Cottage food rules
Cottage Food Laws Austin: What Home Bakers Must Know
What an Austin home baker has to file, what the city asks, and how much you can sell.
On this page
What to remember
- No city permit: Austin allows cottage food production under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 437.001 with no local permit required.
- State registration: Texas does not require a permit or license to sell most homemade foods from your own kitchen, but vendors register with the Texas Department of State Health Services.
- The yearly cap: cottage food operations in Austin may gross up to $50,000 per year.
- How you can sell: Austin’s cottage food framework permits both direct and online sales of non-hazardous foods.
If you bake from your kitchen in Austin and sell to neighbors, this page walks through what the rules actually ask of you. The short version is that the state registration is the step that matters most, and the city side is simpler than most bakers expect. For the wider state picture, start with Cottage Food Law Texas.
What Austin allows from a home kitchen
Austin allows cottage food production under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 437.001, and there is no local permit required to do it. Cottage food operations in Austin may gross up to $50,000 per year. Austin’s cottage food framework permits both direct and online sales of non-hazardous foods.
Register with the Texas DSHS
Texas does not require a permit or license to sell most homemade foods from your own kitchen, but vendors register with the Texas Department of State Health Services. A person who wishes to become a Cottage Food Vendor to sell cottage foods wholesale at a farmer’s market, farm stand, retail store, or food establishment must register with the Department.
Read the state guide first
The Texas DSHS publishes a Cottage Food Registration Guide that links to the applicable cottage food rules and laws on its Retail Food Establishments page. Read it before you fill anything in.
Register with the Department
Registration with the Texas Department of State Health Services is the step that covers most home bakers selling from their own kitchen.
Register as a Cottage Food Vendor if you sell wholesale
Selling cottage foods wholesale at a farmer’s market, farm stand, retail store, or food establishment means registering with the Department as a Cottage Food Vendor.
Use the DSHS cottage food page for labeling and training
The Texas DSHS maintains a Texas Cottage Food Production page with information on licensing, training materials, and food labeling.
What to check before you take an order
Before you post a menu, confirm three things: that what you are selling is non-hazardous, that your sales stay under the yearly gross limit, and that your state registration is done. The guide to cottage food law registration walks through what to file and where, and cottage food law requirements covers what to check first.
Labeling is the other thing worth getting right early. The Texas DSHS Texas Cottage Food Production page carries food labeling information, so that is the page to check rather than a template you found somewhere.
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Common questions
Do I need a permit to sell baked goods from my kitchen in Austin?
Austin allows cottage food production under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 437.001 with no local permit required. Texas does not require a permit or license to sell most homemade foods from your own kitchen, but vendors register with the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Is there a sales limit for cottage food in Austin?
Yes. Cottage food operations in Austin may gross up to $50,000 per year.
Can I sell my bakes online in Austin?
Austin's cottage food framework permits both direct and online sales of non-hazardous foods.
Do I have to register if I sell at a farmer's market or a retail store?
A person who wishes to become a Cottage Food Vendor to sell cottage foods wholesale at a farmer's market, farm stand, retail store, or food establishment must register with the Department.
Where do I find the labeling and training information?
The Texas DSHS maintains a Texas Cottage Food Production page with information on licensing, training materials, and food labeling, and it publishes a Cottage Food Registration Guide that links to the applicable rules and laws.
Sources
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm the current requirements with the Texas Department of State Health Services before you sell.