Arizona cottage food law: registering and selling

Under A.R.S. section 36-931, a cottage food product is a food prepared in a home kitchen by, or under the direct supervision of, a registered individual. ADHS's registration guide says "most foods are allowed," excluding fish, shellfish, raw milk, alcoholic beverages and marijuana-infused products. The statute covers both non-potentially hazardous foods and time or temperature controlled foods, which ADHS defines by rule.

Your home kitchen has to be a residential kitchen of the kind normally found in a home, no larger than 1,000 square feet.

• Alcoholic beverages, unpasteurized milk, and foods that are or contain alcohol
• Fish and shellfish products
• Meat, meat by-products, poultry and poultry by-products, unless federal law allows the sale (for example, poultry under the 1,000-bird exemption or meat from an inspected source)
• Marijuana or marijuana by-products
• Pet food and pet treats, which cannot be registered here; ADHS refers you to the Arizona Department of Agriculture
• Anything you plan to sell as an ingredient for products at a permitted retail food establishment

You must register with ADHS through its online system. The steps: create an account on the ADHS portal, open Cottage Food Registration, list your food products, attest to 19 statements about the law, and upload your food handler certificate. ADHS emails your Cottage Food Certificate. Its guide says to expect several weeks, and it lists no fee.

The statute requires a food handler training course from an accredited program, kept active. ADHS asks for an ANSI-accredited certificate. The 2024 law text also calls for renewal on a set cycle, so check your certificate and your portal for its date.

Local rules still count. The 2024 law does not affect local building, zoning or land-use rules, so check them before you start.

The delivery rule depends on what you sell, under A.R.S. section 36-932(E).

• Foods without dairy, meat or poultry: sold by you or an agent, including a third-party vendor, and delivered by you, an agent, a third-party vendor or a third-party carrier.
• Dairy, meat or poultry foods: sold by you, in person or remotely including over the internet "but excluding third-party food delivery platforms," and delivered to the consumer in person.
• Foods that need time or temperature control: kept at a safe temperature in transit, moved only once, and for no longer than two hours.
• Store sales: a store must keep your products in a separate section and show a sign that they are homemade.

Products must be packaged at home with an attached label. If you sell online, the same details must appear as a prominent notification on the listing. The required statement reads: "This product was produced in a home kitchen that may come in contact with common food allergens and pet allergens and is not subject to public health inspection."

• Your name and registration number
• All ingredients and the production date
• A disclosure if the food was made in a facility for people with developmental disabilities
• A website address provided by ADHS where people can report foodborne illness and check that your registration is active

• Take an ANSI-accredited food handler course and save the certificate.
• Confirm your kitchen is a home kitchen of 1,000 square feet or less.
• Register with ADHS and wait for your certificate.
• Write your label with your name, registration number, ingredients, production date and the statement.
• Do not store products or equipment outside your home, and do not use the kitchen as a commissary.
• Sort your menu into dairy or meat items and everything else, because they have different delivery rules.
• Check city zoning and any HOA rules.

Arizona's statute names remote and internet sales by the preparer, so an ordering site of your own fits. pickup.kitchen gives you yourname.pickup.kitchen, checkout, and payments to your own Stripe account. Put your name, registration number, ingredients, production date and the statement in each dish description, which covers the online notification.

For dairy and meat items, delivery has to be in person by you. The driver app lets you open your route on your phone, with a photo at the door. For other foods, Arizona allows carriers and third parties, but keep your own route for anything that needs a cold chain, since transit time limits apply.

Time slots close when full, and your customer list holds every buyer. Free onboarding, pay as you use.

Checked November 2026 against the official Arizona sources linked below. Laws change, so open the official page before you print labels or take your first order.

This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice. Check with your state and county before you sell.