Arizona Cottage Food Rules, What You Can Sell From Home

When I was growing up, my mom used to buy tamales from a lady who stood outside of Food City. We would buy 20 at a time, and they were delicious. For many Arizona families, buying homemade food has been a part of life forever. But is it legal, and what rules apply?

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Cottage Food Laws

Cottage food laws allow people to sell homemade food without operating a commercial business. Before 2024, Arizona limited sales to shelf-stable foods such as baked goods, jams, candies, and honey.

In 2024, Arizona passed House Bill 2042, known as the "Tamale Bill," which expanded the program to allow tamales, prepared meals, dairy products, and certain meat and poultry products.

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Do You Need a Commercial Kitchen?

Arizona allows approved cottage foods to be prepared in a home kitchen rather than a commercial facility. However, sellers must safely prepare, store, package, label, and transport food. Food produced in unsanitary conditions cannot be sold.

The law does, however, place certain restrictions on certain ingredients and products, such as meat and poultry products. Meat must come from approved, inspected sources such as grocery stores, licensed butcher shops, or regulated processors. Home-slaughtered livestock, wild game, and other uninspected meat products cannot be sold.

Do you need a license?

To legally sell homemade food in Arizona, you must register with the Arizona Department of Health Services and complete an approved food-handler training course. Products must also be properly labeled with the producer's name, ingredients, preparation date, and a notice that they were made in a home kitchen.

Arizona allows cottage food producers to sell directly to consumers at farmers' markets, community events, festivals, and through online orders within the state. Local city, county, and property-owner rules still apply, meaning selling tamales in front of a Food City may require permission.

A wooden crate labeled Farmer's Market filled with fresh tomatillos, chili peppers, and blackberries — Photo by Shelley Pauls on Unsplash

Looking back, those Food City tamales feel like a piece of our local culture. While the rules have changed over the years, the goal of the state's updated cottage food laws is to make it easier for home cooks to legally share and sell recipes that have often been passed down for generations. For many Arizonans, that means the homemade foods they've always enjoyed can now become legitimate small businesses.

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Top 25 of the Most Popular Food in Arizona

Food in Arizona is a cornucopia of flavors and textures. You'll find delightful influences of Sonoran Mexican cuisine blended with Native American favorites.

Once you've sampled the delicious fare in the Grand Canyon state, you'll make it your baseline for delightful food everywhere. Which is your favorite from our list of top 25 Arizona favorites?

Gallery Credit: Val Davidson/TSM