Cottage Food Law Map › Handouts › Texas

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Cottage food quick guide · Last reviewed October 2026

Selling homemade food in Texas

Mendocino
Food Consulting

Sales cap
$150,000
Permit or registration
No permit; food handler course; DSHS registration for TCS foods
Online & shipping
Online orders delivered personally by you, an employee, or a household member
Sell through stores
Registered cottage food vendors resell at markets, stores, and restaurants; non-TCS wholesale to vendors
Refrigerated foods
Yes, with DSHS registration and a safe-handling label (SB 541)

Allowed from a home kitchen

Sourdough bread · Cookies & brownies · Fruit pie · Pumpkin pie · Cheesecake · Cake with buttercream · Cake with cream cheese frosting · Macarons · Fruit tamales · Strawberry jam · Low-sugar or freezer jam · Pepper jelly · Shelf-stable salsa · Fresh salsa (refrigerated) · Hot sauce · Canned pickles · Sauerkraut & kimchi · Canned tomato sauce · Granola · Spice rubs & seasoning blends · Roasted coffee · Loose-leaf tea blends · Dried fruit & fruit leather · Freeze-dried candy · Chocolates & truffles · Toffee, fudge & caramels · Marshmallows · Nut butter · Pure honey · Infused honey · Fruit-infused vinegar · Mustard (no egg)

Needs a commercial kitchen or other license

Meat tamales · Beef jerky‡

Ask the agency first

Vanilla extract · Garlic or herb-infused oil · Home-cooked meals · Cheese & yogurt · Cold-pressed juice · Kombucha

Every product has conditions, such as registration, training, labeling, and sales limits. See the full guide for each one. ‡ General rule; not specifically addressed in this state's guidance.

How to start

  1. Make sure the product isn't prohibited: meat, poultry, seafood, ice products, low-acid canned goods, CBD or THC, and raw milk.
  2. Complete an accredited food handler course.
  3. Register with DSHS if you sell TCS foods (refrigerated or frozen). Anyone can register to use an ID number instead of a home address.
  4. For pickled, fermented, or acidified foods, use an approved recipe source and number each batch. New recipes need a DSHS determination.
  5. Label every item.

Key label items

Use the exact required wording shown in the full guide and on the agency's site.

  • “THIS PRODUCT WAS PRODUCED IN A PRIVATE RESIDENCE THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENTAL LICENSING OR INSPECTION.”
  • Name of the operation
  • Home address, or your DSHS-issued ID number
  • Common or usual name of the product
  • Major food allergens used
  • Batch number for pickled, fermented, and acidified products
  • TCS foods: production date and safe-handling statement
  • Online sales: post the label information before payment

Scan for the full Texas guide: product-by-product rules, label details, and official sources.

your-site.netlify.app/cottage-food-laws/texas/

Created by Mendocino Food Consulting (mendocinofoodconsulting.com). Food science questions about your product? Book a call: calendly.com/mendocinofoodconsulting. We are food scientists, not attorneys.

General information only, not legal advice, and no warranty that it is complete or current. Quick facts come from 50-state trackers; product rules come from the state sources listed in the full guide. Cities and counties may add their own rules, and selling across state lines can bring in federal FDA requirements. Confirm with your state agency or local health department before selling. Last reviewed October 2026.

Free to print and share. Read the full Texas guide

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