Cottage food label requirements in Colorado
The short version
A label on food made in a home kitchen in Colorado carries six things wherever you are: what it is, everything in it heaviest first, the major allergens, who made it, how to reach you, and the date. On top of that comes the wording below.
What goes on the label
- The product name, in words a customer would use.
- Every ingredient, heaviest first.
- The major allergens, called out separately from the ingredient list.
- Who made it: your name or your business name.
- How to reach you.
- The date it was made.
What the label has to say
As published for Colorado, read on 5 August 2026:
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.
This is published as fixed text, so reproduce it exactly rather than rewording it.
And one more requirement
- Point-of-sale placard/sign/card (not the label, but required and conspicuously displayed): "This product was produced in a home kitchen that is not subject to state licensure or inspection. This product is not intended for resale."
Who actually enforces this
Colorado sets the rules centrally but they are enforced locally, so the answer that counts is your own office's rather than the state's. Find the office nearest you.
The detail
No license or permit required. Label must also carry: product identification, producer's name, the address where the food was prepared, current phone or email, date produced, and a full ingredient list (C.R.S. 25-4-1614(3)(a)). IMPORTANT PENDING CHANGE: HB26-1033 (the "Tamale Act"), signed 2026-06-04, amends 25-4-1614 effective JANUARY 1, 2027. From that date the label must instead carry the CDPHE-issued registration number, the COUNTY where the food was prepared (replacing the street address), and a CDPHE-provided website address for reporting foodborne illness and verifying registration. Annual registration with CDPHE and a public registry begin then; revenue cap rises to $150,000, inflation-adjusted. HB26-1033 does NOT touch subsection (3)(a)(V), so the disclaimer text above is unchanged. Sales must be direct to the end consumer; no wholesale, no consignment.
Make one
Free, nothing saved, no account. It fills in Colorado's wording for you and prints a sheet.
Where to verify all of this
Rules change, and this page can lag behind them. Before you rely on any of it: