Cottage Food Laws by State
Tennessee Cottage Food Laws
Tennessee exempts homemade food from state licensing, permitting, inspection, and packaging rules, and there is no sales cap or registration to file. The food must be made, and packaged if sold packaged, at your own private residence. A disclosure with your contact details, ingredients, and a residence statement must reach every buyer. Tax laws still apply to your sales.
Annual sales cap
No cap
Permit
None
Training
Not required
Home inspection
No
Online sales
Allowed
Shipping
Allowed
Across state lines
Not allowed
Verified against official sources on 2026-10-21.
Where You Can Sell in Tennessee
You can sell directly to customers in person, by phone, or online, and foods that do not need time or temperature control may also go through a retail shop or grocery store and be delivered by you, an agent, or a carrier. Foods that do need that control must be sold in person by you or your agent. Sales are limited to customers within Tennessee.
| Channel | Status |
|---|---|
| From home | Allowed |
| Roadside stands |
Conditions apply
Time/temperature controlled foods may be sold in person by the producer or the producer's agent, for example at a farm stand on the property where the food was made. |
| Online orders |
Conditions apply
Online and phone sales are allowed; the required disclosure goes on the web page, and time/temperature controlled foods must still be sold in person. |
| Retail stores |
Conditions apply
Foods that are not time/temperature controlled may be sold to consumers by a third-party vendor such as a retail shop or grocery store; time/temperature controlled foods may not. |
What You Can Sell in Tennessee
The law does not list approved products; it sorts homemade foods into those needing time or temperature control for safety and those that do not. The second group has the freest sales rules. Controlled foods may not contain unpasteurized milk, alcohol, fish, shellfish, or meat, and poultry is allowed only under specific federal exemptions.
Any homemade food or non-alcoholic beverage made and packaged at your private residence; foods needing time/temperature control for safety carry extra sales limits and a few banned categories.
Allowed with conditions
- Time/temperature control for safety (TCS) foods — Sold only in person by the producer or the producer's agent; may not be shipped or sold through a third-party vendor.
- Poultry-containing TCS foods — Only if the business meets the federal 1,000-bird poultry exemption (9 CFR 381.10(c)) or uses inspected poultry under 9 CFR 381.10(d).
Not allowed
Limits and Requirements
Annual sales cap
No cap
- Food must be produced and, if packaged, packaged at your private residence
- Intrastate sales only; the exemption does not apply to sales outside Tennessee
- Time/temperature controlled foods must be sold in person by you or your agent
- Required disclosure must reach the customer
- Tax laws still apply
- Exemption lifts if the Department of Health investigates a reported foodborne illness
Local rules: The statute preempts counties, municipalities, and other local governments from prohibiting or regulating the production and sale of homemade food items.
How to Start Selling in Tennessee
-
1
Confirm your food category
Decide whether your product is a non-TCS food or a time/temperature control food, since delivery and sales channels differ.
-
2
Make and package at your residence
The law covers food produced and packaged at your private residence.
-
3
Prepare the disclosure
Include your name, home address, phone number, the food's common name, ingredients in descending order, and the required residence and allergen statement.
-
4
Choose how to sell
Sell directly in person or remotely, or through a retail shop for non-TCS foods; keep TCS foods to in-person sales.
-
5
Check tax obligations
The exemption does not cover tax laws; contact the Tennessee Department of Revenue about sales tax.
What a Compliant Tennessee 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
412 Maple Ave, Springfield, TN
(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 product was produced at a private residence that is exempt from state licensing and inspection. This product may contain allergens.
Label Requirements
Every cottage food product sold in Tennessee 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 |
| "Not inspected" disclosure statement |
Tennessee Labeling Notes
- Packaged foods carry this on a label on the package; bulk foods on the container; unpackaged foods on a placard at the point of sale; internet-only foods on the web page.
- For phone or custom orders, you may skip the label but must tell the buyer the food was made at an exempt private residence and may contain allergens, and give the name, address, phone, name, and ingredients on request.
Required Label Disclosure
This exact text must appear on every label you sell in Tennessee.
This product was produced at a private residence that is exempt from state licensing and inspection. This product may contain allergens.
Quickly Cottage adds this to your label automatically.
Generate your Tennessee label in minutes
Ingredient lists, allergens, and the required disclosure — built in automatically.
Tennessee Cottage Food — Common Questions
State licensing, permitting, and inspection laws do not apply to homemade food items sold under the Food Freedom Act, except when the Department of Health investigates a reported foodborne illness.
Tennessee does not set a dollar cap on cottage food sales.
The statute sets no training or certification requirement.
Online sales are allowed. Shipping is allowed. Online and phone sales are allowed; the required disclosure goes on the web page, and time/temperature controlled foods must still be sold in person.
Not allowed: Unpasteurized milk (in TCS foods); Alcoholic beverages or foods containing them (in TCS foods); Fish (in TCS foods); Shellfish products (in TCS foods); Meat, meat byproducts, and meat food products (in TCS foods).
Resources and Law History
2022
Food Freedom Act exemption for homemade food items in 53-1-118 (per existing site entry; not independently confirmed).
2025
Amended effective July 1, 2025 to cover time/temperature control foods with in-person sales and category exclusions.
Law reference: Tennessee Cottage Food Law (Tenn. Code Ann. 53-1-118 (Exemption for production and sale of homemade food items)) · Last updated 2026 · Always verify requirements with your state's department of agriculture before selling.
Generate your Tennessee labels in minutes
Quickly Cottage builds your ingredient list from the brands you actually use, and generates a label with the Tennessee-required disclosure already included. Start free.