Arizona's cottage food program is one of the broadest in the nation. Following the 2024 expansion (HB 2042), home food sellers can produce and sell nearly every type of food — including perishable meals and certain meat products.
Every food product falls into one of three categories under Arizona's cottage food program. Open items are clearly allowed with standard registration and labeling. Restricted items are allowed but come with specific conditions — such as delivery method, temperature control, or sourcing requirements. Prohibited items cannot be sold under the cottage food program at all.
Arizona's cottage food program evolved dramatically with the signing of HB 2042 on March 29, 2024. Before this expansion, the program was limited to non-potentially hazardous items like baked goods and jams. Now, the state allows nearly every type of food — including Temperature Control for Safety (TCS) foods like tamales, pizzas, custard pies, and even products containing meat or dairy.
TCS stands for "Time/Temperature Control for Safety." These are foods that can support the growth of harmful bacteria if not kept at proper temperatures. Think of anything that needs refrigeration: cream-filled desserts, cut fruit, prepared meals, dairy, and meat products. Arizona allows you to sell TCS foods from your home kitchen, but you must maintain safe temperatures during transport. The state applies a 2-hour/4-hour rule: if a perishable food has been out of temperature control for more than 2 hours, it must be consumed quickly; if more than 4 hours, it must be discarded.
Products containing dairy (milk, cheese, butter, ice cream) and meat or poultry can only be sold directly to consumers. You can sell them online, but you must deliver them in-person — no third-party delivery platforms like DoorDash or UberEats. For meat, the product must come from a federally inspected source. If you raise your own poultry, you can sell under the federal 1,000-bird exemption (9 CFR § 381.10(c)), which allows producers who slaughter fewer than 1,000 birds per year to sell directly to consumers.
No sales cap. Unlike most states, Arizona places no annual limit on how much you can earn from cottage food sales. You can grow your business as large as your kitchen and customer base allow — with no revenue ceiling.
Arizona allows cottage food products to be sold through retail stores and restaurants, which is unusual among state programs. However, there are conditions: the store must display your products on a separate shelf or section from commercially manufactured goods, and they must post signage indicating that the items are homemade and exempt from state licensing and inspection. Importantly, a store or restaurant that buys your cottage food cannot use it as an ingredient in their own products — it must be resold as-is.
If you're not sure whether a specific product qualifies as shelf-stable (non-TCS) or potentially hazardous (TCS), ADHS recommends having it tested at a food safety lab for pH and water activity. Products with a water activity greater than 0.85 or a pH above 4.36 are generally considered potentially hazardous and must be handled as TCS foods. The Shelf-Stable Foods guide covers these thresholds in detail.
Check if your specific product is allowed under Arizona's cottage food program and see what conditions apply.
Create Free Account to Use This Tool →Arizona's cottage food program gives you one of the widest food-selling freedoms in the country. Turn your kitchen into a business — list your products, reach local buyers, and grow.
Create Your Free Account →