Cottage Food Laws by State
Utah Cottage Food Laws
Utah has no sales cap for home food sellers and, under the Home Consumption and Homemade Food Act, no state permit or inspection. You sell straight to the person who will eat the food, and that buyer must be told the product is uninspected. A separate Cottage Food Program exists for those who want to register with the state and reach retail outlets.
Annual sales cap
No cap
Permit
Optional
Training
Not required
Shipping
Not allowed
Across state lines
Not allowed
Wholesale
Not allowed
Verified against official sources on 2026-10-21.
Where You Can Sell in Utah
Sell in person at your home, farm, office, or any spot you and the buyer agree on, or in a designated homemade section of a farmers market. A designated representative may sell for you, and you keep ownership unless you agree otherwise. Restaurants and commercial establishments cannot buy or use these foods, and nothing may be mailed or sold outside Utah.
| Channel | Status |
|---|---|
| From home |
Conditions apply
A direct-to-sale location includes a farm, ranch, home, office, or any place the producer and buyer agree on. |
| Farmers markets |
Conditions apply
Homemade Food Act products must be sold in a direct-to-sale farmers market; if it is tied to a regular farmers market, the homemade area must be separated and marked as such. |
| Retail stores |
Conditions apply
Homemade Food Act products may not be sold to or used by retail or other commercial establishments; the registered Cottage Food Program allows retail outlets within Utah, including consignment. |
| Wholesale | Not allowed |
| Restaurants |
Conditions apply
Homemade Food Act products may not be sold to or used by a restaurant (raw, unprocessed fruit and vegetables excepted). Cottage Food Program items may go to food service only in finished form, not as an ingredient. |
What You Can Sell in Utah
The Homemade Food Act is broad: nearly any home-kitchen food or nonalcoholic drink is eligible. The exceptions are raw dairy and meat, with narrow allowances for small-scale poultry and rabbit. Labels need your name and address, not-for-resale and uninspected statements, and allergen information. Your city may still require a business license, and the registered Cottage Food Program has its own stricter food list.
Under the Homemade Food Act, any food or nonalcoholic drink prepared in a private home kitchen, except raw dairy and meat products.
Allowed with conditions
- Poultry and poultry products — Only if the producer slaughters no more than 1,000 birds a year under the USDA 1,000 bird exemption and follows the USDA FSIS guidance.
- Domesticated rabbit meat — Allowed only pending USDA approval that the state's role in meat inspection is preserved.
- Cottage Food Program items — Registered program covers only non-potentially hazardous foods; baked goods with fresh vegetable pieces are excluded unless made from a commercial dry mix with dehydrated vegetables.
Not allowed
Limits and Requirements
Annual sales cap
No cap
- Must be made in a private home kitchen
- Produced and sold within Utah only; no mailing or shipping
- Sold directly to the final consumer, who must not resell it
- Cannot be sold to or used by restaurants or commercial establishments (Homemade Food Act)
- City business license rules still apply
- Raw dairy and most meat are excluded
Local rules: You must still follow city business license requirements. The statute exempts qualifying sellers from state, county, and city food licensing, permitting, inspection, packaging, and labeling rules, but not from business licensing. Individual farmers markets may set their own policies.
How to Start Selling in Utah
-
1
Choose your program
The Homemade Food Act has no UDAF permit or training, but limits you to direct sales. The Cottage Food Program (Utah Code 4-5-501) needs UDAF registration and a food handler permit but also allows retail outlets in Utah.
-
2
Get a city business license
Both programs require you to meet business license requirements under Utah Code 10-1-203; contact your city or county for the process and fee.
-
3
Check your products
Confirm nothing you plan to sell is raw dairy or meat. For the Cottage Food Program, the food must be non-potentially hazardous.
-
4
Label your products
Add your name and address, the not-for-resale and no-inspection statements, and an allergen statement.
-
5
Tell buyers about it
Let every customer know the food is not certified, licensed, regulated, or inspected by the state, county, or city.
-
6
If using the Cottage Food Program
Apply to the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, submit recipes and labels, and obtain a food handler permit before producing.
What a Compliant Utah 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, UT
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 is not for resale and was processed and prepared without state or local inspection
Label Requirements
Every cottage food product sold in Utah 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 |
| "Not inspected" disclosure statement |
Utah Labeling Notes
- These label requirements do not apply to a direct sale by a home producer made up only of minor producers (under 18).
- Full ingredient lists and nutrition facts are not required for Homemade Food Act products.
- Cottage Food Program labels differ: they must say home produced next to the product name and include net weight, ingredient list, and allergens.
Required Label Disclosure
This exact text must appear on every label you sell in Utah.
This product is not for resale and was processed and prepared without state or local inspection
Quickly Cottage adds this to your label automatically.
Generate your Utah label in minutes
Ingredient lists, allergens, and the required disclosure — built in automatically.
Utah Cottage Food — Common Questions
Under the Homemade Food Act no state permit or registration is needed, only a city business license; the separate Cottage Food Program requires UDAF registration, renewed each year and expiring December 31.
Utah does not set a dollar cap on cottage food sales.
None under the Homemade Food Act; the Cottage Food Program requires a valid food handler permit.
Shipping is not allowed.
Not allowed: Raw dairy and raw dairy products; Meat products (except the poultry and rabbit exceptions).
Resources and Law History
2007
Cottage Food Program created by HB 339.
2018
Home Consumption and Homemade Food Act (HB 181) created a second path with no state permit.
2026
SB 217 (effective May 6, 2026) added designated representatives and producer ownership rules; it also exempts home cook food sales from state sales tax effective July 1, 2026.
Sources
- Utah Code Chapter 4-5a (as amended by Laws 2026 ch. 433)
- S.B. 217 Local Food Amendments, 2026 General Session (enrolled)
- Utah Code 4-5-501 Cottage Food Operations
- USU Extension, Utah's Value-Added Food Processing Options (Dec 2025, updated Feb 2026)
- USU Extension, Home-Based Food Businesses Module 6
Law reference: Utah Cottage Food Production Operations Act (Utah Code Title 4, Chapter 5a, Home Consumption and Homemade Food Act) · Last updated 2026 · Always verify requirements with your state's department of agriculture before selling.
Generate your Utah labels in minutes
Quickly Cottage builds your ingredient list from the brands you actually use, and generates a label with the Utah-required disclosure already included. Start free.