Cottage food label requirements in Texas
Cottage Food Production Operations, Tex. Health & Safety Code ch. 437 (Secs. 437.001, 437.0193, 437.0194, 437.0195), as amended by SB 541 (89th Leg., eff. Sept. 1, 2025); 25 TAC 229.661. Regulated by Texas Department of State Health Services. Checked against state sources on .
The statement your label needs
THIS PRODUCT WAS PRODUCED IN A PRIVATE RESIDENCE THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENTAL LICENSING OR INSPECTION.
Type size and placement: Legible writing; TCS safe handling statement ("SAFE HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS: To prevent illness from bacteria, keep this food refrigerated or frozen until the food is prepared for consumption.") in at least 12-point font, on the label or on an invoice or receipt.
What is different in Texas
- SB 541 (eff. Sept. 1, 2025) raised cap from $50,000 to $150,000 and allowed TCS foods
- Mail-order sales removed; internet sales only in Texas with personal delivery
- Labeling information must be posted on the website before online payment
- Wholesale only to registered cottage food vendors, non-TCS foods only
- Registration number can replace home address on label
- Permit
- No permit or registration for most baked goods. No permit for non-TCS foods. Registration with DSHS (Online Licensing Registry) required to sell TCS foods, to wholesale to cottage food vendors, or to use a unique ID number instead of a home address on the label. Accredited food handler training required. Local entities may not charge a fee to produce or sell directly.
- Sales cap
- $150,000 a year. $150,000 annual gross income; statute says DSHS adjusts annually for inflation (CPI-U). No 2026 adjusted figure published on the DSHS page.
- Where you can sell
- Directly to consumers anywhere in Texas (SB 541 sets no venue list for operations) or to a registered cottage food vendor; delivery at point of sale or a location designated by the consumer/vendor. Vendors may resell at farmers' markets, farm stands, food service establishments and retail stores.
- Online orders
- Orders online or by phone, delivered in person
- Ship in state
- No
- Ship out of state
- No
- Sell to shops / cafés
- Limited
- Allowed foods
- Any food except meat/poultry, seafood, ice and ice products (incl. ice cream), low-acid canned goods, CBD/THC products, and raw milk products. TCS foods allowed with registration.
What a Texas cottage food label must show
- Name of the cottage food production operation
- Address, or DSHS unique identification number in place of address
- Common or usual name of the product
- Major food allergens used as ingredients
- The required statement (above)
- Unique batch number for pickled, fermented vegetable and plant-based acidified canned goods
- TCS foods: date the food was made and the safe handling statement
- Food sold through a cottage food vendor: date the food was made
Federal rules still apply on top: ingredients in descending order by weight (21 CFR 101.4), the nine major allergens declared by name (FALCPA and the FASTER Act), and net quantity in ounces and grams (21 CFR 101.7). Texas lets you take orders online or by phone, but the food must be handed over in person (pickup or your own delivery). Mailing or shipping is not allowed, and products may not cross state lines.
Make a Texas label now
The Texas statement is already on it. Type your ingredients, tick the allergens and print on Avery sheets or a thermal roll. To have the ingredient order and allergens worked out from a costed recipe, use the workbench.
Still missing: business name and address.
Print at 100% scale with no margins. Check the result against Texas’s rules above before selling.
True size. Texas statement.
Texas cottage food questions
What statement has to be on a Texas cottage food label?
Texas requires: “THIS PRODUCT WAS PRODUCED IN A PRIVATE RESIDENCE THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENTAL LICENSING OR INSPECTION.” (Legible writing; TCS safe handling statement ("SAFE HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS: To prevent illness from bacteria, keep this food refrigerated or frozen until the food is prepared for consumption.") in at least 12-point font, on the label or on an invoice or receipt).
Do I need a permit to sell baked goods from home in Texas?
No permit or registration for most baked goods. No permit for non-TCS foods. Registration with DSHS (Online Licensing Registry) required to sell TCS foods, to wholesale to cottage food vendors, or to use a unique ID number instead of a home address on the label. Accredited food handler training required. Local entities may not charge a fee to produce or sell directly.
Is there a sales limit for cottage food in Texas?
Yes: $150,000 in gross sales a year. $150,000 annual gross income; statute says DSHS adjusts annually for inflation (CPI-U). No 2026 adjusted figure published on the DSHS page.
Can I sell cottage food online or ship it in Texas?
Texas lets you take orders online or by phone, but the food must be handed over in person (pickup or your own delivery). Mailing or shipping is not allowed, and products may not cross state lines.
Sources
- SB 541, 89th Legislature, enrolled text (statute)
- Texas DSHS: Texas Cottage Food Production (agency)
Checked October 25, 2026. This is a checklist built from the sources above, not legal advice. Rules change; your county or the agency has the final word. Spotted something out of date? The about page explains how we check.
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