New Regulations Help Home Cooking Cottage Industry

Rockdale County is making it easier for home bakers to make a little dough. The county is following the lead of new state regulations.

Effective September 1, 2012, the state liberalized the guidelines for home cooks who want to sell their wares to the public.

You still have to get a state license, and you need a license from your local jurisdiction as well. Rockdale County is creating a new ordinance so that its home bread makers won’t be lawbreakers.

According to Rockdale Planning Director Marshall Walker, “We’ve had to shut a couple of people down over the past three or four years because they weren’t licensed and they could not get a license. This was not allowed by our code. Once the state came up with this, more or less the standardization of the regulations, staff reviewed the state regs, thought it was not a bad idea, and started to work on an ordinance to present to the board.” 

The regulations require that you sell your wares directly to consumers not to stores or restaurants.  And only certain food products qualify. The state Department of Agriculture will inspect home kitchens to see if they pass muster and will be in charge of enforcement.

TAG: For a complete list of allowed cottage cooking items and information on how to get a license you can visit the state Department of Agriculture’s website at www.agr.georgia.gov.