Cottage Food/Home Baker Licensing Application

Auburn University offers a licensing program that allows home bakers in the cottage food industry to use Auburn trademarks and other branding on baked goods. The program is limited to home bakers and is not available to bakeries or other businesses with full-time retail storefronts. Those operations would require a full retail license through CLC. See below for definitions and requirements from the Alabama cottage food production law for participation in Auburn’s Cottage Food licensing program. The law was originally passed in 2014 and revised in May 2021.

Cottage Food

While the list of items considered “Cottage Food” is extensive and can be viewed in the statute linked above, Auburn’s Cottage Food licensing program is limited to the following items:

  • Cakes
  • Cookies

Participants in Auburn’s Cottage Food licensing program may not sell to retailers or other establishments that resale the cakes or cookies.

Cottage Food Production Operation

A person operating out of his or her home who meets all of the following requirements:

  • DISTRIBUTION:
    Sells the foods produced only directly to consumers, whether in-person, by phone, or online in the state of Alabama. Delivers the foods produced directly to consumers in the state, whether in person, through an agent of the producer, or by mail.
  • LABELING REQUIREMENTS:
    A cottage food production operation shall label all cottage foods that the operation sells to consumers as required by the state of Alabama Cottage Food law.  The label shall include in at least size 10-point font the common or usual name of the food, the name, and home or P.O. Box address of the cottage food production operation, and a statement that the food is not inspected by the department or local health department. The label shall also contain a list of the ingredients in the food in descending order of predominance and shall include a disclaimer that the food may contain allergens. A copy of the label must be submitted during the application process.
  • FOOD SAFETY CERTIFICATION:
    The operator of a cottage food production operation, shall maintain certification of having attended and passed a food safety course.  A copy of certificate should be submitted during the application process.

    • A course provided by the Alabama Extension is currently under revision. If you have previously obtained a certificate, you will include it during licensing process. If not, you can complete the ServSafe Food Handler Certification.

Other questions about Alabama’s Cottage Food Law may be directed to the Regional Extension Agent for your county.

Insurance Requirements

Cottage food licensing program participants are required to maintain $5 million in product liability insurance. Specifics will be covered during the licensing process.

Application

Use the link below to submit your application to Auburn’s Cottage Food licensing program through CLC’s Community Connect/Direct Licensing Hub.

  • After clicking the link below, you will click “Create an Application” to start the process.
  • You will notice that “Website” is a required field. You may enter your social media link (not your @handle, but the full link from the browser) if you do not have a formal website.
  • You will receive a verification email from “directlicensinghub.com”. Click the link to verify your email address and complete your application.
  • For questions about the process, email communityconnect@clc.com. For questions about Auburn licensing, email licensing@auburn.edu.
Apply Now