The essentials
Utah, at a glance
Utah has two different home-food routes.
Registered cottage production covers approved shelf-stable foods and can supply Utah stores. The Home Consumption and Homemade Food Act supports qualifying direct sales to informed Utah consumers, with broader food possibilities and different disclosures. Choose the route before choosing a label or promising a delivery method.
Choose the route that fits
- Registered cottage food production
- Inspected, registered home production of permitted shelf-stable foods, including Utah store resale.
- Home Consumption and Homemade Food Act
- Exempt home production for direct sales to informed Utah final consumers; separate limits, disclosures and market rules.
- Sales limits
Chapter 5a states no general annual revenue ceiling for the Home Act; product, customer, intrastate and disclosure conditions still apply.
- Registration & permits
Registered cottage producers need application, recipe review, registration and a pre-operational inspection before operating.
View official sources (4)
- Cottage Food Production Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
- Cottage Food Application and inspection requirements Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
- Utah Code Chapter 5a Home Consumption and Homemade Food Act Utah Legislature
- Utah Code 4-5a-104, effective May 6, 2026 Utah Legislature
One step at a time
Your first 2 steps
Prepare a registered cottage application
Write each recipe with ingredient quantities and preparation steps.
Gather valid food handler permits for everyone preparing food, prepare sample labels, and complete the current application. Send the packet to UDAF, pay the applicable invoice, and complete approval and the pre-operational inspection before selling. Submitting the form alone does not authorize operation.
Prepare an exempt Home Act launch
Check that your food avoids the statutory exclusions and that every sale stays in Utah for personal or home consumption.
Resolve local business-license requirements. Decide who will deliver, how the customer receives the required disclosure, and which adult-producer label you will use. This route does not use the registered cottage application.
View official sources (5)
- Cottage Food Production Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
- Cottage Food Application and inspection requirements Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
- Basic Labeling Guidelines for Cottage Foods Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
- Utah Code Chapter 5a Home Consumption and Homemade Food Act Utah Legislature
- Utah Code 4-5a-104, effective May 6, 2026 Utah Legislature
Make what you love
Can you sell what you make?
These are examples. Check the complete recipe, preparation method and sales route before offering a product.
Cookies, breads and granola
Check the conditionsShelf-stable cookies, qualifying breads and granola are useful registered-cottage starting points.
The exact recipe matters: bread inclusions must meet the permitted-food guidance, and home-made sourdough starter needs a certified laboratory result of pH 4.0 or below unless a commercial starter is used. Keep that evidence with the approved recipe.
Cream cheese frosting changes the answer
Check the conditionsA cake does not qualify for registered cottage production simply because its sponge is baked.
Current guidance excludes cream cheese frosting, custards, cream fillings and fresh fruit toppings. Assess a different permissible route for the complete product before advertising it; do not transfer a plain-cake approval to a refrigerated dessert.
Meat and raw dairy need separate attention
Check the conditionsThe Home Act is broader than the registered cottage list, but it excludes raw dairy and most meat products.
The poultry exception incorporates federal requirements and a 1,000-bird ceiling. Rabbit eligibility depends on the statutory approval condition. Obtain a product-specific answer from UDAF before treating either exception as permission for your operation.
View official sources (4)
- Cottage Food Production Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
- Cottage Food Application and inspection requirements Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
- Utah Code Chapter 5a Home Consumption and Homemade Food Act Utah Legislature
- Home Consumption and Homemade Food Act guidance Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
From your kitchen to your customers
Where and how you can sell
| Selling method | What matters |
|---|---|
| Direct sales and store resale | Registered cottage products may be sold directly to buyers or to Utah stores for resale. Home Act food generally goes to an informed final consumer who will not resell it. Its narrow raw-produce exception does not create permission to supply homemade bread, desserts or prepared meals to restaurants. |
| Delivery and representatives under the Home Act | Since May 6, 2026, the statute expressly permits a contracted designated representative to handle direct sales and delivery at a qualifying location. The definition includes homes, offices and agreed locations. Put the representative arrangement and customer handoff in writing as a practical record; do not assume this resolves every carrier-shipping scenario. |
| Farmers markets have route-specific arrangements | Home Act sellers using a market associated with a conventional farmers market need the separated, identified areas required by the current statute. Ask the organizer where your booth belongs. The agency page still carries an older exact warning-sign summary, so check the current statutory arrangement when agreeing to the market setup. |
| Keep these sales within Utah | Both routes described here are for Utah sales. A website does not remove that boundary. For Home Act orders, retain the direct informed-consumer arrangement and qualifying delivery location; confirm a proposed shipping workflow before offering it. Registered cottage sellers also need a different compliance analysis before supplying customers outside Utah. |
View official sources (3)
- Cottage Food Production Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
- Utah Code Chapter 5a Home Consumption and Homemade Food Act Utah Legislature
- Utah Code 4-5a-104, effective May 6, 2026 Utah Legislature
Your label, explained
Every field has a purpose.
Use the example to understand the structure. Follow the Utah requirements below for your product and sales route.
Your product
name
Your product name and actual net quantity
Your complete recipe and supplier ingredients
Operation or producer name; full business address (see state notes)
The statement for your state, product and sales route
Registered cottage food
A guide to the fields, not a ready-to-print label. Use your actual product and business details.
Name it. Measure it.
Identify your product and its actual net quantity. Check the state’s formatting and unit requirements below.
Use your actual recipe.
Check every ingredient and supplier label. Use the applicable ingredient and allergen declarations for your product.
Identify your operation.
Operation or producer name; full business address (see state notes)
Use the wording for your route.
Requirements can differ by product and sales channel. Keep the disclosure, placement and type-size conditions together.
Registered cottage label: front panel
Place “Home Produced” on the principal display panel in bold, conspicuous 12-point type, alongside the product name and appropriate net quantity.
The quantity uses US customary and metric units. Check the panel-size rules for its lettering before printing a batch; a small font that looks tidy may fail the required dimensions.
Registered cottage label: ingredients and identity
Include ingredients in descending weight order, compound subingredients, applicable allergens, and the producer’s name, full street address and phone number.
Sesame is included among the nine major allergens. Copy information from the actual ingredient packages and recipe; an example label is not a substitute for checking your own chocolate, flour or toppings.
Adult Home Act label and disclosure
UDAF’s example is “Not for Resale – Processed and prepared without the benefit of state or local inspection”.
Add the producer’s name and address and the required statement about allergens in the food or handled at the preparation location. The statute requires the disclosure substance; the separate minor-only exception should not be applied to an adult business.
The wording for your label
Registered cottage food
Adult Home Act · illustrative disclosure wording
Not for Resale – Processed and prepared without the benefit of state or local inspection
View official sources (3)
- Basic Labeling Guidelines for Cottage Foods Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
- Utah Code 4-5a-104, effective May 6, 2026 Utah Legislature
- Home Consumption and Homemade Food Act guidance Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
A useful head start
Your Utah label kit.
Editable template, example label and starting checklist.
Personalize it for your products and business.
Enter your email. Get the files immediately.
Before your first sale
A few details worth getting right.
An example
A shop asks to stock your cookies
For approved shelf-stable cookies, registered cottage production provides a Utah store-resale route.
If you launched under the Home Act, review registration before accepting that wholesale order. A shop purchasing stock for resale is different from a contracted representative delivering directly to your informed final customers under the current statutory arrangement.
Plan the kitchen before the inspection
Registered cottage preparation requires more than clean counters.
The current application calls for separate dry storage, a dedicated business refrigerator at 41°F or below for ingredients needing refrigeration, sanitizing supplies and a written vomit/diarrhea cleanup procedure. Keep household cooking, visitors and pets out during production as the checklist directs. Review the actual inspection checklist against your kitchen.
View official sources (4)
- Cottage Food Production Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
- Cottage Food Application and inspection requirements Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
- Checklist for Cottage Food Production Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
- Utah Code Chapter 5a Home Consumption and Homemade Food Act Utah Legislature
A few more answers
Common questions
What should I budget for registration?
The approved fee schedule effective July 1, 2026 lists $100 for cottage registration and a separate $100 cottage plan-review entry. Ask UDAF which charges your application triggers and confirm renewal timing on your registration. Budget separately for food handler training, any required laboratory work and business supplies; this is not a free registration route.
View sources for this answer (3)
- Cottage Food Production Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
- Cottage Food Application and inspection requirements Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
- Approved FY2027 Fee Schedule Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
Is there an annual sales limit?
The Home Act chapter does not state a general annual revenue ceiling. That does not remove its food exclusions or direct-sale conditions. Track your sales and planned channels anyway, so you can review the correct route before expanding into retail supply, interstate business or products outside the exemption.
View sources for this answer (1)
- Utah Code Chapter 5a Home Consumption and Homemade Food Act Utah Legislature
Keep it handy
Your first-sale checklist
Use this free checklist to keep track of your next steps. The conditions in this guide still apply.
0 of 2 completed · Restoring progress…
Official guidance
Sources, updates & your next step
Where to send the next question
For registered cottage production, use udaf-cottagefood@utah.gov or call Rebecca Nielsen at 385-799-0281. For Home Act questions, the agency lists Cole Dalton at 385-332-1499. Send the recipe, intended customer, delivery arrangement and proposed label together so the answer addresses the actual business model.
Official sources 8 references
- Cottage Food Production →
Utah Department of Agriculture and Food · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Cottage Food Application and inspection requirements →
Utah Department of Agriculture and Food · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Checklist for Cottage Food Production →
Utah Department of Agriculture and Food · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Basic Labeling Guidelines for Cottage Foods →
Utah Department of Agriculture and Food · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Utah Code Chapter 5a Home Consumption and Homemade Food Act →
Utah Legislature · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Utah Code 4-5a-104, effective May 6, 2026 →
Utah Legislature · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Home Consumption and Homemade Food Act guidance →
Utah Department of Agriculture and Food · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Approved FY2027 Fee Schedule →
Utah Department of Agriculture and Food · Reviewed September 14, 2026
Guide updates September 14, 2026
Reviewed Utah’s product eligibility, sales routes, starting requirements and label guidance against the official sources below. Current conditions and any dated changes are explained in the relevant sections of this guide.
View sources for this update (6)
- Cottage Food Production Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
- Cottage Food Application and inspection requirements Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
- Basic Labeling Guidelines for Cottage Foods Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
- Utah Code Chapter 5a Home Consumption and Homemade Food Act Utah Legislature
- Utah Code 4-5a-104, effective May 6, 2026 Utah Legislature
- Approved FY2027 Fee Schedule Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
This guide is a starting point. Confirm requirements for your products and location with the relevant authority. Examples are illustrative and are not a compliance approval.