State Guides5 min read
Utah Cottage Food Laws 2026: Registration vs. Food Freedom
Utah has two home food paths: a registered cottage food operation, or an unregistered food freedom path for direct sales only. Neither has a sales cap.
At a glance
- Two routes.
- You can register as a cottage food production operation with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF), or sell under the Home Consumption and Homemade Food Act, which does not require UDAF registration.
- No sales cap.
- Neither statute imposes a dollar cap on annual sales.
- What you need.
- The registered path requires a food handler permit and UDAF registration. The food freedom path requires a business license but no UDAF registration.
- Where you can sell.
- Registered operations can sell direct to consumers and to stores for resale within Utah. Food freedom sales must be in-person, directly to the final consumer for personal or home consumption, and are not for resale.
Pick your route
Registered cottage food production operation
You register with UDAF, submit a food handler permit, and follow UDAF labeling rules. This path lets you sell direct to consumers and to stores for resale within Utah. You must produce only foods on UDAF's approved list.
Home Consumption and Homemade Food Act
The Home Consumption and Homemade Food Act is separate and serves as an alternative to the Cottage Food Law for those who want to produce food from their home kitchen. It allows an individual with a business license to sell certain homemade foods without the seller needing to be registered with UDAF. Foods produced under the Home Consumption and Homemade Food Act face more restrictions on how and where they can be sold compared to foods made with a Cottage Food registration.
What you can sell
Under the registered cottage food path, products must be on UDAF's approved list. Allowed items include shelf-stable baked goods such as bread, cookies, brownies, fruit pies, and cakes without cream, uncooked egg, custard, meringue, or cream cheese frosting or garnishes. You can also make jams and jellies, hard candies, chocolates, popcorn, granola, trail mix, dried fruits, honey, roasted coffee beans, and dry herbs and seasoning mixes.
Baked goods must be shelf-stable and may not contain cream, uncooked egg, custard, meringue or cream cheese frosting or garnishes. Pies are limited to fruit pies. Jams, jellies, and preserves must contain only the fruits as described in 21 CFR 150, except for tomatoes; fruit butter is not allowed. Sugar-free or no sugar added jams or jellies are not allowed.
What you can’t sell
Under the registered path, TCS foods are not allowed for production. These include meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, eggs, cooked rice, cut fruits and vegetables, and sprouts. Acidified vegetables (such as jalapeno peppers) must be commercially manufactured. Under the registered path, TCS foods are not allowed for production.
Under the Home Consumption and Homemade Food Act, meat and food products containing meat are not allowed for sale, though some exemptions exist for poultry and rabbit meat. Raw (unpasteurized) dairy products are also not allowed.
How and where you can sell
Registered cottage food operations can sell direct to consumers and to stores for resale within Utah. The food freedom path is more restricted. Products may only be sold within Utah. Products must be sold in-person, directly to the final end consumer at a prearranged or agreed upon location only for their personal or home consumption. Products are not for resale (products cannot be sold to retail stores or restaurants).
If selling food freedom products at a farmers market, the only locations where they can be displayed and offered for sale are at a direct-to-sale farmers market or in a separate market section specifically displaying signs that read, "Food items offered for sale in this section of the farmers market are homemade and have not been certified, licensed, regulated or inspected by state or local authorities."
Labels
Registered cottage food products need a label with the product name, net quantity, the words "Home Produced" in bold, 12-point type on the principal display panel, an ingredient statement (unless it is a single ingredient product), the name, street address, city, state, zip code, and telephone number of the cottage food production operation, and allergen information. Food freedom products need a disclaimer stating "Not for Resale – Processed and prepared without the benefit of state or local inspection" and an allergen list.
Label rules last verified Oct 3, 2026 against 4 official sources.
Make a Utah labelMore
Code R70-560, selling direct to consumers or to stores for resale within Utah. The same label rules apply to every sale; the saved pages do not set different rules by sales channel. UDAF's guidelines also describe self-serve bulk dispensers and full-service (custom or on-demand) food, where fewer items are required; those are not modeled here because § 4-5-501(4)(c) requires the operator to 'package a cottage food product with a label'.Required on the label
Home Produced
- Product nameThe name specified by federal regulation or, if there is none, the name commonly used for the food or an adequately descriptive name.
- AllergensName the food source of each major food allergen in the food, unless the source is already part of the ingredient's common or usual name (for example soybean oil or milk).
- Net quantityAn accurate, definite amount (no 'approximately', 'when packed', 'minimum' or similar).
- Business or producer nameThe name of the cottage food production operation.
- AddressThe rule says 'place of business'.
- Phone numberThe telephone number of the cottage food production operation.
- Label layout: panels and minimum print heightProduct name, net quantity and 'Home Produced' go on the principal display panel.
Depends on your product or how you sell
- IngredientsWhen: The food is made from two or more ingredients (the guidelines say 'unless it is a single ingredient product').In descending order of predominance by weight, heaviest to lightest, each by its common or usual name.
- Nutrition informationWhen: The product does not qualify for an exemption from nutrition labeling.Nutrition Facts in the FDA approved format (the guidelines cite 21 CFR 101.9).
The cottage food rules say nothing about date made. That does not make them optional: general food labeling rules may still apply, and the label generator lets you add them.
Before your first sale
- To do: Decide which path fits your business: registered cottage food or food freedom.
- To do: If registering, get a food handler permit and register with UDAF.
- To do: Check every product against UDAF's approved list if you are on the registered path.
- To do: Print labels with the required wording for your chosen path.
- To do: If selling food freedom products at a farmers market, confirm the market has the required signage.
- To do: Check city business license, zoning, and tax rules separately; the cottage food rules do not cover them.
Common questions
Does Utah have a sales cap for cottage food?
No. Neither the cottage food registration statute nor the Home Consumption and Homemade Food Act imposes a dollar cap on annual sales. You can scale your home food business under either path without hitting a state revenue limit.
Can I sell cottage food online in Utah?
Yes, if you are on the registered path. Registered operations can sell direct to consumers and to stores for resale within Utah. The food freedom path is restricted to in-person sales directly to the final end consumer at a prearranged or agreed upon location.
Can I sell to stores and restaurants?
Stores, yes, on the registered path: UDAF says registered products "may be sold direct-to-the-consumer or to stores for resale." A restaurant or other food service establishment may not use a cottage food product as an ingredient in food it prepares and offers to the public (Utah Code 4-5-501). Food freedom products are not for resale and cannot be sold to retail stores or restaurants.
Do I need a license to sell food freedom products?
Yes. The Home Consumption and Homemade Food Act allows an individual with a business license to sell certain homemade foods without the seller needing to be registered with UDAF. Ask your city or county about its business license requirements.
