Guide
Cottage food in Wisconsin: the checklist
What cottage food covers in Wisconsin, 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 DATCP before you sell a ticket or open your space.
At a glance
- Covers: non-hazardous baked goods sold direct to consumers. That's thanks to a 2017 court order, not a statute. DATCP
- Also covers: pickled foods at pH 4.6 or below, at farmers' markets or community events only. s. 97.29
- Sales cap: none for baked goods. Pickled foods stay under $5,000 a year. DATCP s. 97.29
- Registration and fee: none. It's $0 at state level and $0 in Milwaukee. DATCP Milwaukee
- Doesn't cover: ticketed or plated dinners. A "meal" is food served ready to eat, and cottage food stops at the bake sale. ATCP 75.04(21)
- Home-kitchen meal law: none, and none pending (unverified). A shelf-stable home food bill (AB 748, SB 739) failed 3/23/2026. AB 748
Quick answers
What does cottage food cover in Wisconsin? Non-hazardous baked goods sold direct to consumers, under a 2017 court order. Also pickled foods at pH 4.6 or below, at farmers' markets or community events only. DATCP s. 97.29
Is there a cottage food sales cap in Wisconsin? No, not for baked goods. Pickled foods stay under $5,000 a year. DATCP s. 97.29
Does Wisconsin cottage food cover a ticketed dinner? No. A "meal" is food served ready to eat, and cottage food stops at the bake sale. ATCP 75 exempts only "personal guests" in a private home. Ticket buyers aren't personal guests, so you need a licensed venue or a food licence. ATCP 75.04(21) ATCP 75.04(17)
What this means for a dinner
- Start with a free dinner for friends at home. ATCP 75 exempts "personal guests" in a private home; the licence question starts when money changes hands. ATCP 75.04(17)
- Ticket buyers aren't personal guests, so a ticketed micro hospitality night needs a licensed venue or a food licence. ATCP 75.04(17)
- Milwaukee's shared-kitchen food dealer licence costs $990 in year one. Milwaukee
- Selling take-home treats? Baked and non-hazardous only, direct to the buyer, never wholesale. DATCP
Your city
- Milwaukee: organizer checklist · venue host checklist
Learn more
Not legal advice. Confirm with a lawyer and DATCP before you act.
Guides by city in Wisconsin
You might also like