Free tool · Cottage food label rules

Colorado cottage food label rules

What has to be on the label when you sell homemade baked goods in Colorado, and the limits that matter at a market. Checked September 2026.

Another state The law changed recently. Confirm with the state

Your label must include

Required statement

“This product was produced in a home kitchen that is not subject to state licensure or inspection and that may also process common food allergens such as tree nuts, peanuts, eggs, soy, wheat, milk, fish, and crustacean shellfish. This product is not intended for resale.”

No font size specified. Under HB26-1033 labels will instead need the CDPHE registration number, the county (not street address) where made, and a website for verifying registration/reporting illness — exact new wording not confirmed.

Brown Butter Toffee Cookies

Sunny Crumb Co. · 123 Palm Ave, Your City, CO 00000

(305) 555-0188 · hello@sunnycrumb.co

Baked on 10/03/2026

Ingredients: enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), butter (cream, salt), brown sugar, toffee bits (sugar, butter, almonds, soy lecithin), eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, sea salt.

This product was produced in a home kitchen that is not subject to state licensure or inspection and that may also process common food allergens such as tree nuts, peanuts, eggs, soy, wheat, milk, fish, and crustacean shellfish. This product is not intended for resale.

Sample label for illustration, made from the checklist above. Your own label has to match your recipe and your state’s exact rules.

Key limits in Colorado

Permit: Currently none (no license/registration). Under HB26-1033, annual registration with CDPHE becomes mandatory (fee not confirmed).
Training: Required: food safety course with basic food handling comparable to CSU Extension or a public health agency course.
Sales cap: $10,000 net revenue per eligible food product per year (current); rises to $150,000 net (inflation-adjusted) under HB26-1033
Where you can sell: Direct from producer to informed end consumer only, in Colorado (home, farmers markets, roadside stands, events); no retail, wholesale, restaurants or resale.
Online & shipping: Online/phone orders within Colorado allowed (since 2016); product must be delivered directly from producer to consumer; no interstate sales.
Law: Colorado Cottage Foods Act, C.R.S. § 25-4-1614 (SB 12-048; amended 2013, 2015, SB 16-058). HB26-1033 (‘Tamale Act’, L. 2026 ch. 375, signed June 4, 2026) rewrites it — major provisions reported to apply from Jan 1, 2027

What we could not confirm (4)

Which HB26-1033 provisions are already in force vs. start Jan 1, 2027 (conflict between leg.colorado.gov and secondary sources)
New label statement wording under HB26-1033
Registration fee
Whether mail shipping within CO is allowed (statute says delivered directly from producer to consumer)

Check with: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and local public health agencies

Last change to the law: HB26-1033 signed June 4, 2026 (official page lists effective June 4, 2026; secondary sources say main provisions start Jan 1, 2027)

Sources

Made by BakersKeep

Set up this label once. Print it for every cookie.

BakersKeep builds your Colorado label from each recipe: ingredients in order, allergens and the required statement. Change a recipe and every label updates. It also prices your cookies, takes pre-orders and writes the week’s posts.

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This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules change and counties can add their own. Confirm with Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and local public health agencies before you print. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

Colorado cottage food label rules

Your label must include

Required statement

Set up this label once. Print it for every cookie.

Other states