This is not legal advice.
Cottage food laws change frequently and vary by county or local health department. Always confirm current requirements with Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) or a local food safety professional before printing labels or selling product. View the official source. Last verified: 2026-08.
We confirmed the label statement wording directly from the Code of Virginia (§ 3.2-5130), but repeated lookups of the statute rendered the punctuation inconsistently — sometimes with a dash between "NOT FOR RESALE" and "PROCESSED AND PREPARED WITHOUT STATE INSPECTION," sometimes without. The words themselves are consistent across every source; verify the exact punctuation against the current statute text before printing labels. Also note HB 402's online-ordering/shipping expansion only took effect July 1, 2026, so VDACS's own guidance pages may still be catching up to it.
Required Label Statement
Exact wording Virginia requires
“For baked goods, candy, jams/jellies, and pickles/acidified vegetables: "NOT FOR RESALE — PROCESSED AND PREPARED WITHOUT STATE INSPECTION." For honey: "PROCESSED AND PREPARED WITHOUT STATE INSPECTION. WARNING: Do Not Feed Honey to Infants Under One Year Old."”
Code of Virginia § 3.2-5130 does not specify a font size or color-contrast rule for the disclosure (unlike, say, Washington's 11-point requirement). It does require the label to also show the preparer's name, physical address (a PO box is allowed), telephone number, and the date the food was processed, on the principal display panel — plus standard content like product name, net weight, and ingredient list.
Sales Cap & Registration
Annual Sales Cap
Registration & Permitting
Food Safety Course
What You Can (and Can't) Sell
Allowed
Not Allowed
Selling something that needs a full Nutrition Facts panel (like packaged prepared meals) instead of a cottage food disclosure? See our meal prep labeling guide →
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Virginia home-kitchen food label need to say?
For most cottage foods (baked goods, candy, jams, pickles), Virginia requires "NOT FOR RESALE — PROCESSED AND PREPARED WITHOUT STATE INSPECTION" plus your name, address, phone number, and the processing date. Honey needs different wording that includes an infant-safety warning.
Is there a sales cap for Virginia cottage food?
Baked goods, candy, and jams/jellies have no cap at all. Pickles and other acidified vegetables are capped at $9,000 in annual gross sales, and honey is capped at under 250 gallons produced per year rather than a dollar figure.
Do I need a permit to sell home-baked goods in Virginia?
No — Virginia's home kitchen food processing exemption requires no permit, license, fee, or kitchen inspection for the covered food categories. You just need to label correctly and sell only to individuals within Virginia.
Can I ship my homemade food or take online orders in Virginia?
As of HB 402, effective July 1, 2026, yes — you can take online orders and ship or deliver within Virginia. Every sale still has to be to an individual buying for their own use, not to a store for resale, and not across state lines.