Home Bakery Permit Requirements in Detroit, MI

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if you have employees or operate as an LLC/corporation. Free from the IRS.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online)

   Free

   Immediate (online)

1. Michigan Cottage Food Law Compliance (MDARD)

   Michigan's Cottage Food Law allows home bakers to sell certain non-potentially-hazardous, shelf-stable foods directly to consumers (not retail stores or restaurants) with annual gross sales up to $50,000 (up to $75,000 if selling cottage food products at $250+ per unit) without a food establishment license. Products must be properly labeled, including a statement that the kitchen is not state-inspected. MDARD oversees this exemption.

   Official government source

   Free (no license required under exemption)·Immediate (self-compliance)

   Free (no license required under exemption)

   Immediate (self-compliance)

2. MDARD Food Establishment License (if over $50K/year)

   If annual gross sales exceed $50,000 — or $75,000 where the cottage food operation sells products at $250 or more per unit — or if you sell through retail stores or restaurants, the Cottage Food exemption no longer applies and you must obtain a Michigan MDARD food establishment license and operate from a licensed commercial kitchen. A home bakery selling packaged goods directly to consumers is licensed as a Retail Food Establishment; if you also serve unpackaged food for immediate consumption with customer seating, it becomes an Extended Retail Food Establishment. Requires facility inspection and plan review.

   Official government source

   Retail Food Establishment $186; Extended Retail Food Establishment $471; Food Warehouse $186; Temporary Food Establishment (14 days or less) $73. All food license application fees are non-refundable (MDARD Food Establishment License Fees and Schedule).·The food license year runs May 1 to April 30. MDARD requires applications for new establishments or a change of ownership to be submitted at least 30 days prior to the planned opening date; a new license is not issued until inspection and, if applicable, plan review are complete.

   Retail Food Establishment $186; Extended Retail Food Establishment $471; Food Warehouse $186; Temporary Food Establishment (14 days or less) $73. All food license application fees are non-refundable (MDARD Food Establishment License Fees and Schedule).

   The food license year runs May 1 to April 30. MDARD requires applications for new establishments or a change of ownership to be submitted at least 30 days prior to the planned opening date; a new license is not issued until inspection and, if applicable, plan review are complete.

3. MI Business Registration (LARA Corporations Division)

   Required by LARA's Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing Bureau, Corporations Division, for LLCs, corporations, limited partnerships, and limited liability partnerships. An LLC files Articles of Organization (form CSCL/CD 700); a for-profit corporation files Articles of Incorporation (form CSCL/CD 500). Filings are submitted through the MiBusiness Registry Portal, which replaced the old system on June 23, 2025 and now handles all annual reports and annual statements — LARA no longer accepts paper annual reports or statements. Sole proprietors and general partnerships operating under a trade name do not register an entity; they file an assumed name certificate with the county clerk — the Wayne County Clerk for a Detroit business. This entity filing is separate from Michigan's Cottage Food Law exemption and from any MDARD food establishment licensing a home bakery may need.

   Official government source

   LARA's published Filing Fees schedule sets exact amounts, not a range: LLC Articles of Organization (form 700) $50; Professional Service LLC (form 701) $50; a for-profit corporation's Articles of Incorporation (form 500) is a $10 nonrefundable fee plus a share-based organization fee — $50 for 1-60,000 authorized shares (a $60 minimum), $100 for 60,001-1,000,000, $300 for 1,000,001-5,000,000 — so a corporation's total can exceed $100. A LARA Certificate of Assumed Name for an LLC or corporation is $25 (LLC) or $10 (corporation); a sole proprietor's assumed name filing with the Wayne County Clerk is $16 and is separate. Filing fees are waived for qualifying veterans.·LARA publishes no standard processing turnaround for Corporations Division filings. The only timings it publishes are optional expedited tiers, charged in addition to the filing fee: $50 for 24-hour formation/qualification documents, $100 same-day formation, $100 for 24-hour existing-entity documents, $200 same-day existing-entity, $500 two-hour, and $1,000 one-hour. Filing online through the MiBusiness Registry Portal (live since June 23, 2025) is the fastest standard route; mailed filings add transit time, and overnight packages route through the State of Michigan mail center, adding a day or more.

   LARA's published Filing Fees schedule sets exact amounts, not a range: LLC Articles of Organization (form 700) $50; Professional Service LLC (form 701) $50; a for-profit corporation's Articles of Incorporation (form 500) is a $10 nonrefundable fee plus a share-based organization fee — $50 for 1-60,000 authorized shares (a $60 minimum), $100 for 60,001-1,000,000, $300 for 1,000,001-5,000,000 — so a corporation's total can exceed $100. A LARA Certificate of Assumed Name for an LLC or corporation is $25 (LLC) or $10 (corporation); a sole proprietor's assumed name filing with the Wayne County Clerk is $16 and is separate. Filing fees are waived for qualifying veterans.

   LARA publishes no standard processing turnaround for Corporations Division filings. The only timings it publishes are optional expedited tiers, charged in addition to the filing fee: $50 for 24-hour formation/qualification documents, $100 same-day formation, $100 for 24-hour existing-entity documents, $200 same-day existing-entity, $500 two-hour, and $1,000 one-hour. Filing online through the MiBusiness Registry Portal (live since June 23, 2025) is the fastest standard route; mailed filings add transit time, and overnight packages route through the State of Michigan mail center, adding a day or more.

1. Detroit Zoning Home Occupation Compliance

   Detroit's zoning ordinance regulates commercial activity in residential zones; home bakery operators should verify their activity fits the home-occupation/accessory-use provisions and, if it exceeds as-of-right limits, may need Special Land Use review through BSEED Zoning & Special Land Use. Separately, small-scale home baked-goods sales directly to consumers may qualify under Michigan's Cottage Food Law (MDARD), which allows certain low-risk foods to be made and sold from a home kitchen without a food establishment license, subject to a sales cap and labeling rules - confirm which framework applies to your products and sales volume.

   Official government source

   $0 if the use is as-of-right. If zoning review is triggered (BSEED Fee Schedule eff. 1/1/2024, mod. 7/18/2025): Minor Site Plan Review $210, Major Site Plan Review $466, Special Land Use Hearing $1,071, zoning verification letter $93.·N/A as-of-right; several weeks if Special Land Use review with a public hearing is required

   $0 if the use is as-of-right. If zoning review is triggered (BSEED Fee Schedule eff. 1/1/2024, mod. 7/18/2025): Minor Site Plan Review $210, Major Site Plan Review $466, Special Land Use Hearing $1,071, zoning verification letter $93.

   N/A as-of-right; several weeks if Special Land Use review with a public hearing is required

Official Sources

• MI MDARD - Cottage Food Law
• Detroit BSEED - Zoning
• MI LARA - Corporations Division

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