Arizona Cottage Food Law (2026): No Cap, Perishables OK

Once you are registered with ADHS, you can set up a Homegrown storefront so local customers can order ahead, and try it free for 7 days.

In Arizona, you can sell homemade foods with no sales cap and free online registration, and thanks to 2024's "Tamale Bill," you can now sell perishable foods like tamales, prepared meals, dairy foods and acidified foods, not just baked goods. This guide is the rulebook: what you can sell, what you can't, how registration and the food handler card work, what goes on the label and your online listings, and who is allowed to deliver which foods.

Ready to begin? Follow our step-by-step guide to starting a cottage food business in Arizona. It covers the setup in order, from the course to your first sale.

Does Arizona Have a Cottage Food Sales Limit?

No, Arizona has no annual revenue limit on cottage food sales. State law says a registered food preparer "may sell cottage food products to the maximum extent allowed by federal law" (A.R.S. 36-932, subsection D), and no dollar cap appears anywhere in the statute or in ADHS's rule.

The limits Arizona does set are about how you make, label and deliver the food, not how much you sell. Here is the whole law on one screen, as we read it on October 14, 2026:

Scroll sideways to see where each rule comes from.

We read each source on October 14, 2026: the ADHS Cottage Food Program page (every tab), the statutes on azleg.gov and ADHS's copy of rule R9-8-101.02. The $10.99 course price is StateFoodSafety's Arizona food handler card, checked the same day.

One more limit worth knowing: the law defines a home kitchen as a normal residential kitchen that "does not exceed one thousand square feet" (A.R.S. 36-931), and you may not store your products or equipment outside your home.

Do You Need a License to Sell Food From Home in Arizona?

You do not need a paid license, but you must register online with ADHS and complete an accredited food handler training course before you make anything to sell. ADHS's registration page says Arizona residents are required by A.R.S. 36-136 to register "in order to prepare food products in a kitchen of a private home for commercial purposes," and ADHS runs the registration through its MyHealthDepartment portal. People search for this as a "cottage license," and that registration certificate is the closest thing Arizona has to one.

What the registration asks for, according to ADHS's program presentation:

• Your contact information
• The address of the home kitchen you will use
• Your acknowledgment of the program's policies (an attestation you sign)
• A current food handler training certificate of completion

Your registration lasts three years. ADHS's registration page says that to renew, you complete a new registration, and the rule requires you to send ADHS any change to your information within 30 calendar days.

The course has to be done first. ADHS says the requirement "needs to be fulfilled before preparing any products," and an active Food Manager Certification also satisfies it. StateFoodSafety's Arizona food handler course, which is ANAB accredited, was $10.00 plus a $0.99 fee ($10.99 total) on October 14, 2026, takes about 30 minutes and is valid for 3 years.

How Much Does an Arizona Cottage Food License Cost?

The ADHS cottage food registration costs $0. ADHS says registrants can sell "without inspections or fees" as long as they follow the rules. Your real out-of-pocket cost is the food handler course, plus a state sales tax license if you sell taxable products.

Slide the table to see who needs each cost.

Add the first two rows and you can register for $10.99. With a $12 state TPT license, the total is $22.99. City fees vary, so call your city clerk.

For tax, ADHS's FAQ says "food intended for home consumption is tax-exempt on the state level, but some cities charge tax on retail sales of food." The Arizona Department of Revenue's TPT license page says a business selling taxable products "will likely need a license" from the state and from the city, that the state license is $12 per location, and that a home business uses the home address on the application.

What Foods Can You Sell Under Arizona Cottage Food Law?

You can sell most foods made in your home kitchen, including perishable ones, as long as they are not on Arizona's short list of banned foods. ADHS's Approved Foods page opens with "Most foods are allowed!" and lists examples in 8 groups, from baked goods to drinks. Commonly sold items include:

• Baked goods, confections and chocolates: cookies, cakes, cupcakes, pies, cheesecakes, sourdough, bagels, cinnamon rolls, fudge, toffee
• Jams, jellies and honey, including prickly pear jelly, pepper jelly, fruit butters and lemon curd
• Dried mixes and roasted nuts: spice rubs, baking mixes, granola, roasted coffee, loose leaf tea
• Tamales and other prepared meals: tamales, burritos, enchiladas, lasagna, soups like menudo and posole
• Dairy foods like cheesecake and mac and cheese (raw milk is not allowed as an ingredient)
• Acidified and fermented foods: pickles, salsas, hot sauces, kimchi, sauerkraut
• Meat and poultry from an approved source, including jerky
• Drinks: lemonades, agua frescas, cold brew, kombucha, sold in sealed packaging

All of it has to be made and packaged in your home kitchen. ADHS puts it plainly: products "must be processed, packaged, and labeled within the home kitchen then offered to the consumer in that same unaltered packaging. Open sampling, assembly of food, and pouring drinks are not covered under this program!" Its program presentation adds that there is "No outdoor grilling, smoking, drying" either. The processes themselves are allowed in the kitchen: ADHS's Special Processes tab lists freeze-drying, hot or cold smoking, dehydrating, canning, pickling and fermenting as approved processes, and says a perishable food stays perishable after processing unless a lab test shows it is shelf-stable.

Before HB 2042, the program only covered a narrow list of baked and confectionery foods. The broader list means more foods that need careful handling, which the perishable section below covers. Confirm specifics with ADHS before you add a new product: the program says you "must receive prior approval" by emailing CottageFood@azdhs.gov to expand your menu.

What Foods Are Not Allowed Under Arizona Cottage Food Law?

Arizona bans five kinds of food outright: fish, shellfish, raw milk, alcoholic beverages and marijuana-infused products. ADHS's Not Approved list and its FAQ name the same five. State law carves fish, shellfish, unpasteurized milk and alcoholic beverages out of the definition of a cottage food (A.R.S. 36-931), along with meat and poultry that federal law does not allow, and A.R.S. 36-932, subsection F, bars marijuana.

ADHS's approved-foods page adds a second list of things that fall outside the program:

• CBD and kava, because every ingredient must be "Generally Recognized as Safe" by the FDA and "CBD and Kava are not recognized as safe by the FDA"
• Wild foraged produce picked outside a home garden or an approved farm or orchard
• Home-raised quail and hunted game. The Arizona Department of Agriculture does not classify quail as poultry, and hunted animals are not an "approved source"
• Home-raised raw eggs, which the Arizona Department of Agriculture regulates under its Egg Inspections program
• Pet treats and animal feed, also regulated by the Department of Agriculture
• Supplements such as capsules
• Cosmetics, soaps and anything else not meant to be eaten

Alcohol is fine as an ingredient when the finished food is not meant to get anyone drunk. ADHS's FAQ says a product that "is not intended to intoxicate the consumer or contains less than 0.5% alcohol" counts as an approved ingredient, which is why vanilla extract and rum cake are fine.

Searching for an "Arizona cottage food list PDF"? The full approved list lives on the Approved Foods tab of the ADHS program page as web text. None of the eight PDFs on ADHS's Cottage Food Guidance tab is the full list. The closest is its program overview presentation, which repeats the five banned foods and the shipping rules but not every example.

What Does Arizona Law Say About Perishable, Dairy and Meat Products?

Perishable foods are allowed, but you or your employee must sell them and hand them over in person, with no more than 2 hours on the road. ADHS calls these TCS foods, short for "time/temperature control for safety." Its plain-English test: "if the item needs to be refrigerated to be safe, it is most likely considered TCS." Cheese, meats, eggs, cut fruit and cooked vegetables are TCS. Cookies, cakes, breads and brownies are not.

For TCS foods and anything containing meat or poultry, rule R9-8-101.02, subsection D, says the food must be:

1. Delivered in person, directly to the customer
2. Not delivered by a third-party food delivery platform (an app that takes orders for many food businesses and sends a driver)
3. Kept at the right temperature during delivery and until the customer has it
4. Taken to no more than one destination, for no longer than two hours, "including any time spent delayed in traffic"
5. Not sold to the public anywhere except that first destination

State law adds its own version, which names dairy products plus foods that contain meat or poultry. Under A.R.S. 36-932, subsection E, cottage foods that are dairy products or contain meat or poultry "must be sold by the food preparer" in person or remotely, "including over the internet but excluding third-party food delivery platforms, and delivered to the consumer in person." Taking the order online is fine. The handoff has to be yours or your employee's: ADHS's FAQ says TCS items "must be delivered directly to the customer by the registrant or an employee of the registrant."

Meat has one extra rule. ADHS's Meat/Eggs tab says meat and meat by-products "do not have the option for third party sale even if they are classified as shelf-stable and non-TCS." So beef jerky, which can be shelf-stable, still cannot sit on a coffee shop counter. Beef and pork must come from a USDA-inspected source, like a grocery store or butcher. Home-raised chickens can work if you stay inside the state and federal poultry exemptions; the statute names the 1,000-bird exemption in federal rules.

Can a perishable recipe become shelf-stable? Sometimes. ADHS lets you send lab results showing a water activity below 0.85 or a pH of 4.6 or below, and a food that tests as non-TCS can then be sold through stores, except dairy products and foods with meat or poultry; if the recipe has a dairy ingredient, ask ADHS first. Testing is optional, and ADHS's Food Testing tab lists two University of Arizona labs. Our TCS food list explains the TCS idea with more examples.

How Do You Start Selling Cottage Food in Arizona? (Step by Step)

You start in six steps, and the slowest one is waiting for ADHS. Its step-by-step registration guide says "Applications have 4-6 weeks to process but, typically you'll receive an email from us within two weeks." Plan your first sale for after the certificate arrives, not the week you apply.

• Get your food handler certificate. Complete an accredited course (StateFoodSafety's Arizona course was $10.99 on October 14, 2026, valid three years). Check the county note in the license section if you planned on a county card.
• Register online with ADHS. It is free through the MyHealthDepartment portal, and it renews every three years. Upload your certificate, list your menu and sign the attestation.
• Set up safe production. This matters most now that perishables are allowed: a working fridge thermometer, a cooler and ice packs for deliveries, and a plan to keep hot food at 135°F or above.
• Label every product. Include your name, registration number, all ingredients, the production date, the exact home-kitchen sentence and the azdhs.gov/Cottagefood line.
• Choose your sales channels. Markets, porch pickup, local delivery and online ordering all work inside Arizona. Stores and shipping are only for shelf-stable foods (check with ADHS first if a recipe uses butter, milk or cheese), never for dairy products, meat or poultry.
• Start selling. Make food for sale only after your certificate arrives. There's no cap, so you can grow as demand allows.

Once your certificate arrives, print it. Rule R9-8-101.02 says you must display it when you sell anywhere other than your home kitchen, such as a farmers market booth or a pop-up.

What Must an Arizona Cottage Food Label Include?

Each Arizona cottage food product must be packaged at home with a label that has six parts (the sixth only if it applies). Even 1 jar of jelly needs the first five, and the home-kitchen sentence alone runs 28 words. Rule R9-8-101.02, subsection C, and the ADHS labeling page list them:

• Your name and registration number
• All ingredients, including the ingredients inside components (the chocolate chips in your cookie, the broth in your tamale masa)
• The production date
• This exact disclaimer: This product was produced in a home kitchen that may come in contact with common food allergens and pet allergens and is not subject to public health inspection.
• The ADHS website line. The rule's wording is: To obtain additional information about cottage foods or to report a foodborne illness, go to azdhs.gov/Cottagefood
• If it applies, a statement that the food was made in a facility for individuals with developmental disabilities

Copy the disclaimer from the statute word for word. ADHS's FAQ still shows an older version ("may process common food allergens"), but A.R.S. 36-932 and the rule both say "may come in contact with," and the statute is the one that binds you.

The package itself has rules too. It must be clean, secure and fully enclose the food, and it needs a tamper-evident seal; the rule says the seal "could be the label." Samples follow the same rule: ADHS says "each sample must be packaged and labeled."

Selling to a store? ADHS's labeling page adds two more label lines for products sold to a retail establishment: a Declaration of Responsibility and a Declaration of Quantity, under A.R.S. 3-3431. Questions about those go to the Arizona Department of Agriculture's Office of Weights and Measures.

See our cottage food labeling guide for templates, and the cottage food label checklist to check a finished label line by line.

Do Your Online Listings Need the Label Information?

Yes, if customers can order from your post, page or storefront, Arizona law requires the label information in the listing itself, not just on the package. A.R.S. 36-932, subsection B, calls it a "prominent notification" with your name and registration number, ingredients and production date, the home-kitchen sentence and the ADHS website. ADHS's rule R9-8-101.02, subsection E, then requires "all of the labeling information" from the package label, so every listing that takes orders carries the whole six-part label (the sixth part only if it applies). In our pull of the Homegrown catalog on October 14, 2026, none of the 44 products Arizona vendors listed as food (some, like a radish bunch and fresh quail eggs, are not cottage foods at all) carried the home-kitchen sentence or a registration number in its name or description. Our pull does not include the separate allergens and ingredients field, so some of these vendors may show the label information there instead.

ADHS's Online Advertising FAQ explains what counts:

• A listing that takes orders counts. Its examples are Facebook, Nextdoor, Instagram, eBay and your own website. "If your customers can pick from a menu of options to call or place an order online, you must include the labeling information."
• Two ways to show it. Post a picture of the label next to the product photo, or type the required information into the listing description.
• Pre-orders for market pickup count. If customers can pre-order for pickup at your booth, the label information goes in the advertisement.
• A "find me at the market" post does not. An ad that only says where you will set up, with no ordering, does not need it.
• It is both, not either. ADHS: "customers must have all this information while purchasing online and attached to the packaging."

Where Can You Sell Cottage Foods in Arizona?

You can sell anywhere inside Arizona, and what you sell decides who can hand it over. Rule R9-8-101.02 says you "shall only offer cottage FOODS for sale and delivery in Arizona," and ADHS's FAQ says online sales go "only to addresses in Arizona." Allowed channels include:

• Farmers markets and community events (display your certificate)
• From home, with porch or doorstep pickup
• Online, with local pickup or your own delivery
• Stores, coffee shops and kiosks, for shelf-stable cookies, breads, brownies and jams (not dairy products, meat or poultry; ask ADHS about recipes with dairy)
• Shipping by a carrier to Arizona addresses, for shelf-stable foods only (the same dairy question applies)

Swipe the table to see which foods can go which way.

From A.R.S. 36-932(E), rule R9-8-101.02(D), ADHS's FAQ and its program presentation, all read October 14, 2026. A food that lab tests as non-TCS can move to the left column, except dairy products and foods with meat or poultry, which state law keeps out of stores and carriers; ADHS adds that meat never has a third-party option, even when it is shelf-stable.

Which column is your food in? ADHS's FAQ says "Non-TCS or shelf-stable items are allowed to be sold at retail stores" and gives cookies, cakes, breads and brownies as its examples of non-TCS foods, while the statute's in-person rule covers dairy products and anything containing meat or poultry. Cheese and other dairy products stay out of stores and carriers. The gray area is a shelf-stable recipe with butter, milk or cheese in it. The statute's store and carrier permission, A.R.S. 36-932 subsection E(1), is written for cottage foods that "do not contain dairy, meat or poultry." ADHS draws its line somewhere else: its labeling page says "perishables (foods requiring refrigeration) and meat/ meat by-products are not allowed to be sold by a third party," and the cookies and cakes its FAQ calls store-eligible are usually made with butter or milk. So the statute's wording and ADHS's guidance differ for recipes with a dairy ingredient. If yours has one, email CottageFood@azdhs.gov and ask before you stock a store shelf.

A store that carries your shelf-stable products has its own job: state law says it must keep them in "a separate section of the store or on a separate display case" and post a sign saying they are "homemade and exempt from state licensing and inspection." And no matter the food, a cottage food cannot become an ingredient in food sold by a permitted retail food establishment, so a restaurant cannot buy your salsa to serve on its tacos.

How Can You Take Arizona Cottage Food Orders Online and Keep the Label Rule?

Because Arizona allows a wide product range with no cap, a real storefront helps you take orders and manage pickup without living in your DMs, and it gives each product a place to hold its label information. Homegrown gives Arizona vendors an online storefront with built-in payments, an allergens and ingredients field on every listing, and a pickup schedule you set, from $10 per month billed yearly ($12.50 billed monthly), with no percentage fees beyond standard payment processing. That fits the perishable rule: customers order and pay online, then pick up from you or get your delivery.

Compare that to two tools a home food vendor might weigh it against. Hotplate has no monthly plan but adds a 5% + $0.55 fee to your customer's order by default, and you still pay 2.9% + $0.30 card processing. Square Online's Free plan costs $0 a month and charges 3.3% + 30¢ on each online card sale. Here is the full fee stack on a $20 order, checked October 14, 2026:

Scroll sideways to see every fee for each platform.

Every fee comes from the company's own page, loaded October 14, 2026: Homegrown's signup page, Hotplate's pricing page and its post "What Hotplate does", which says "we charge a fee to your customer" and "80% of Hotplate chefs keep the default as-is," and Square's online store plans. Hotplate's default card fee is shown as a range: $0.88 if it is figured on the $20 order alone and about $0.92 ($0.925) if it is figured on everything the customer pays, because Hotplate's own pricing example puts the card fee on the order and tip, not on its own fee. Monthly totals use the unrounded fee, so the top of that range is $0.925 x 50 = $46.25. Sales tax is left out, since Arizona does not tax food for home consumption at the state level.

Honest bounds: Homegrown does not register you with ADHS, write your label or check your listings against the law; that part is yours. Customers create a Homegrown account to place their first order. Homegrown has no drops or countdown release feature, and no release date for one. Your storefront is listed on the Homegrown marketplace, but plan on most orders coming from people you send to your own link. Card processing is paid by you, with no way to pass it to the customer. If you are ready to put your Arizona menu online with the ingredients on every listing, set up your Homegrown storefront.

How Much Can You Make Selling Cottage Food in Arizona?

Arizona puts no limit on what you can earn from cottage food; your ceiling is demand and how much your kitchen can make. With no cap and a food list that now includes tamales, prepared meals and dairy foods, the practical limit is kitchen capacity and how consistently you can produce.

Arizona's wider food list is your edge. Prepared meals, dairy foods and tamales are products Arizona's old baked goods and candy program never allowed, so they can set your booth apart at a Phoenix or Tucson market. A few ways to get the most out of it:

• Price for margin. With no cap, what you keep per item matters more than raw volume, so cost out ingredients, packaging, your time and card processing before you set a price. On a $20 order, 2.9% + $0.30 card processing is $0.88.
• Keep direct and online both open. Markets plus online pickup or delivery widen your reach within Arizona.
• Build repeat buyers. Weekly pickup, pre-orders and a standing order list make income steadier.
• Scale capacity. With no cap, production becomes the real limit, and perishables add a second one: each delivery run goes to one destination within two hours.

A practical way to start is a single weekly market or a Friday pickup window: build a base of regulars, and only then add products and channels, keeping food safety front and center as you make more perishable food. If you sell at markets, our Arizona farmers market vendor permit guide covers what the market itself may ask for.

Do You Need Other Permits, Tax Licenses or Zoning Approval?

The cottage food program itself needs nothing else: ADHS's FAQ says it "does not require any outside licensing to be accepted into the program." Your city, county and state tax office are separate, and ADHS suggests you contact:

• Your city clerk, for local business license requirements
• Your county planning and zoning office, for rules on home-based businesses
• Your county assessor, for business property tax questions
• Your insurance company, to see how a home business affects your homeowner's liability coverage

Add one call ADHS's list leaves out: the Arizona Department of Revenue, which issues the transaction privilege tax (TPT) license, the state's version of a sales tax license, for $12 per location.

ADHS's program presentation adds a reminder: "Cities may require seller's permits and HOA's have restrictions." Check your HOA rules before you put a pickup cooler on the porch. ADHS's FAQ also notes that some cities charge tax on retail sales of food even though the state does not, so ask about food tax when you call your city clerk.

What Mistakes Should You Avoid Selling Cottage Food in Arizona?

The most common mistakes are skipping a step ADHS treats as required. Each of these can cost you your registration:

• Skipping registration or the food handler card. Both are required even though the registration has no fee, and the course comes first.
• Selling before the certificate arrives. Processing can take 4 to 6 weeks, and you cannot make food for sale without a current registration.
• Mishandling perishables. The broad list means more food-safety responsibility for TCS foods: one destination, two hours, kept at temperature.
• Using a delivery app or a store for perishables. Dairy products, meat, poultry and other TCS foods go from your hands, or your employee's, to the customer.
• Selling across state lines. Keep sales and deliveries to Arizona customers and Arizona addresses.
• Missing the disclaimer or the ADHS line. The full home-kitchen disclaimer and the ADHS website line are both mandatory, along with the production date.
• Leaving the label off your online listing. If customers can order from it, the label information goes in the listing.
• Adding products without approval. ADHS wants an email before you expand your menu, and an attestation form for new perishable foods.
• Counting on the wrong county card. ADHS lists La Paz, Mohave, Pima and Yuma as counties that can provide food handler cards, and Pima's certificate is not ANSI-accredited. Check before you rely on a county card.

What Happens If You Break Arizona's Cottage Food Rules?

ADHS can suspend or revoke your registration, and selling without one makes you an illegal food business. The FAQ spells out the trade: follow the rules and you can "grow your small business without inspections or fees." Break them and "you lose these benefits through suspension or revocation of your registration. You would become an illegal food establishment, subject to fines."

Problems reach ADHS in 3 main ways:

1. Customers and other vendors can email CottageFood@azdhs.gov or file a complaint with the program.
2. Anyone who gets sick can report it through the ADHS website printed on your label, which is why that line is required.
3. ADHS keeps a public, live list of registrants on MyHealthDepartment, so a customer or market manager can check that you are registered.

If you think a batch you already sold had a problem, ADHS asks you to email cottagefood@azdhs.gov or foodsafety@azdhs.gov with your name, registration number, the product and what went wrong.

What Recently Changed in Arizona's Cottage Food Law? (The Tamale Bill)

Arizona's "Tamale Law" is HB 2042, which turned a program for baked goods and candy into one that covers perishable foods. Governor Katie Hobbs signed it on March 29, 2024, it became Laws 2024, chapter 18, and it took effect on September 14, 2024.

• Before HB 2042. Arizona's program centered on baked goods and other non-perishable foods. ADHS notes the certificate used to be called the "Home Baked and Confectionery Goods" certificate.
• HB 2042, the "Tamale Bill" (effective September 14, 2024). It legalized tamales, prepared meals, dairy foods, acidified foods and meats from approved sources, and set the in-person delivery rules for dairy products, meat and poultry.
• The new rules (effective February 4, 2025). HB 2042 itself already required the label, the online listing notice and the two-hour transport limit for perishables. ADHS's rule R9-8-101.02 filled in the details: the exact azdhs.gov/Cottagefood label line, a tamper-evident seal, traffic delays counting toward the two hours, no sales except at the first destination, and the conditions for using a third-party delivery platform.
• Nothing new pending. ADHS's list of active rulemakings, checked October 14, 2026, listed 19 rules in progress and none about cottage food.

ADHS's approved list now names "Tamales (Red Beef, Green Corn, Chicken, Pork, Cheese & Jalapeño)," so beef, chicken, pork and cheese tamales are all on it. Our guide on how to sell tamales from home covers pricing and packing a dozen. The registration and food handler requirements remain. Always confirm the current allowed-food list with ADHS.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Arizona have a cottage food sales limit?

No. Arizona imposes no annual revenue cap on cottage food sales. Arizona cottage food law lets a registered preparer sell "to the maximum extent allowed by federal law," checked in A.R.S. 36-932 on October 14, 2026.

Do you need a license to sell food from home in Arizona?

You need a free ADHS registration, not a paid license, and you must finish an accredited food handler course before you register (StateFoodSafety's Arizona course was $10.99 on October 14, 2026, valid three years). Registration renews every three years. If you sell taxable products, the state's TPT license is $12 per location.

Can you sell tamales or prepared meals in Arizona?

Yes. HB 2042, the Tamale Bill, effective September 14, 2024, opened Arizona cottage food law to tamales, prepared meals, dairy foods, acidified foods and meats from approved sources. ADHS's approved list names beef, chicken, pork and cheese tamales. Because they are perishable (TCS) or contain meat or poultry, you or your employee sell them and hand them over in person.

Can you sell perishable foods in Arizona?

Yes. Arizona allows perishable (TCS) foods under its cottage food program since HB 2042, with conditions: you or your employee hand them over in person (pickup or your own delivery), keep them at a safe temperature, and any delivery goes to a single destination within two hours. They cannot be shipped, sold in stores or sent through a third-party delivery app.

What label is required on Arizona cottage foods?

Your name and registration number, all ingredients, the production date, the disclaimer "This product was produced in a home kitchen that may come in contact with common food allergens and pet allergens and is not subject to public health inspection," and the line "To obtain additional information about cottage foods or to report a foodborne illness, go to azdhs.gov/Cottagefood." Add a developmental disabilities statement if it applies. The same information goes in any online listing customers can order from.

Where can you sell cottage food in Arizona?

Anywhere in Arizona, to Arizona customers: markets, events, your home and online for local pickup or your own delivery. Shelf-stable products such as cookies, bread and jam can also go through stores and be shipped to Arizona addresses. If the recipe has butter, milk or cheese, ask ADHS first; the statute and ADHS's guidance differ on those. Perishable foods, dairy products, meat and poultry must be handed to the customer by you or your employee.

How much does it cost to start in Arizona?

ADHS registration is free, and there's no inspection fee. Your main cost is the food handler course, $10.99 at StateFoodSafety on October 14, 2026, plus a $12 state TPT license if you sell taxable products and any city license your town requires.

Do you have to renew your Arizona cottage food registration?

Yes. ADHS registration renews every three years, and ADHS says you renew by completing a new registration. Your food handler certificate also has to stay active; StateFoodSafety's card is valid for three years. Report any change to your registration information within 30 days.

Related Reading

These guides answer the questions that come right after the rules:

• How to Start a Cottage Food Business in Arizona: the setup steps in order, with costs and wait times
• How to Sell Tamales From Home: tamale rules state by state, pricing and packing
• Cottage Food Labeling Requirements: label templates you can adapt to Arizona's six parts
• TCS Food List: which foods count as perishable, with examples
• Farmers Market Vendor Permit Guide for Arizona: what a market may ask for on top of your registration

Start Selling Cottage Food in Arizona

With no cap, a $0 registration and a food list that now includes tamales and prepared meals, Arizona gives home food businesses room to grow. Once you're registered and your labels carry the disclaimer and the ADHS line, the next step is making it easy for customers to order and pay. Set up a Homegrown storefront for Arizona cottage food orders with local pickup, then compare the rules in nearby states like California, Nevada, Utah and New Mexico, or see the full cottage food laws by state hub.

*This guide is general information, not legal advice. Cottage food rules change, so verify current requirements with ADHS before selling. Last verified: October 14, 2026.*