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Connecticut Cottage Food Laws: Local Zoning and Location Requirements
Connecticut Cottage Food Local Zoning and Location Requirements
These FAQs refer to the Connecticut Cottage food laws which went
into effect on October 1, 2018.
See this
page for the overview and general information. And these pages
for:
FAQs about zoning
- Will I need to meet local zoning or other laws?
Yes. Cottage food
operators should contact their municipal government to determine if
there are local regulations that will impact their business. You must
keep a written record of zoning approval, and be able to produce it
if requested by DCP.
- Are there any special requirements regarding my
home on-site well?
Yes. Only safe drinking water from a properly
constructed on-site well or municipal water system may be used. If a
well is used, the well water should be tested, at least annually, for
coliform bacteria and nitrates. You must submit a water analysis
prior to approval and annually thereafter.
Water from wells with
any of the following features should be avoided:
-
Very shallow depth
(< 25 feet)
- Producing cloudy water
- Located in below-ground pit
- Buried wellhead
- Missing cap or seal
- Opening around casing pipe
- Located in close proximity to septic system or other source of
- contamination (i.e. animals)
- Dug well
A list of water testing
laboratories is available on the Department of Public Health website
at
http://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Drinking-Water/DWS/Certified-Testing-Laboratories
- What are the concerns related to my home on-site wastewater (septic)
system?
Depending on the nature and volume of the food products that
will be produced for sale, there may be adverse effects to the
existing system serving your home.
- May I make products in a rented
commercial kitchen and sell them?
No. A cottage food license is
only for food produced in your home kitchen. If you rent time at a
commercial kitchen, you will need a food establishment license to
sell your products, even if the rented kitchen is a licensed
facility.
For instance, adding significant bakery wastewater can
increase the total volume discharged, and may also increase the
organic strength of the wastewater discharged to the drain field,
leading to the possibility of accelerated system failure. The
adequacy of the home system to handle additional wastewater loading
should be evaluated prior to initiating production. Modifications to
the existing system may be necessary.
- May I make cottage food
products in an outbuilding on my property, such as a shed or a barn?
No. Cottage food products must be made in the licensed kitchen in
your home and stored in the permitted area of your home.
- May I make
and store cottage food products at my second home, or another
property?
No. Cottage food must be produced and stored in the
permitted area of your private residential dwelling. The permitted
area must include your home kitchen and, therefore, may not be at a
different location.
Questions? Contact Information:
Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection
Food and Standards Division:
Email:
dcp.foodandstandards@ct.gov.
Phone: (860) 713-6160
Website: www.portal.ct.gov/cottagefood