Tennessee cottage food law for home bakers

The short version

Tennessee asks for no license, permit, fee or inspection to sell homemade food, sets no sales cap, lets her sell by phone or online, and requires one fixed label sentence naming the private residence and the allergens.

Pasteurized dairy, eggs and federally exempt poultry joined the menu in July 2025, sold and handed over in person only.

Registering

The rule is administered by Tennessee Department of Agriculture; the Department of Health may investigate a reported foodborne illness; the guide reads Tenn. Code Ann. § 53-1-118, enacted by 2022 Pub. Ch. 862 (Senate Bill 693), effective 2022-07-01, amended by 2025 Pub. Ch. 431 (Senate Bill 484), effective 2025-07-01.

Tennessee asks for nothing: no license, permit, registration or fee, and the Department of Agriculture does not inspect a homemade food operation. The Department of Health can only step in to investigate a reported foodborne illness.

Where you can sell, and whether online counts

She can sell in person or remotely, by phone or the internet, and have the food delivered by herself, an agent, a third-party vendor such as a retail shop or grocery store, or a third-party carrier. The Food Freedom Act only reaches sales made within Tennessee. Since July 2025, pasteurized dairy, eggs and federally exempt or inspected poultry can join the menu, but those items must be sold and handed over in person, never shipped or run through a delivery app.

What goes on the label

The statement below has to reach the buyer: on the package, on a placard at the point of sale, on the webpage if she sells only online, or spoken aloud plus available on request for a phone or custom order, along with her name, home address and phone number, the item's common name and its ingredients.

"This product was produced at a private residence that is exempt from state licensing and inspection. This product may contain allergens."

• The producer's name, home address and telephone number
• The common or usual name of the homemade food item
• The ingredients, in descending order of predominance

What you can bake and sell

Baked goods and other foods that do not need time or temperature control for safety are open to her from day one. Unpasteurized milk, alcohol, fish, shellfish, meat and meat byproducts stay off the menu, and poultry only qualifies within the federal exemption, sold and delivered in person.

• Allowed: Baked goods and other foods that do not require time or temperature control for safety, plus, since July 2025, pasteurized dairy, eggs and poultry within the federal exemption
• Not allowed: Unpasteurized milk, alcoholic beverages, fish, shellfish products, meat, meat byproducts and meat food products, and poultry outside the federal exemption or without inspection markings

The sales cap

Tennessee sets no cap on cottage food sales.

Work out how much room you have left this year with the cottage food sales cap checker.

What changed

July 1, 2022: Tennessee Food Freedom Act enacted (2022 Pub. Ch. 862), exempting homemade food sales from state licensing, permitting, inspecting, packaging and labeling laws.

July 1, 2025: 2025 Pub. Ch. 431 allows sale of pasteurized dairy, eggs and federally exempt or inspected poultry, sold and delivered in person only.

Questions people ask

Do I need to register to sell cottage food in Tennessee?

No, Tennessee does not require registration. None. The Tennessee Food Freedom Act exempts the production and sale of homemade food items from all licensing, permitting, inspecting, packaging and labeling laws of the state, except a Department of Health investigation of a reported foodborne illness. Fee: None; there is no permitting process to attach a fee to.

Has the cottage food sales cap in Tennessee changed over time?

no cap from July 1, 2022.

Can I take orders online in Tennessee?

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 Tennessee?

Delivery is allowed. Shipping inside the state is allowed.

What does my Tennessee cottage food label need to say?

The label must say: This product was produced at a private residence that is exempt from state licensing and inspection. This product may contain allergens.

Sources

• Tennessee Food Freedom Act (Department of Agriculture)tn.gov
• Public Chapter 862 (2022), enrolled act creating Tenn. Code Ann. § 53-1-118publications.tnsosfiles.com
• Public Chapter 431 (2025), enrolled act amending § 53-1-118publications.tnsosfiles.com