Draft for attorney review. This page describes the software and points at official pages. It is not legal advice, and it is not a permit.
An ordering website for cottage-food cooks
First month $19.99 on Store or Plus through December 31, 2026, then Store is $50 a month with a 3.5% platform fee on card orders. Plus is $100 a month with a 2% platform fee on card orders. A cook’s own domain is $20 setup plus $25 a year on either plan (.com, .net, .org, or .us). Stripe’s card-processing fee is separate. Pay-at-pickup has no KitchenCheckout fee. Cancel anytime online.
Rules vary by state and city. You are responsible for permits, labelling, allergen disclosure, and sales-tax obligations where you sell. KitchenCheckout does not issue permits. Card payments are processed by Stripe and go to the cook’s own Stripe account. If a rule below cannot be confirmed from a page we opened, the state page says to check the agency.
States with a short sourced note
- Florida — summary from the state page we opened.
- Texas — summary from the state page we opened.
- Colorado — summary from the state page we opened.
- New York — summary from the state page we opened.
- California — check the state agency.
- Arizona — check the state agency.
Federal pages we opened
- FoodSafety.gov — which agency handles which foods. Opened 2026-10-07. The page (reviewed 2024-11-21) says USDA FSIS handles meat, poultry, and egg products, and FDA handles other foods. Illness reports go to the local health department. This is not a cottage-food permit.
- FDA list of state retail food agencies. Opened 2026-10-07. Use the row for your state, then confirm with that agency and your city or county.
USDA does not issue a cottage-food permit through this website. Meat, poultry, and egg products are a different set of rules. Ask your state agency before you sell those foods.