Cottage food rules
What Are the Cottage Food Laws in Arizona? How to Check Before You Sell
You will know exactly what to confirm, who to call, and what to write down before you sell a single bake in Arizona.
On this page
You have probably already read three different answers about Arizona. One says there is a sales limit, one says there is not, one is from a blog that has not been touched since before you started baking. That is exactly why the answer has to come from the state, in writing, dated, with a name attached to it.
Here is how to get there without wasting a week.
Why a copied number is worse than no number
A dollar limit that is five years out of date can cost you a customer, a market spot, or worse. And you cannot tell a stale rule from a current one just by how confident it sounds. The only version that counts is the one you confirmed yourself, this year, for your county and your kitchen.
So the work below is not busywork. It is the thing that lets you take an order and sleep that night.
What to confirm before your first paid order
What to remember
- The name of the state office that handles food safety, and whether home baked goods are handled there or by your county - Whether you need to register, get a permit, or simply follow certain practices with no filing at all - Whether there is a sales limit, and whether it is measured per year, per week, or per customer - Where you are allowed to sell: from home, at a market, at a pickup spot, by delivery, online - What, if anything, has to be printed on your label - Whether you need a food handler card - Who to call when something changes
The calls that settle it
Find the state page
Look for the Arizona state office that handles food safety and find the page about home based or cottage food sales. Save the link and note the date you found it.
Call your county
Ask whether home baked goods are handled locally or at the state level. Ask what you need before your first sale, in plain words.
Ask about each place you plan to sell
Markets, porch pickup, delivery, and online orders may not be treated the same. Ask about every one you plan to use, not just the first.
Write it all down
Date, who you spoke with, what they said. Keep it in your phone notes. If a market manager or a customer ever questions you, you have the answer ready.
Set a yearly recheck
Put a reminder in your phone for the same month each year. Check again any time you add a new product or a new place to sell.
Keep your own records from day one
Even before you know exactly what the state wants, start a simple log. What you baked, when, for whom, and how much you charged. It takes thirty seconds per order and it answers almost any question later, whether that question comes from a customer, a market manager, or an inspector.
If you are still working out whether you need a license at all, do I need a license to sell baked goods from home walks through the difference between a license and a permit. And if you are ready to file, how to get a permit to sell baked goods from home lays out the order to do it in.
Some bakes are off the table no matter what
Certain foods are usually excluded from home based selling because they need temperature control. Before you build a menu around custard pies or cream filled anything, read which food cannot be sold under the cottage food law. It is a shorter list than you think, and it saves you from promising something you cannot legally hand over.
Taking orders and getting paid
Once the rules side is settled, the selling side should be simple. Keep your orders, your customer details, and your payment in one place so you are not scrolling through texts to find out who wanted the sourdough and who already paid.
If you plan to sell through social media or a website, do I need a license to sell baked goods online covers the questions to ask before you post your first menu.
Frequently asked questions
Can I just start selling from my home kitchen in Arizona? Not on a guess. Confirm with the state office that handles food safety whether home baked goods need a registration, a permit, or only certain practices. Get the answer in writing, with the date and the name of the person who gave it.
Why does this page not list Arizona’s dollar limit or label rules? Because those details change, and I could not pull the current program details from a primary source while writing this. A number copied from an old blog post is worse than no number.
Do the rules apply if I only sell to friends and neighbors? That depends on what the state and your county say about where sales can happen. Ask the question in those exact words when you call, and say that you plan to sell from home rather than at a market.
How often should I recheck? Once a year, and again any time you add a new product or a new place to sell.
Do I need to tell customers anything about how the food was made? Ask the state office what has to appear on your label, if anything, and write the answer down word for word. Then set your label once and use it on every order.
This is general information, not legal advice. Cottage food rules change, and what applies to you depends on your county and what you bake. Confirm with the state or county office that handles food safety before you sell.