $30,000 — but no cap for breads/cakes/cookies/pies |
| State permit | None (sales-tax certificates required) |
| Allowed foods | Broad — incl. cream/custard pastries (pasteurized milk) |
| Where you can sell | Direct to consumers |
| Label | Name, address, ingredients, quantity, "not produced in a licensed or regulated facility" |
No state cottage food permit is required. However, you must obtain sales-tax certificates — a general sales-tax certificate from the Louisiana Department of Revenue and a local sales-tax certificate from each jurisdiction where you sell — and collect tax on your sales. Beyond that, there's no permit or inspection to start.
Louisiana's allowed list is broad. Commonly sold items include:
Foods requiring refrigeration, meat products, and dairy-based foods are generally prohibited (with the cream/custard pasteurized-milk exception above). Confirm specifics with the Louisiana Department of Health.
Louisiana labels must include:
A simple compliant label might read: *"Bayou King Cake — [Your Name], [Address]. Ingredients: flour, butter, sugar, pasteurized milk, eggs (contains wheat, milk, egg). Net wt. 16 oz (454 g). Not produced in a licensed or regulated facility."* See our cottage food labeling guide for templates.
Louisiana cottage foods are sold directly to consumers. Allowed channels include:
Be sure your sales-tax certificates cover each jurisdiction where you sell.
Because Louisiana allows direct and online in-state sales (with no cap on baked goods), a real storefront helps you take orders and manage pickup without living in your DMs. Homegrown gives Louisiana sellers an online storefront with built-in payments and pickup scheduling for $10/month at 0% commission — you keep every dollar except standard card processing. Start a free trial and have a Louisiana-ready storefront live in about 15 minutes.
Louisiana's structure rewards bakers: breads, cakes, cookies, and pies are uncapped, so a baking-focused business has no legal ceiling, while other foods count toward $30,000. A few ways to get the most out of it:
Louisiana's uncapped baked-goods rule means a bakery-focused business can grow without a legal ceiling, so it pays to make breads, cakes, cookies, and pies the core of your lineup and treat capped foods as add-ons.
Louisiana specifically requires sales-tax certificates, and a few other steps are worth handling before you grow:
Handling these early keeps your business clean as it scales.
Always confirm current rules and the allowed-foods list with the Louisiana Department of Health.
The general cap is $30,000 per year, but breads, cakes, cookies, and pies are exempt — those have no revenue cap.
No state cottage food permit is required, but you must obtain general and local sales-tax certificates and collect sales tax.
Yes — Louisiana is one of the few states that allows cream and custard-filled bakery products, but only if pasteurized milk products are used.
Breads, cakes, cookies, pies, cream/custard pastries (pasteurized milk), candies, dried mixes, honey, jams, pickles and acidified foods, sauces, syrups, and spices.
Product name, your name and address, ingredients, allergens, quantity (English and metric), and a statement that the food was not produced in a licensed or regulated facility.
Yes. Breads, cakes, cookies, and pies are exempt from the $30,000 cap, so a baking-focused cottage food business has no legal revenue ceiling.
Yes, directly to consumers within the state for pickup or local delivery — just make sure your sales-tax certificates cover each jurisdiction.
There's no cottage food permit, but you must obtain sales-tax certificates (general and local) and may want a parish/city business license.
With no permit and no cap on baked goods, Louisiana is welcoming to home bakers — just handle your sales-tax certificates and labels. Set up a Homegrown storefront for Louisiana cottage food orders with pickup, then compare the rules in nearby states like Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee, or see the full cottage food laws by state hub.
*This guide is general information, not legal advice. Cottage food rules change — verify current requirements with the Louisiana Department of Health before selling. Last verified: June 2026.*
