Bakery permits and licenses in Oregon

The statewide credentials every bakery needs to operate in Oregon, plus city-specific guides for the cities we cover.

State-level filing fees$300 to $700 in state filing and ODA license fees (home bakers under the cottage food cap pay only a $10 food handler card)

This page covers only the Oregon statewide credentials for bakeries. Federal credentials that apply nationwide are on the Bakeries overview, and each city layers its own permits on top.

Federal requirementsBakeries nationwide

The credentials below are the Oregon-wide requirements that apply to every bakery in the state. Each city and county layers its own permits, fees, and inspections on top. To see the requirements for a specific city, choose it from the Oregon cities list below.

Oregon credential overview

Credential	Level	Fee	Renewal
Oregon Business Registration (LLC, Corporation, or Assumed Business Name)	State	$100 for an LLC or Corporation, $50 for an Assumed Business Name	Annual report for an LLC or Corporation; every 2 years for an Assumed Business Name
Combined Employer's Registration (Oregon BIN)	State	$0 (free)	None (one-time)
ODA Bakery License	State	$286 to $1,900 per year, scaled by prior-year Oregon gross sales (about $445 for $50,000 to $500,000 in sales)	Annual (license year July 1 to June 30)
ODA Domestic Kitchen Bakery License	State	$179 to $950 per year, scaled by gross sales	Annual (license year July 1 to June 30)
Oregon Cottage Food Exemption	State	$0 (no license or registration)	None; ongoing while you stay under the cap and rules
Oregon Food Handler Card	State	$10 maximum ($5 replacement)	Every 3 years
Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) Certification	State	About $100 to $200 through an approved provider (the state caps only the $10 food handler card)	Every 5 years
ODA Commercial Scale License (Weights and Measures)	State	$49 to $202 per year per device, by capacity ($49 for a typical under-400-pound counter scale)	Annual (July 1 to June 30)
ODA Food Establishment Plan Review	Operational	$0 (free; ODA has no authority to charge for it)	Again for any new build, conversion, or remodel

Oregon cities

City and county rules stack on top of the statewide credentials.

Eugene, ORLane County

Portland, ORMultnomah County

Each bakery credential in Oregon, explained

Grouped by the level of government that issues it, broadest first. Every bakery in Oregon needs these regardless of city.

State level

8 credentials

Oregon Business Registration (LLC, Corporation, or Assumed Business Name)

Registers your legal entity or trade name with the state so the bakery can operate in Oregon. A baker selling under a name like Sunrise Bread Co. files an Assumed Business Name; an LLC or corporation also gives liability protection. You need this before most other licenses.

Issued by: Oregon Secretary of State, Corporation Division
Fee: $100 for an LLC or Corporation, $50 for an Assumed Business Name
Renewal: Annual report for an LLC or Corporation; every 2 years for an Assumed Business Name
Processing: About 1 business day online, 5 to 7 days by mail

Combined Employer's Registration (Oregon BIN)

An Oregon employer account number required before you issue the first paycheck. It covers state withholding, unemployment insurance, the statewide transit tax, and Paid Leave Oregon. You need an EIN first, and a sole-owner bakery with no employees does not need a BIN.

Issued by: Oregon Department of Revenue
Fee: $0 (free)
Renewal: None (one-time)
Processing: A few weeks after filing

ODA Bakery License

The core state license for any fixed-location bakery, retail or wholesale, issued by the Department of Agriculture under ORS Chapter 625, not the county. The fee scales by your prior-year Oregon gross sales, and new applicants estimate. Licenses are personal and non-transferable, so a new owner applies fresh. A delivery-only bakery distributor is a separate flat $127 category.

Issued by: Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA), Food Safety Program
Fee: $286 to $1,900 per year, scaled by prior-year Oregon gross sales (about $445 for $50,000 to $500,000 in sales)
Renewal: Annual (license year July 1 to June 30)
Processing: Issued after ODA plan review and a pre-opening inspection

ODA Domestic Kitchen Bakery License

For a home baker who needs to go beyond the cottage food exemption: exceeding the sales cap, selling products that are not shelf-stable, or shipping out of state. ODA licenses and inspects your residential kitchen under OAR 603-021-0007. This is a real license, unlike the no-cost cottage food exemption.

Issued by: Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA), Food Safety Program
Fee: $179 to $950 per year, scaled by gross sales
Renewal: Annual (license year July 1 to June 30)
Processing: Includes an ODA inspection of your home kitchen

Oregon Cottage Food Exemption

Oregon law (ORS 616.723) lets a home baker sell shelf-stable baked goods such as breads, cookies, and cakes without refrigerated fillings, directly to consumers, with no ODA license or fee, as long as annual gross sales stay under the CPI-indexed cap ($52,700 in 2026). You must label each item with the required homemade disclaimer and hold a food handler card. No cream pies, cheesecakes, or out-of-state shipping.

Issued by: Oregon Department of Agriculture (a statutory exemption, not a license)
Fee: $0 (no license or registration)
Renewal: None; ongoing while you stay under the cap and rules
Processing: No application; comply and start selling

Oregon Food Handler Card

Everyone who prepares food for your bakery needs an Oregon food handler card within 30 days of starting, including cottage food operators. Cards are valid statewide for 3 years; out-of-state cards do not count. A Certified Food Protection Manager certificate can stand in for the card.

Issued by: Oregon Health Authority (via approved providers)
Fee: $10 maximum ($5 replacement)
Renewal: Every 3 years
Processing: Immediate upon passing the online course

Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) Certification

Oregon's food safety rules require the person in charge to demonstrate food safety knowledge, and a CFPM certificate satisfies it and substitutes for a food handler card. It is effectively required for a bakery-cafe under county licensing and strongly recommended for any ODA bakery.

Issued by: An OHA-accepted accredited provider (for example ServSafe)
Fee: About $100 to $200 through an approved provider (the state caps only the $10 food handler card)
Renewal: Every 5 years
Processing: Same day; the exam result is immediate

ODA Commercial Scale License (Weights and Measures)

If you price any goods by weight, for example bread sold per pound, each commercial scale must be licensed with ODA before use (ORS 618.121). A scale used only for internal portioning, where no price depends on the reading, does not need a license. Devices must meet NIST Handbook 44 and be NTEP certified.

Issued by: Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA), Weights and Measures
Fee: $49 to $202 per year per device, by capacity ($49 for a typical under-400-pound counter scale)
Renewal: Annual (July 1 to June 30)
Processing: Active once ODA receives your application and fee; inspected when an investigator is in the area

Operational level

1 credential

ODA Food Establishment Plan Review

Before you build, convert, or remodel a bakery, you must submit plans to ODA for review and approval, and no license is issued until ODA inspects and accepts the finished space. Because the review earns ODA no fee, turnaround depends on staff availability, so submit plans as early as possible.

Issued by: Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA), Food Safety Program
Fee: $0 (free; ODA has no authority to charge for it)
Renewal: Again for any new build, conversion, or remodel
Processing: Submit early; ODA does not publish a set turnaround

See how other bakeries in Oregon are managing every permit, license, and renewal in one place with CredentiAlert.

Oregon-specific things to watch for

1ODA licenses your bakery, not the county. Oregon is unusual: a retail or wholesale bakery is licensed by the Department of Agriculture under its own bakery statute (ORS 625), not the county health department that handles restaurants and bars. Bakers who go hunting for a county food permit are looking in the wrong place.

2Adding a cafe can switch your licensor. A few seats are fine, but if dine-in service grows to become the majority of your revenue, a longstanding ODA and county agreement moves you from ODA to county health licensing. The test is predominant activity by gross sales, not just whether you have chairs.

3Plan review is mandatory and free, which cuts both ways. ODA cannot charge for plan review, so it costs nothing, but no license is issued until ODA approves your plans and inspects the finished space. Because it earns the agency no fee, turnaround depends on staff availability, so submit plans as early as you can.

4The cottage food cap moves every year. Selling from home without a license is allowed only under the cottage food exemption, and the sales cap is CPI-indexed: $52,700 for 2026, up from $51,200 in 2025. Cross it and you need a Domestic Kitchen Bakery License. Refrigerated items like cream pies and cheesecakes are never allowed under the exemption.

5No sales tax does not mean no Oregon taxes. Oregon has no general sales tax, so you do not collect tax on what you sell. But if you hire, you register for a BIN and owe state withholding, unemployment, transit, and Paid Leave Oregon, and your entity may owe Oregon corporate excise or income tax.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a license to sell baked goods in Oregon?

A commercial bakery needs an ODA Bakery License and must pass a free ODA plan review before opening. A home baker selling shelf-stable goods directly to consumers may use the no-cost cottage food exemption while under the annual cap ($52,700 in 2026); going beyond it requires an ODA Domestic Kitchen Bakery License starting at $179 a year.

Can I sell baked goods from home in Oregon without a license?

Yes, within limits. Under the cottage food exemption (ORS 616.723) you stay under the CPI-indexed sales cap, sell only shelf-stable approved products (no cream pies or cheesecakes), label each item with the required homemade disclaimer, and hold a food handler card. You cannot ship out of state or sell to schools, hospitals, or other institutions under the exemption.

Does a bakery need an ODA license or a county health license?

Almost always ODA. The Oregon Department of Agriculture licenses bakeries statewide under ORS Chapter 625, while counties license restaurants and food service. You only move to county health licensing if dine-in service becomes the predominant share of your revenue, which the two agencies evaluate by gross sales.

Does my bakery need to register with the FDA?

A retail bakery selling mostly direct to customers is exempt, even with some wholesale. A wholesale bakery whose sales are mainly to stores or restaurants must register with the FDA (free, renewed every even-numbered year). Registration is the federal piece that kicks in once wholesale becomes your main channel.

You just read through every credential your bakery needs in Oregon.

Each one has a different renewal date, a different fee, and a different agency. CredentiAlert tracks all of them and reminds you before any of them lapse, so you can spend your time running your business, not managing a renewal calendar.

Start tracking for free See how it works

Official sources

Last verified 2026-06-03. Requirements change. Always confirm with the issuing department before applying.