Texas Cottage Food Law (2026): Sell Cookies From Home

Last verified: October 18, 2026. I’m a Texas home baker, not a lawyer — laws change, so always confirm with the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) before you sell.

Cottage Food Laws by State 

TEXAS COTTAGE FOOD AT A GLANCE

Annual sales cap: $150,000 (raised from $50,000 by SB 541, effective Sept 1, 2025; indexed to inflation)

License or permit: Not required for standard cottage foods

Kitchen inspection: Not required

Food handler course: Required — must be DSHS-accredited

Registration: Only required if you sell TCS (refrigerated) foods or sell through a cottage food vendor; optional otherwise (see privacy note below)

Shipping by mail: Not permitted — sales must be direct to the consumer

WHAT CHANGED IN 2025 (SB 541)

Texas rewrote its cottage food law effective September 1, 2025, and it’s good news for bakers:

  • The sales cap tripled from $50,000 to $150,000 per year
  • The allowed-foods list flipped from “only these foods” to “anything except these” — far more permissive
  • You can now register with DSHS to get a unique ID number for your labels instead of printing your home address (big privacy win)
  • Non-perishable foods can now be sold through registered cottage food vendors at farmers markets, restaurants, and retail stores

WHAT YOU CAN (AND CAN’T) SELL

Allowed: Baked goods, candy, jams and jellies, dried herbs, shelf-stable pickles, and generally any non-TCS food not on the prohibited list. Since SB 541, even refrigerated (TCS) foods like cream pies are allowed — but those require DSHS registration, extra labeling, and strict temperature handling, and can only be sold directly to consumers.

Prohibited for everyone: meat and poultry, seafood, ice and frozen desserts (ice cream, popsicles, gelato), low-acid canned goods, CBD/THC products, and raw milk products.

TEXAS LABELING REQUIREMENTS

For standard shelf-stable baked goods sold directly to your customer, Texas requires exactly five things on the label:

  1. Your business name and address — or your DSHS unique ID number instead (register voluntarily to keep your home address private)
  2. The common name of the product — “Chocolate Chip Cookies,” not just your brand name
  3. Any major allergens present — listed by their legally correct names
  4. This exact statement, verbatim, in all caps: THIS PRODUCT WAS PRODUCED IN A PRIVATE RESIDENCE THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENTAL LICENSING OR INSPECTION
  5. A production date — but only for refrigerated (TCS) foods or products sold through a cottage food vendor

A full ingredient list is not required in Texas — just the allergens actually present. You can always add more (website, QR code), as long as the required elements are there.

Want it done for you? Grab my free editable Texas cottage food label template — my exact label layout, sized for OnlineLabels OL5030WX sheets (3.375″ x 2.3125″, 8 per sheet). Just add your info and print: https://canva.link/lyaqu6x84ws1pt9

How to use your free label template:

  1. Click any text in [brackets] and type your own info right over it — your business name, product, allergens, and address.
  2. QR code: delete the “Your QR code here” text inside the box. Then in Canva, go to Apps > QR Code, paste your website or order-form link, hit Generate, and drag it into the box.
  3. Address or DSHS ID: Texas lets you use a free DSHS registration ID on your label instead of your home address.
  4. Don’t edit the all-caps statement — it’s the exact wording Texas law requires, word for word.
  5. Print: download page 1 as a PNG, then upload it into the OL5030WX template in Maestro Label Designer at onlinelabels.com/templates/blank/ol5030 — that sizes it to land exactly on the labels. Print from Maestro at 100%.

I print mine on these: OnlineLabels OL5030WX white matte sheets (affiliate link) — 8 labels per sheet, and they work in inkjet or laser printers

Tip: once your full sheet is built in Maestro, save it as a PDF in a folder on your computer (mine’s called “Ingredient Labels”). Then you just open the file and print whenever you need labels — no rebuilding. I save each file as the name of the product.

WHERE YOU CAN SELL IN TEXAS

Farmers markets, farm stands, directly from your home, community events, online orders for local pickup or delivery, and local delivery. Non-perishable goods can also go through a registered cottage food vendor into retail stores and restaurants. Everything is direct-to-consumer — no shipping by mail.

YOUR 3 STEPS TO START

  1. Get your food handler certification. Texas requires an accredited food safety course before you sell. I originally certified through Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, and I’m renewing this December with 360training’s Learn2Serve Texas course — it’s DSHS-accredited and fully online.
  2. Get your labels right. Use the five requirements above — or grab my free template in the labeling section!
  3. Start selling. Price to cover ingredients, packaging, and your time — and check your HOA rules and sales tax obligations separately.

OFFICIAL TEXAS SOURCES

This guide is for informational purposes only and isn’t legal advice. Cottage food laws change — I last verified this page on October 18, 2026. When in doubt, ask DSHS.

See Cottage Food Laws for all 50 states

Just add sprinkles!