Cottage food rules
Cottage Food Law Texas Registration: What to Do
Know where to start with Texas cottage food registration and what it means for your home bakery.
On this page
What to remember
- DSHS publishes a Cottage Food Registration Guide that walks you through online registration.
- The guide links to the rules and laws for Texas cottage food production.
- Local public health may not require a license or permit for production at a cottage food operation.
- A cottage food operation is not a food service establishment under Texas law.
- Texas allows many foods from home kitchens, with some restrictions.
If you bake from home and sell to neighbors, the word registration can feel like a wall. The Texas Department of State Health Services keeps a cottage food production page with information on licensing, training materials, and food labeling. Use it as your starting point, then read the registration guide before you fill anything out. For the wider rules, see Cottage Food Law Texas: What Home Bakers Need to Know.
Start with the DSHS registration guide
The DSHS Cottage Food Registration Guide is the document to open first. It walks applicants through the online registration process and links to the relevant rules and laws. That means you do not have to guess which page or which rule applies. Keep the guide open while you work, and use the links inside it to check the current rule text.
The production page from DSHS is the other page to bookmark. DSHS says it has information on licensing, training materials, and food labeling. Labeling matters because 25 Texas Administrative Code Section 229.661 implements Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 437 for cottage food production operations and requires the department to adopt rules for labeling. For label wording, see Cottage Food Law Texas Labels: What to Know.
What counts as a cottage food operation
Texas Health and Safety Code defines a cottage food production operation as an individual operating out of the individual’s home who produces food at that home, subject to Section 437.0196. Health and Safety Code Section 437.0191(a) declares that a cottage food production operation is not a food service establishment. That distinction matters when you read the rules and when you talk to anyone who asks what kind of food business you run.
Texas law allows many types of foods to be made and sold from home kitchens, with some restrictions. The Houston Health Department page on cottage food production operations says the same. Before you plan a menu, check the restrictions against what you want to bake. If you are thinking about drinks, read Cottage Food Law Texas: Selling Coffee From Home.
Get your label wording ready
Once you know what you can sell, get your label wording in order. The DSHS production page includes food labeling information. For a simple label layout, see Cottage Food Law Texas Label: What to Put on Yours. Keep the label text plain and match it to the rules you read in the DSHS guide.
Try Brevl free for 14 days
Free, no signup.
Registration is one part of selling from home. The rest is your menu, your prices, and your labels. Brevl keeps your recipes, costs, and shop in one place, so you can get back to baking.
Common questions
Where do I find the Texas cottage food registration guide?
The Texas Department of State Health Services publishes the Cottage Food Registration Guide. It walks applicants through the online registration process and links to the relevant rules and laws.
Do I need a local permit to sell cottage food in Texas?
According to DSHS guidance cited by the Cottage Food Law Library, local public health entities may not require any type of license or permit for production at a cottage food operation. Start with the DSHS Cottage Food Registration Guide for the state process.
What does Texas law say a cottage food operation is?
Texas Health and Safety Code defines a cottage food production operation as an individual operating out of the individual's home who produces food at that home, subject to Section 437.0196.
Does a cottage food operation count as a food service establishment?
No. Health and Safety Code Section 437.0191(a) declares that a cottage food production operation is not a food service establishment.
What labeling rule applies to Texas cottage food operations?
25 Texas Administrative Code Section 229.661 implements Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 437 for cottage food production operations and requires the department to adopt rules for labeling.
Sources
- Cottage Food Registration Guide, Texas Department of State Health Services
- Texas Cottage Food Production, Texas Department of State Health Services
- 25 Texas Administrative Code Section 229.661
- Texas, Cottage Food Law Library
- Texas Home Business Cottage Food, CityRuleLookup
- Texas Senate Bill 572, 86th Legislature
- Cottage Food Production Operations, Houston Health Department
This is general information, not legal advice. For your situation, check the Texas DSHS guide and the current rule text.