Guide
Alaska cottage food law for home bakers
What a home baker in Alaska needs before the first sale: Homemade Food exemption (AS 17.20.332 - 17.20.338, enacted as the Homemade Food; Animal Shares article), the sales cap, online orders, delivery, and the exact label line, each with its source.
This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice. Laws change; check the linked source before you sell. Last reviewed September 25, 2026.
The short version
Alaska rewrote its cottage food rule in 2024 into a broad homemade food exemption that covers potentially hazardous foods, even meat, and sets no cap on how much you sell. There is no state permit, license, or inspection to get through first, only the label and a handful of rules about where the sale can happen.
The trade-off is that every sale has to happen inside Alaska: interstate commerce is off the table, and a hazardous item like a custard pie or a meat dish has to be sold by you personally, never through an agent or a store.
Registering
The rule is administered by Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Environmental Health, Food Safety and Sanitation Program; the guide reads Alaska Statutes §§ 17.20.332-17.20.338, added by Section 7 of ch. 34, SLA 2024 (Enrolled HB 251), effective 2024-07-01 under Section 10 of the same act.
There is nothing to register and no state fee tied to the homemade food exemption itself. You may still need Alaska's general business license, which is a separate requirement for doing business in the state and not something this exemption waives.
Where you can sell, and whether online counts
A non-hazardous item, or eggs, can be sold by you, by someone acting for you, or through a third-party retail shop or grocery store; a hazardous item has to be sold by you directly. The law lists specific places a sale can happen, plus a catch-all for any spot you and the buyer agree on, which covers ordering ahead and arranging delivery or pickup.
What goes on the label
The label needs your name, current address, and phone number, your business license number if you have one, and the exact sentence the law spells out about the food being homemade, uninspected, and a possible allergen source.
"This food was made in a home kitchen, is not regulated or inspected, except for meat and meat products, and may contain allergens."
- Your name, current address, and telephone number
- Your business license number, if you have one
- The required disclosure statement
What you can bake and sell
Meat is allowed as long as it and anything made from it meets federal rules, which sets Alaska apart from most cottage food states. Seafood, animal-fat oil, game meat, and controlled substances are off the list, and nothing you make may be sold into a restaurant or grocery deli's own food service, only sold as itself.
- Allowed: Any food or drink you prepare or process in your own home kitchen or a kitchen leased to you, whether or not it needs refrigeration to stay safe, including meat and meat products, as long as anything containing meat also meets federal requirements
- Not allowed: Seafood, a controlled substance, oil rendered from animal fat, and game meat; and, apart from raw and unprocessed fruits or vegetables, nothing you make may be sold to or used inside a restaurant or another commercial food establishment
The sales cap
Alaska sets no cap on cottage food sales; the enacted law sets no dollar or unit sales limit. An earlier House committee substitute from January 2024 would have capped a producer at 250,000 individual items or two hundred fifty thousand dollars in gross annual revenue each year, but that cap was dropped before the bill reached its final, enrolled form.
Work out how much room you have left this year with the cottage food sales cap checker.
Questions people ask
Do I need to register to sell cottage food in Alaska?
No, Alaska does not require registration. None. The statute exempts a compliant homemade food from state labeling, licensing, packaging, permitting, and inspection requirements outright. A general state business license under a separate statute may still apply to you as a business, apart from anything food-specific. Fee: Not stated. The homemade food exemption names no fee of its own.
Has the cottage food sales cap in Alaska changed over time?
No cap from July 1, 2024.
Can I take orders online in Alaska?
Yes, you can take orders online. You can hand an order over in person or send it anywhere inside the state.
Can I deliver or ship cottage food in Alaska?
Delivery is allowed. The rule does not address shipping inside the state.
What does my Alaska cottage food label need to say?
The label must say: This food was made in a home kitchen, is not regulated or inspected, except for meat and meat products, and may contain allergens.
Sources
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