What it takes to sell homemade jam in Connecticut
Updated
On this page9
Yes, with a license. Connecticut's cottage food law names "jams, jellies" in its definition of cottage food products [1], but unlike most states it requires an annual license from the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP), food safety training and, if you are on a well, a water test before the license is issued [1]. DCP adds a recipe condition: jams, jellies and preserves "must meet the Standard of Identity in 21CFR150," and fruit butters are not allowed [2]. Sales are capped at $50,000 a year [1].
Getting the DCP license
- Complete a food safety training program. The statute requires it before licensing, and DCP's manual says it must include "training in food processing and packaging" [1] [2].
- Test a private water supply. If your home is on a well, the supply "shall" be tested before you receive a license [1].
- Confirm zoning. DCP advises getting written confirmation that your space complies with local zoning [2].
- Apply to DCP and pay the fee. The statute says the fee "shall not exceed one hundred dollars" [1]; DCP's 2018 manual lists $50 [2]. Expect the current figure on the application.
- Renew every year. Operations "shall be licensed annually" [1].
How to set up the kitchen itself is on your home kitchen and inspections.
Which preserves DCP accepts
| Product | Connecticut status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Jam, jelly, preserves meeting 21 CFR 150 | Allowed | DCP manual [2]; statute names jams and jellies [1] |
| Fruit butters | Not allowed. DCP: "Fruit butters have significantly less sugar than a traditional jam or jelly," and "the combination of sugar and pectin is not sufficient to assure that the fruit butter is safe" [3] | DCP [2] [3] |
| Pepper jelly | Not allowed in practice: the statute bars "acidified foods, low acid canned foods" [1], and a pepper jelly is an acidified food | Statute [1] |
| Low-sugar or no-sugar jam | Not allowed in practice: it cannot meet the federal standard's 65 percent soluble solids | DCP's 21 CFR 150 condition [2] |
| Freezer jam | Not addressed | Ask DCP |
| Other home-canned foods | "Most home canned products are not approved for production, with the exception of jams and jellies that meet 21CFR150" | DCP manual [2] |
The federal standard sets the fruit-to-sugar ratio (45:55 or 47:55 depending on the fruit) and the 65 percent soluble solids finish [5]; see the 45:55 rule. Why pepper jelly is treated as acidified is on pepper jelly.
How a Connecticut sale has to happen
Connecticut lets you advertise and take orders widely but insists on a face-to-face handoff:
- Orders: "Advertising and sales by Internet, mail and phone are permissible" [1].
- Delivery: you or your designee must "deliver, in person, to the customer within the state" [1]. DCP's manual adds that products "may not be delivered by mail or by other third party delivery services" such as UPS or FedEx [3].
- No consignment or wholesale of any kind [1].
- Places you cannot sell: grocery stores, restaurants, long-term care facilities, group homes, day care facilities and schools [1].
That leaves direct sales in person, such as from your home or a stall at a farmers market or fair; markets set their own vendor rules. See selling jam at a farmers market.
The $50,000 cap, and an outdated figure
"Total annual gross sales for a cottage food operation shall not exceed fifty thousand dollars per calendar year" [1]. DCP's manual still says $25,000 [2] [3]; the figure rose to $50,000 on October 1, 2022 [4]. Follow the statute.
Label wording DCP checks
The label must be printed in English and show [1]:
- your operation's name and address (DCP says the physical address of your home kitchen, "not a post office box" [3])
- the common name of the product
- ingredients in descending order of predominance
- allergen information "as specified by federal labeling requirements"
- the statement "Made in a Cottage Food Operation that is not Subject to Routine Government Food Safety Inspection."
DCP's manual also lists net weight or volume with the metric equivalent [2]. Federal elements are on what a jam label must say.
Connecticut's next step up
If you want to sell to shops, ship, or make fruit butter or pepper jelly, the statute points to a food manufacturing establishment license from DCP [1]; see when you need a licensed kitchen.
Reaching DCP's Food and Standards Division
DCP's Food and Standards Division licenses cottage food operations: (860) 713-6160, dcp.foodandstandards@ct.gov, portal.ct.gov/cottagefood [2]. The law is Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 21a-62a to 21a-62h [1]. Because DCP's manual predates the 2022 changes, check the fee and anything else that matters to you directly with the Division. This page was last verified in October 2026.
Getting the kitchen ready before you apply
DCP will not issue the license until the training is done and, on a private well, the water test is back. The kitchen side of that list, from water testing to storage and pets, is on your home kitchen and inspections. Once the license fee is known, fold it into your cost per jar on how to price jam.
References
- National Agricultural Law Center, Connecticut cottage food statutes, Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 21a-62a to 21a-62h (state compilation), April 2025. https://nationalaglawcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/assets/cottagefood/Connecticut.pdf
- Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Cottage Food Manual, not dated (2018). https://PORTAL.CT.GOV/-/media/dcp/news-releases-from-the-department-of-consumer-protection/cottage_food_manual.pdf
- Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Food and Standards Division, Guide for Cottage Food Operators (as posted by the Town of Wilton Health Department), not dated (references October 1, 2018 licensing). https://www.wiltonct.gov/health-department/files/guide-cottage-food-operators
- Connecticut General Assembly, Office of Legislative Research, Cottage Food Operations (2022-R-0091), July 20, 2022. https://www.cga.ct.gov/2022/rpt/pdf/2022-R-0091.pdf
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, 21 CFR 150.160 Fruit preserves and jams, current eCFR text (viewed October 2026). https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/21/150.160
