Is Kentucky legal for home baking?

KY's kind of a yes and no state. Contact your county Health Department for how they interpret the laws.

I'm actually in the process legalizing a home based kitchen. I'm in Louisville and you have to have a completely separate area that has it's own entrance. I am turning a room in my basement into a kitchen. Basically you have to have triple sink, hand washing sink, mop sink, etc. Contact your local Health Dept. as Leah stated I'm sure it differs from county to county.

Sounds pretty close to Hopkins County.

Beth in KY

I just checked today (07/24/2009) for Kentucky's rules. I contacted a Food Safety Branch Manager with the Division of Public Health Protection and Safety and here is the reply I received:

"...to produce, prepare, sell food for public consumption/sale you must be permitted and inspected. This inspected permitted facility must be completely separate from your personal home kitchen. If you are going to sell direct to the client/consumer you can be permitted as a bakery of food service or caterer the attached Retail Food Code would be the regulation you would be governed under..."

I've tried to attach the code mentioned, but couldn't get it to work. If you want to see the code, pm me with your email address and I will email it.

I really want to make and sell cakes when I retire in a couple of years, but I was so disappointed once I read the code and realized the requirements. With my 100+ year-old dungeon of a basement being the only available option, I doubt it will be cost-effective to make a kitchen there, as I don't want a booming business, just a small one, something to keep me busy and allow me to use my skills and talents. I don't want to rent or lease as I didn't initally plan to do that much, plus I wouldn't want to leave home to bake or decorate!

Guess I'm back to thinking about making window treatments and baby booties again... unless one of you Kentuckians knows a way around this!!

I am not sure if you still have a copy of the code, if so I would love to email you and get it. I am doing some research on whether to cake decorate as a business here in Kentucky.

Just call your local Health Dept or Google it. Its what is described above.