Cottage food rules
Cottage Food Laws in San Antonio, TX: What You Can Sell
A plain look at the Texas cottage food rules that apply to your San Antonio kitchen.
On this page
What to remember
- Texas cottage food rules are set by the state, not by the city.
- San Antonio Metro Health permits restaurants and commercial kitchens, and cottage food operations are exempt from those permits.
- You still have to meet the state cottage food requirements to produce food at home.
- Registration with the state is separate from any license you may already hold.
- A Bexar County guide references a $150,000 yearly sales cap for 2026.
If you bake from your kitchen in San Antonio and sell to neighbors, the rules you are working under come from Austin, not from City Hall. Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 437 governs food service establishments, retail food stores, mobile food units, and roadside food vendors, and the cottage food rules sit alongside that framework. If you have read guides for other states, the shape of the process will feel familiar, but the details differ. Our Dallas guide covers the same Texas rules from a different city, so you can read both without getting confused.
What San Antonio requires of you
The City of San Antonio’s Licenses and Food Permits page is clear that only individuals who meet the requirements of the Cottage Food Regulations are allowed to produce food in their home. That means the state requirements are the gate. San Antonio Metro Health administers food establishment permits for restaurants and commercial kitchens, and cottage food operations are explicitly exempt from those permits. So the permit line you might expect to stand in is not the one that applies to you.
The Texas Department of State Health Services keeps a Texas Cottage Food Production page with information on licensing, training materials, and food labeling. That page is the place to confirm what you may make, how it must be labeled, and what training is expected before you take your first order.
The sales cap and the law behind it
A Bexar County cottage food guide references a $150,000 annual sales cap for 2026. Treat that number as the figure to verify for your own year before you plan growth, because the statutes behind it move. Senate Bill 572 from the 86th Texas Legislature defines a cottage food production operation as an individual operating out of the individual’s home who produces food at the individual’s home. Senate Bill 541 from the 89th Texas Legislature, in its enrolled version, amends the statutory definition of a cottage food production operation. Read together, those two bills show that the definition is not frozen.
If your sales are climbing toward the cap, it is worth knowing what your numbers actually are rather than guessing. Pricing that reflects your real costs makes that easier, and how to price your bakes walks through the math.
What to check before your first order
Read the state page first
Start with the Texas Department of State Health Services Texas Cottage Food Production page for licensing, training materials, and labeling.
Confirm your products are allowed
Check the state guidance against the list you want to sell before you print a single label.
Register with DSHS
Follow the Cottage Food Registration Guide. If you hold another DSHS license, use a different email address for this registration.
Label everything correctly
The state page covers food labeling. Build your label once and use it on every item.
Track your yearly sales
Keep a running total so you know where you stand against the cap referenced for 2026.
See what your baking really costs
Free, no signup.
None of this is complicated once you have the right pages open. The state sets the rules, the city exempts you from the permit line, and your job is to register, label, and keep your sales total honest. Home bakers in other places face different paperwork, which is why a guide like Cottage Food Laws in New Mexico reads so differently from this one.
Common questions
Do I need a food permit from San Antonio to sell baked goods from my home?
Cottage food operations are explicitly exempt from the food establishment permits San Antonio Metro Health administers for restaurants and commercial kitchens. You still have to meet the state cottage food requirements to produce food in your home.
Who sets the cottage food rules, the city or the state?
The state. The Texas Department of State Health Services maintains the Texas Cottage Food Production page, and Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 437 governs food service establishments and related operations.
What is the sales cap for cottage food in Bexar County?
A Bexar County cottage food guide references a $150,000 annual sales cap for 2026. Confirm the current figure before you plan around it.
I already have another DSHS license. Can I use the same login?
No. The DSHS Cottage Food Registration Guide notes that an existing online user registration for another DSHS license cannot be used for cottage food registration, and a different email address must be used.
Where do I find labeling and training information?
The Texas Department of State Health Services Texas Cottage Food Production page includes information on licensing, training materials, and food labeling.
Sources
- Texas Cottage Food Production, Texas Department of State Health Services
- Licenses and Food Permits, City of San Antonio
- Bexar County cottage food guide
- DSHS Cottage Food Registration Guide
- Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 437
- Senate Bill 541, 89th Texas Legislature, enrolled
- Senate Bill 572, 86th Texas Legislature
This is general information, not legal advice. Cottage food rules and sales caps change. Confirm the current requirements with the Texas Department of State Health Services and Bexar County before you sell.