To start a cottage food business in Alabama, you complete an ADPH-approved food-safety course, confirm your product is non-perishable, label it correctly, and start selling — there's no state permit, no inspection, and no sales cap (the old $20,000 limit is gone). The food-safety course is the one real requirement. This is the step-by-step playbook; for the full legal detail, see our Alabama cottage food law guide.
The short version: Alabama removed its $20,000 cap, so cottage food income is now unlimited. You don't need a state permit or kitchen inspection — just complete an Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH)-approved food-safety course and keep it current. You can sell non-perishable baked goods, jams, candies, and dried foods directly to consumers in Alabama (acidified foods like pickles and hot sauce aren't allowed). Take the course, label correctly, and you can start this week.
Alabama is inexpensive to start because there's no permit fee:
Most Alabama sellers start for under $200 all-in.
Plan for just a few days — the only gating step is the course:
Alabama allows non-perishable foods: cakes, breads, pastries, pies, jams, jellies, fruit preserves, candy, and dried/dehydrated items (herbs, vegetables, fruits, roasted coffee). Acidified foods like pickles and hot sauce are not allowed. The full allowed/prohibited lists and labeling rules are in our Alabama cottage food law guide and cottage food labeling guide.
Alabama is direct-to-consumer within the state:
Because Alabama allows online ordering with local pickup, a real storefront makes selling far easier than juggling DMs and spreadsheets. Homegrown gives Alabama cottage food sellers an online storefront with built-in payments and pickup for $10/month at 0% commission — you keep every dollar except standard card processing. Start a free trial and have an Alabama-ready storefront live in about 15 minutes.
There's no cap since the $20,000 limit was removed — you can earn as much as demand allows. To get the most out of it:
Starting a cottage food business doesn't require an LLC, but it's worth understanding the basics: see whether you need an LLC to sell food from home and how cottage food taxes work on Schedule C. In Alabama you may also need a sales tax license from the Department of Revenue depending on what you sell.
No state permit or license — your county may ask for notification. The one mandatory step is completing an ADPH-approved food-safety course before you sell.
Often under $200 — a $10–$25 food-safety course plus labels, packaging, and ingredients. There's no permit fee. An online storefront adds $10/month.
There's no sales cap — Alabama removed the old $20,000 limit. You can sell an unlimited amount.
Non-perishable foods: baked goods, jams, candy, and dried items. Acidified foods like pickles and hot sauce are not allowed.
Yes. An ADPH-approved food-safety course is required before you sell, and you must keep the certification current.
Just a few days — the only gating step is completing the food-safety course.
No. Most sellers start as sole proprietors. An LLC is optional and mainly about liability protection if you scale.
Alabama is low-friction once you've taken the course: no permit, no cap, and a straightforward allowed list. Complete the food-safety course, label your products correctly, and set up an easy way for customers to order and pay. Set up a Homegrown storefront to take Alabama cottage food orders online, see the best platform to sell food from home, read the full Alabama cottage food law, and compare other states on our cottage food laws by state hub.
*This guide is general information, not legal advice. Cottage food rules change — verify current requirements with the Alabama Department of Public Health before you start selling. Last verified: June 2026.*
Selling at farmers markets? See our Alabama farmers market vendor permit guide for the permits you need on market day.
