Guide
Cottage food in Mississippi: the checklist
What cottage food covers in Mississippi, whether sales are capped, and why a ticketed micro hospitality dinner needs a different route. Checked Sep 2026.
Tenseats · Updated September 25, 2026
Not legal advice. This is a starting checklist, checked 2026-09-25. Rules change and differ by county and city. Talk to a lawyer and confirm with MSDH before you sell a ticket or open your space.
At a glance
- Covers: room-temperature-safe foods like baked goods without cream, custard or meat, candy, jams, acidified pickles and dry mixes. MSDH FAQ
- Sales cap: $35,000 a year gross, across all locations and people. Sales are in person, in Mississippi only. §75-29-951 MSDH FAQ
- Registration and fee: none. No MSDH permit, $0, and MSDH inspects only after a complaint. §75-29-951 MSDH FAQ
- Doesn't cover: ticketed or plated dinners. Your pralines qualify; your supper doesn't. Plated meals, drinks and catering are all excluded. §75-29-951 MSDH FAQ
- Home-kitchen meal law: none. The 2026 Food Freedom Act (HB 785) died in committee. 2026 bill list
Quick answers
What does cottage food cover in Mississippi? Room-temperature-safe foods like baked goods without cream, custard or meat, candy, jams, acidified pickles and dry mixes. There's no MSDH permit and no fee. MSDH FAQ
What is the cottage food sales cap in Mississippi? $35,000 a year gross, across all locations and people. Sales are in person, in Mississippi only. §75-29-951 MSDH FAQ
Does Mississippi cottage food cover a ticketed dinner? No. Plated meals, drinks and catering are all excluded. §75-29-951 MSDH FAQ A ticketed dinner needs an MSDH food permit: $224.25 plan review, then $40 to $264.50 a year by risk level. MSDH fees
What this means for a dinner
- Start with a free dinner for friends at home. The licence question starts when money changes hands. MSDH Q&A
- A ticketed micro hospitality night needs an MSDH food permit instead: $224.25 plan review, then $40 to $264.50 a year by risk level. MSDH fees
- Caterers can't work from a home kitchen, so you'll cook in a permitted kitchen or venue. MSDH regulations
- Cottage goods can't be served at a pop-up in a restaurant, so your home-baked desserts stay off that menu. MSDH FAQ
Your city
- Meridian: organizer checklist · venue host checklist
Learn more
Not legal advice. Confirm with a lawyer and MSDH before you act.
Guides by city in Mississippi
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