Cottage Food Laws by State
Alaska Cottage Food Laws
Alaska exempts homemade food from state licensing, permitting, packaging, labeling, and inspection rules as long as you follow the homemade food statute. There is no dollar cap and no registration to file. Food must be made in a private home kitchen or a leased kitchen, sold within Alaska, and bought for personal consumption.
Annual sales cap
No cap
Permit
None
Training
Not required
Home inspection
No
Online sales
Allowed
Across state lines
Not allowed
Verified against official sources on 2026-10-21.
Where You Can Sell in Alaska
You can sell at farmers markets, agricultural fairs, your home, farm, or ranch, an agreed meeting spot, or through a third-party shop. Shops may carry only non-hazardous items and must keep them apart from inspected food with a clear sign. Restaurants and other commercial food establishments cannot buy or use your products, and crossing state lines is off limits.
| Channel | Status |
|---|---|
| From home |
Conditions apply
Sales from the producer's home, office, farm, or ranch are allowed; a retail space there must post the same home-kitchen sign. |
| Farmers markets | Allowed |
| Events & festivals |
Conditions apply
Agricultural fairs are named in the statute; sales may also happen at a location agreed on between producer and buyer. |
| Roadside stands | Allowed |
| Retail stores |
Conditions apply
Third-party shops may sell non-potentially-hazardous homemade food only; it cannot share a shelf or display with inspected food, and a sign must say it was made in a home kitchen, may contain allergens, and is not regulated or inspected. |
| Restaurants |
Conditions apply
Homemade food may not be sold or used in a commercial food establishment, except raw, unprocessed fruits and vegetables. |
What You Can Sell in Alaska
The law is broad rather than a list of approved items. Seafood, game meat, rendered animal-fat oil, and controlled substances are excluded, and meat is allowed only under the statute's own terms. Foods that need time or temperature control can be sold, but you must sell them yourself rather than through a store or agent. Egg sales have their own seller rule.
Any food or drink made in a private home kitchen (or a leased kitchen) for personal consumption, except seafood, game meat, animal-fat oil, and controlled substances; meat only as the statute allows.
Allowed with conditions
- Potentially hazardous homemade food (needs time or temperature control) — Allowed, but the seller must be the producer, not an agent or third-party shop (eggs excepted).
- Meat and meat products — Allowed only as provided in AS 17.20.332(h), subject to federal law.
Not allowed
Limits and Requirements
Annual sales cap
No cap
- Sales are for personal consumption only
- Sales must occur within Alaska; no interstate commerce
- Homemade food may not be sold in or used by a commercial food establishment (raw, unprocessed produce excepted)
- Sellers of potentially hazardous homemade food must be the producer
- Federal and local laws and ordinances still apply
- DEC may still investigate illness reports, unsafe practices, or misbranded food
Local rules: The statute does not exempt sellers from federal or local laws, regulations, and ordinances on food. Check borough or city zoning and licensing before selling.
How to Start Selling in Alaska
-
1
Confirm your food qualifies
Check that it is not seafood, game meat, animal-fat oil, or a controlled substance, and that you will sell only inside Alaska.
-
2
Check local rules
The exemption does not override federal or local laws, so ask your borough or city about zoning, business licensing, and any ordinances.
-
3
Prepare the label
Put your name, current address, phone number, and business license number (if you have one) on each package, with the required home-kitchen statement.
-
4
Prepare the point-of-sale notice
For unpackaged food, tell the buyer it was made under AS 17.20.332-17.20.338 and is not subject to certain state requirements, and give them your name, address, and phone. Retail spaces post a home-kitchen sign.
-
5
Choose where to sell
Farmers markets, agricultural fairs, your home, farm or ranch, an agreed location, or a third-party shop for non-hazardous foods.
What a Compliant Alaska Label Looks Like
Quickly Cottage builds your ingredient list, detects allergens, and adds the required disclosure automatically.
Product
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake Pops
Sunflower Home Bakery
Permit #CF-10293
412 Maple Ave, Springfield, AK
(555) 010-0142
Ingredients:
Enriched Bleached Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Sugar, Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Leavening (Baking Soda, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Corn Starch, Salt, Soybean Oil; Sugar, Unsweetened Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Milkfat, Soy Lecithin, Vanilla; Sugar, Corn Starch, Vegetable Oil (Palm), Confectioner's Glaze, Carnauba Wax, FD&C Colors; Water, Propylene Glycol, FD&C Red 40.
Contains:
This food was made in a home kitchen, is not regulated or inspected, except for meat and meat products, and may contain allergens.
Label Requirements
Every cottage food product sold in Alaska must have a label that includes the following.
| Required field |
|---|
| All 9 FDA major allergens present |
| Complete ingredient list, in descending order by weight |
| Business name |
| Business address |
| Product name |
| Phone number |
| Permit number |
| "Not inspected" disclosure statement |
Alaska Labeling Notes
- Applies to homemade food packaged for individual sale.
- Unpackaged food: tell the buyer verbally or in writing before the sale that it is exempt from certain state requirements, and give your name, address, phone, and license number if any.
- Retail spaces selling homemade food must prominently display a sign that it was made in a home kitchen, may contain allergens, and is not regulated or inspected.
Required Label Disclosure
This exact text must appear on every label you sell in Alaska.
This food was made in a home kitchen, is not regulated or inspected, except for meat and meat products, and may contain allergens.
Quickly Cottage adds this to your label automatically.
Generate your Alaska label in minutes
Ingredient lists, allergens, and the required disclosure — built in automatically.
Alaska Cottage Food — Common Questions
Homemade food sold in compliance with AS 17.20.332 is exempt from state labeling, licensing, packaging, permitting, and inspection requirements.
Alaska does not set a dollar cap on cottage food sales.
Online sales are allowed.
Not allowed: Seafood; Controlled substances; Oil rendered from animal fat; Game meat; Anything sold across state lines.
Resources and Law History
Who to contact
Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Food Safety and Sanitation Program
907-269-7501
Agency website2012
DEC adopted 18 AAC 31.012, a regulatory cottage food exemption with a $25,000 yearly sales ceiling.
Sources
Law reference: Alaska Cottage Food Law (Alaska Statutes 17.20.332 (Exemption for homemade food) and 17.20.334-17.20.338) · Last updated 2026 · Always verify requirements with your state's department of agriculture before selling.
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