the utah cottage food and food freedom laws, in plain english

what you can sell from your home kitchen in utah, who you register with, where you can sell, and what the label has to say. checked against the state’s own pages on october 14, 2026.

by tommy + omarchecked october 14, 2026

utah: register first, no sales cap, unclear on selling online, no shipping within the state. tap any state to see its rules.

on this page

1at a glance 2what you can sell 3how to start 4where you can sell 5labels 6what’s changed 7good to know 8questions 9sources

the short answer

yes, utah gives you two ways to sell food from your home kitchen, and neither has a sales cap. under the home consumption and homemade food act, you can sell almost any homemade food, including cheesecake, with no state permit, as long as you sell it directly to the person who’ll eat it, in utah, and label it. or register as a cottage food operation with the utah department of agriculture and food (udaf): it costs $100 a year, needs a kitchen inspection and a food handler permit, and covers shelf-stable foods like bread, cookies and jam that you can also sell to utah stores.

utah cottage food rules at a glance

utah cottage food rules at a glance
the law	utah cottage food program and home consumption and homemade food act (utah code section 4-5-501 (cottage food) and title 4, chapter 5a (home consumption and homemade food act))
who runs it	utah department of agriculture and food (udaf)
registration	yes udaf cottage food registration (none needed for the homemade food act) ($100 a year (udaf’s fee schedule also lists a $100 cottage plan review)). renewed every year
kitchen inspection	limitedsometimes
training	nonone for the homemade food act; a cottage food registration needs a food handler permit for everyone who works on your products
yearly sales cap	no sales cap
selling from your home	yes
selling at farmers markets and events	yesat farmers markets, homemade food act products go in a separate direct-to-sale area
selling online orders	unclearudaf doesn’t address online orders; homemade food act sales are made in person at an agreed spot
selling delivering it yourself	yeshomemade food act: you or a designated representative you contract with can deliver to an agreed location in utah
selling shipping within the state	nousu extension says cottage foods can’t be mailed; homemade food act sales are in person
selling shipping to other states	noboth paths are limited to sales within utah
selling to stores, cafes and restaurants	limitedcottage food registrants can sell to utah stores for resale; homemade food act foods can’t be resold or sold to restaurants

what can you sell from home in utah?

you can sell

bread, cookies and cakes without cream or custard fillings
jams, jellies and preserves
hard candy, brittle and cotton candy
granola, trail mix and popcorn
roasted coffee, honey and vanilla extract
cheesecake, cream pies and salsa, under the homemade food act only

you can’t sell

meat and foods made with meat, with small exceptions for poultry and rabbit
raw milk and raw milk products
alcoholic drinks
refrigerated or frozen foods, under a cottage food registration
cream, custard or egg-based frostings, under a cottage food registration

these are examples, not the full list. check the utah department of agriculture and food (udaf) before you sell something new.

how do you start a cottage food business in utah?

register if your sales or foods call for it: a udaf cottage food registration (none needed for the homemade food act) from the utah department of agriculture and food (udaf). it costs $100 a year (udaf’s fee schedule also lists a $100 cottage plan review). you renew it every year. start here.
get your kitchen inspected if the agency asks.
label everything the way the law asks (below).
start selling in the ways utah allows, and keep track of your sales if there’s a cap.

where and how can you sell in utah?

from your home	yes
at farmers markets and events	yesat farmers markets, homemade food act products go in a separate direct-to-sale area
online orders	unclearudaf doesn’t address online orders; homemade food act sales are made in person at an agreed spot
delivering it yourself	yeshomemade food act: you or a designated representative you contract with can deliver to an agreed location in utah
shipping within the state	nousu extension says cottage foods can’t be mailed; homemade food act sales are in person
shipping to other states	noboth paths are limited to sales within utah
to stores, cafes and restaurants	limitedcottage food registrants can sell to utah stores for resale; homemade food act foods can’t be resold or sold to restaurants

on wareby, food is always pickup or delivery by the shop, never a courier and never shipped, which fits the rules in every state. how to sell food online from home.

what goes on a cottage food label in utah?

“Home Produced”
the statement utah requires on your label

the label also needs:

cottage food: the product name
cottage food: ingredients with allergens
cottage food: net weight
cottage food: your business name, address and phone number
homemade food act: your name and address
homemade food act: an allergen statement
homemade food act: a statement that it’s not for resale and was processed and prepared without state or local inspection

what’s changed in utah, and what’s coming?

when	what
july 1, 2026	food made in a private home kitchen and sold by a home cook became exempt from state sales tax (sb 217)
may 6, 2026	sb 217 updated the homemade food act: you or a designated representative you contract with can sell and deliver at an agreed location, and a signage rule for direct-to-sale markets was dropped
2023	direct sales run only by kids under 18 were exempted from the homemade food act’s labeling rules

what else should you know in utah?

either way, you need a business license from your city or county.
since july 1, 2026, sales of food made by a home cook in a private home kitchen are exempt from state sales tax.
under the homemade food act, you must tell each buyer the food isn’t certified, licensed, regulated or inspected by the state, county or city.
to sell hot meals from home, look at a microenterprise home kitchen permit from your local health department.

questions people ask

do i need a license to sell baked goods from home in utah?

it depends on what and how much you sell. utah’s rules call for a udaf cottage food registration (none needed for the homemade food act) in some cases: check with the utah department of agriculture and food (udaf).

can i sell cottage food online in utah?

the rules don’t say clearly. udaf doesn’t address online orders; homemade food act sales are made in person at an agreed spot.

can i ship cottage food in utah?

not within utah: usu extension says cottage foods can’t be mailed; homemade food act sales are in person. shipping to other states isn’t allowed either.

how much can i sell from home in utah?

there’s no yearly sales cap.

can i sell to stores or coffee shops in utah?

with limits: cottage food registrants can sell to utah stores for resale; homemade food act foods can’t be resold or sold to restaurants.

what can’t i sell from home in utah?

the usual no’s: meat and foods made with meat, with small exceptions for poultry and rabbit, raw milk and raw milk products, alcoholic drinks, refrigerated or frozen foods, under a cottage food registration, cream, custard or egg-based frostings, under a cottage food registration. check with the utah department of agriculture and food (udaf) before you sell something new.

sources

this is general information to help you get started, not legal advice. we checked it against utah’s own pages on october 14, 2026, and laws change, so confirm with the utah department of agriculture and food (udaf) (and your city or county) before you sell. spot something out of date? email hello@shopwareby.com.

written by tommy + omar

we sold cinnamon rolls from home as minnesota cottage food producers before we opened a licensed kitchen and built wareby. our story