Hi I can't seem to find the answer to this question, can someone please HELP!! I live in Nassau county NY and I was wondering if I need a lic. or if I am even allowed to bake cakes in my home and sell them? If anyone has any information I would love to hear...Thanks!

You definitely need a license, but I am not sure of the specific rules for your area. I know in NY it varies from county to county if you are allowed to use your residential kitchen to sell foods to the public. The best thing you can do is give your health department and ask about the regs for where you are.

In NYS it is illegal to sell bake goods - or any food - out of your residence, unless the residence is inaccessable from the rest of the house - like a seperate entrance. Then you'll need a license - check with the Health Department or the USDA. Once you do this, you'll also be subject to taxes, insurance, inspection fees, etc.

In NYS it is illegal to sell bake goods - or any food - out of your residence, unless the residence is inaccessable from the rest of the house - like a seperate entrance. Then you'll need a license - check with the Health Department or the USDA. Once you do this, you'll also be subject to taxes, insurance, inspection fees, etc.

It goes by county in New York State. I am in suffolk and the answer is no for Suffolk, Nassau & NYC. The other counties I am not sure of. Sorry it sucks, I know first hand.

double post sorry

I saw an article on CNN the other day about a woman in NY (at least I'm 99% sure it was NY) selling apple cakes out of her home to save her home. I'm thinking she isn't licensed and in the picture it looked like she was in her home kitchen. It made me wonder if the health dept. will be on her now or if there is a commercial kitchen involved somewhere I missed.

When I checked into this for Nassau county, I was I COULD get a license to sell wholesale to restaurants etc. But I CAN'T get a license to make/sell cakes directly to the public...it makes NO sense to me

So you can poison people en masse but not one at a time.

The woman selling apple cakes is in NJ - and there was a large post here yesterday on that.

As far as selling in NY - I was watching a wedding cake show (WE Tv, but not this season of AWC). The lady was making extremely high end wedding cakes, with a signature sugar chalice on top, hand painted, real gold leafing. She was making cakes in her home kitchen, in Manhattan (NY County). She must be licensed, but didn't have separate entrance - it was her actual tiny kitchen. So maybe NY County is different from what is posted above?

It depends on the county. I live in Erie County and I have a licence to sell baked goods out of my house, but I have restrictions. For example, I can not sell anything that needs to be refrigerated.

MosMom - I didn't mean to put you down - Truly I didn't, and I'm sorry if I made you feel that way.

BTW - Love the picture in your signature, and the cake in your avatar. Well done!

Im in Cayuga county and you are allowed to sell items out of your house, but there are restrictions. only baked goods, jellies, jams, sauces, single crust pies, no double crust (why i have NO idea), that kind of thing, but like someone else said, nothing that has to be refrigerated. There are also quite a few Amish/Menonite stores around here with items prepared in their home kitchens, I'm not quite sure how they get around that, quite honestly.

even if you are in a state that allows home baking, you will still have the requirement of getting licensed.