Malden Clears Way For Cottage Kitchens Beginning In 2027

Some homes in Malden may soon be spots to pick up certain food goods.

By Benjamin Pierce, Patch Staff

Sep 16, 2026 4:18 PM EDT | Updated Sep 16, 2026 4:39 PM EDT

MALDEN, MA — Residents will soon be able to run certain small-scale food businesses out of their homes following a long-awaited change in Malden.

The City Council recently approved a zoning change that will allow retail residential kitchens, also known as cottage food operations, as a permitted home occupation beginning Jan. 1, 2027. The change will allow residents to prepare certain foods in their home kitchens for direct sale to consumers, including through farmers' markets, craft fairs, and online or mail orders. Prearranged pickups will also be allowed at the residence, but other retail and wholesale transactions on the premises will remain prohibited.

Malden resident Marlene Galla is among a small group of residents who have pushed for the change. Galla has been operating her baking business out of rented commercial kitchen space in Melrose since May because she has been unable to do the same work out of her Malden home. She told Patch that renting commercial kitchen space can be difficult and expensive for someone trying to start or grow a small business.

"To rent a commercial kitchen, it's expensive," Galla told Patch. "A lot of places need commitments, and it's $1,000 a month."

Galla estimated that there are roughly five or six residents currently interested in operating cottage food businesses in Malden, ranging from bakers to people who make chocolates and teas. She said she has occasionally lost out on sales when the commercial kitchen space she uses has been unavailable.

The ordinance defines a cottage food operation as an accessory use within a resident's primary dwelling involving the preparation of qualifying cottage food products in that person's residential kitchen. Those products include baked goods, jams, jellies, and other foods that do not require temperature controls for safety.

Under Massachusetts regulations, examples can include cookies, cakes, and candy, while foods that require refrigeration or temperature controls, such as cheesecake, custard, cream-filled pastries, and certain cut fruits and vegetables, cannot be produced under the cottage food rules. Retail residential kitchens must be inspected and permitted by the local Board of Health.

The change comes after months of discussion in Malden. The city's Planning Board raised concerns during its review of the proposal over potential traffic and parking issues from customer pickups, the city's existing rodent problems, and the additional inspection responsibilities that cottage kitchens could create. Building Commissioner Nelson Miller also raised concerns about the city's ability to handle the inspections, noting that Malden currently has one health inspector who performs approximately 500 food inspections each year.

The Planning Board's initial recommendation prepared before its public hearing called for the proposal to be rejected. The board later recommended approval with conditions following its August discussion.

The council ultimately moved forward with the change. During its most recent discussion, councilors again considered the city's inspection capacity, potential neighborhood impacts, and whether the number of initial cottage food operations should be limited. The council amended the ordinance to give it a Jan. 1 effective date before unanimously enrolling the measure.

The delayed start will give the Board of Health and Inspectional Services time to establish the local regulations and permitting process needed to oversee the new operations. State regulations already require permitted cottage kitchens to follow food safety and sanitation standards, while products must be prepackaged and contain labels listing information including ingredients and applicable allergens.

"It passed, but the Board of Health and Inspectional Services needs to figure out what they're going to do," Galla told Patch. "I don't think anything will be ready to go till January."

Galla is already preparing her home for an eventual inspection in hopes of being ready to apply once the new rules take effect.

"I'm getting my house ready for inspection, so that way I'll be ready to go when they come in," Galla said.