Well I just got off the phone with the lady from my local health department. She said the STATE allows you to do baking out of your home with the following stipulations:

You can NOT advertise! Such as flyers, business cards, yellow pages, etc.

BUT you can do word of mouth for friends and family! Such as "so and so makes excellent cakes you should think about ordering from her/him next time you need one"

You can be LICENSED!! If you find somewhere like a church or firehall that will allow you to use or rent out their kitchen facilities so many times a year, you can be licensed for "I believe the price is $150.~ a year because then you'd be considered a baker" (her words). The facility you will be renting/using will be subject to an inspection ONCE a year. The firehall here in my town, she said they have a contract with them already which they probably will with everyone anyway but once I get in there they will make an appointment with ME to do a walk thru to make sure things are still in proper order and if they aren't issue the OWNER of the kitchen a repair order.

You can also do for the Farmer's Markets. You have to fill out the entry form (which I have done just haven't submitted because I couldn't manage to do it this past summer) and it's a small fee if any at all and you can bake and set up a stand at the Farmer's Market every day it's open for the season for one form. They will give you clearance for this without any inspections or anything (But I think they will do one inspection when you first file the application form with them because they ask on the form where the goods will be baked and so on).

I've also inquired earlier this year when I inquired about the Farmer's Market about doing a Bake Sale like infront of WalMart or the grocery store. They said that falls under the same application as the farmer's market but would be a seperate form due to different location. All you have to do there is make arrangements with the store you wish to conduct the bake sale infront of, let them know your cause, mine would be a benifit fund contribution for my sister and her boys (already have the benifit fund open by a co-worker of my mother's for a college fund and living expence fund) where PART of my proceeds would be deposited into that account. (for more information on this fund please PM me) WalMart said I'd have to come in and sit down with her and her calendar of events and mark off which weekends I'd want to do and pre-schedule it as the boy and girl scouts get in there quick!!! My local Giant Food store said the same thing.

Now I have business cards but I don't LEAVE them anywhere. I give one or two out to private people, never leaving them at a function for the taking because ya never know where these people work lol. I'm doing pretty good on word of mouth but I wanted to get info on starting the home based business and I was told you could do it out of your home but it takes ALOT to get licensed for your HOME by an ex-home baker in my area. So I think if you are looking to reduce fees and costs this may be the route for you

BUT WE CAN BAKE OUT OF OUR HOMES FOR FREE!!!! NO STATE OR LOCAL FEES (in Easton MD) AS LONG AS YOU DON'T ADVERTISE!!!

She said advertising would be placing flyers in the grocery store or laundrymat or yellow pages or so on so I'd suggest just build a client base of word of mouth people and rely on family and friends to put you out there and you can do it

Hope this info helps anyone else. Feel free to contact me if you need to.

Great information. Thanks for sharing!!!

You did the research....Thanks

No problem ladies I'm glad this proved useful for someone else as well

I was telling the husband about this info I received today when he called at lunch break and he is so happy!!!! We were both worried we'd get "busted" but now they say I can do this as long as I do post my flyers so I'd scraped them and have decided to just hand out business cards to those who ask and normally the word of mouth brings in family and friends and friends of family and family of family and so on so I'll know if they work somewhere I can get busted or not lol.

I wish you all great success in reaching your goals and dreams and like I told my husband today, it is my dream to one day open up a shop/bakery and offer more then just cakes and this gives me the chance to get a client base set up so that when I win the lottery I can get my shop lmao. Maybe a few others on the Eastern Shore would like to get together and share the rent on a place here in Easton LMAO!

Anywho good luck ladies and gents

Are you in Wicomico County?

In Montgomery County, to bake in a licensed kitchen, the Food Service Facility Permit is approximately $350 per year to get licensed. You would also need to have a Food Manager License. I took the food service sanitation class at the local college for approximately $100 and the Certified Food Manager license cost me $45 which is good for about, if I remember correctly, 3 years.

Definitely check with your local health department for your county. Some may be more lenient than others.

I'm in Talbot County, that's who I called, the TC Health Department and that's where I got all this wonderful/not so helpful after all... info from lol. Montgomery is up near Annapolis and Baltimore isn't it? Or at the least over the Bay Bridge? I think Wicomico would be as well, I'm not 100% familier with other places lol I don't travel much and don't know where much is lol I know Seaford Del, Salisbury, Ocean City, and a few others lol so that's it lmao

Please note this must be a COUNTY thing in MD. I just moved from MD where I was licensed and you CAN NOT bake out of your home unless you are on a farm. I was in Frederick county. It coust be almost $500 to get licensed. I called the state, the county, and the board of health in MD.

I am glad for you that you are in an area that allows to work without the hassle I had.

Julia

Thanks for the info! I wish I lived closer so we could partner up!

I did some research for a license in Charles County and got the same information. So, just like you, I have business cards but only give them out to friends and family. I will give a couple when they are requested as well. The decorating teacher told us we could only charge for the ingredients used in baking/decorating the cakes and not for our time & effort. Thanks for the additional information!!

Happy Baking Everyone!