Nevada Cottage Food Law 2026: District Registration & Future Online Sales

Yes, you can sell baked goods and other approved foods from your home kitchen in Nevada — but the Silver State makes you work for it. Unlike most states, where one state-level registration covers you everywhere, Nevada requires you to register with the health authority in every single district where you sell. And you are not building an empire with employees: the law says you must be a "natural person" working solo, which means no partners, no staff, and no LLC wrapper around your brownie business.

If you only remember three things, make them these: register in each district where you take a dollar, keep your annual gross sales under \$35,000, and never ship a cottage food order through the mail until July 2027. That is when Assembly Bill 352 (AB 352) flips the script, raising your sales cap to \$100,000 and finally letting you sell online and ship across Nevada. Until then, current law is the only law that matters.

What You Can Sell as a Nevada Cottage Food Operator

Nevada's legislature drew a tight circle around what counts as cottage food. The statute, NRS 446.866.6(b), limits you to specific categories, and within those categories there are surprising sub-rules that trip up bakers who assume "non-potentially hazardous" means anything shelf-stable.

Here is the exact list from the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD), which administers cottage food registration for Clark County:

Here is what that means for you in plain English. Nevada does not allow a free-form "baked goods" category. Your cookies and breads are welcome only if they are baked with dry heat — an oven or a hot skillet — and they cannot contain cream cheese frosting, Swiss meringue buttercream, lemon curd, or fresh fruit garnishes. If you grate a hard cheese very sparingly into a savory scone, that is allowed, but a cream cheese danish is not. Your jams must follow a standardized recipe under federal regulations; no experimental sugar-free strawberry jam, and no apple butter. If you are eyeing pickled peppers or salsa, those are acidified foods, and they are off the table under current cottage food law — though Nevada's separate craft food program might be an alternative worth exploring.

Nevada Cottage Food Annual Sales Limit and Permitted Sales Channels

Nevada keeps a hard ceiling on how much you can earn, and an even harder line on how you hand over the goods.

Current Sales Cap

Your gross sales cannot exceed \$35,000 per calendar year under NRS 446.866.6. The statute and SNHD are explicit: "Gross sales are the full amount received from customers without any deductions, including the cost of the ingredients." That means if you sell \$35,001 worth of cookies, you have crossed the line, even if your flour and butter cost \$10,000. There is no wiggle room for net-versus-gross accounting.

Future Sales Cap (July 2027)

AB 352, approved in the 2025 legislative session, raises the annual cap to \$100,000 — but only after it takes effect in July 2027. The Southern Nevada Health District confirms that cottage food operations continue under current law until that date. Do not budget for the higher cap yet.

Where and How You Can Sell (Current Law)

NRS 446.866.1(a) restricts sales to in-person, direct-to-consumer transactions at:

• Your home or private property
• Licensed farmers markets
• Flea markets
• Swap meets
• Church bazaars
• Garage sales
• Craft fairs

That is it. No consignment. No wholesale. No sales to restaurants, grocery stores, or any permitted food establishment. In fact, cottage foods are considered "food from an unapproved source" and are explicitly prohibited from being served or sold in permitted food establishments.

Here is the nuance most guides miss: a customer can place an order by telephone or internet, but you must hand-deliver it in person. As SNHD puts it, "foods can be ordered for in-person delivery by the cottage food operator via telephone or internet." You cannot mail a package, hand it to a third-party delivery driver, or let a customer click "ship." Your website or social media can advertise and inform, but SNHD warns it "may not have an option for shipping."

Interstate Sales

NRS 446.866 only applies within Nevada. You must live in Nevada, prepare the food in Nevada, and sell it in Nevada. Out-of-state shipping is not allowed under current law.

Nevada Cottage Food Registration, the "Natural Person" Rule, and Training

Nevada's registration system is the most administratively complex part of the whole law. You do not get one state card and call it a day.

Multi-District Registration

You must register with the health authority in each district where you sell (NRS 446.866). If you live in Reno but want to sell at a farmers market in Clark County, you need two registrations. Here are the agencies, straight from SNHD:

• Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) — Clark County; email regsupport@snhd.org
• Carson City Health and Human Services — (775) 887-2190
• Northern Nevada Public Health — Reno, Sparks, Washoe County; (775) 328-2434
• Central Nevada Health District — Fallon, Churchill, Mineral, Eureka, and Pershing counties; (775) 867-8181
• Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health — all other areas; (775) 687-7533

For Clark County, the process is straightforward but deliberate: complete the Cottage Food Operation Registration Application, sign it as the owner, email it to SNHD, review and sign the Registration Agreement they send back, pay the fee, and wait for your approval letter. You are not registered until that letter arrives. SNHD does not quote a fixed dollar amount on its cottage food page; the fee lives in the annual Environmental Health Fee Schedule under "MISCPR – COTTAGE FOOD OPERATION REGISTRATION," updated every July 1. Check the current schedule for the exact amount.

Your registration does not expire as long as the information stays accurate. You only need to contact SNHD if you move to a new private residence or if you expand your menu beyond the categories you originally registered to sell. For example, switching from trail mix to baked goods requires a new registration; switching from cookies to cakes does not, because both fall under baked goods.

No Routine Inspections

Cottage food operations are excluded from the definition of a "food establishment" under NRS 446.020 and NRS 446.866.1. That means no health permit and no routine government food safety inspection. SNHD may register a kitchen "that is not inspected by the health authority." The only oversight is your own commitment to safe practices — and the threat of being declared an unpermitted vendor if you break the rules, which can lead to confiscation or destruction of your products.

The "Natural Person" Requirement

This is where Nevada gets truly unusual. NRS 446.866.1(f) and NRS 446.866.3 limit a cottage food operation to a "natural person" — an individual human being. Partners and employees are not permitted. You cannot form an LLC and have your spouse help bake. You cannot hire a teenager to work the booth. You are the sole producer, packer, labeler, and seller. If that sounds restrictive, it is. Plan your production volume knowing that every bag of granola must pass through your hands alone.

Food Handler Training

Nevada state law does not explicitly require a food handler card for cottage food operators. SNHD recommends following its kitchen sanitation and food safety guidelines, and some farmers markets or event organizers may ask for proof of training on their own. It is a smart voluntary step, not a statutory one.

Local Business Licenses

SNHD has no authority over local business licensing. You need to check with the city or county business license office wherever you produce and sell — including Clark County, Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, Mesquite, or Boulder City. Remember, a cottage food operation is not a permitted food establishment, but that does not exempt you from ordinary business licensing rules.

Nevada Cottage Food Labeling Requirements

Nevada incorporates federal food labeling rules by reference, so your labels must satisfy both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the specific demands of NRS 446.866.2(c-e).

Required Label Elements

1. Product name — the common name of the food
2. Net weight — required under 21 C.F.R. § 101.105 because federal labeling is incorporated
3. Ingredient list — in descending order of predominance by weight (21 C.F.R. § 101.4)
4. Major food allergen declaration — if applicable (21 U.S.C. § 343(w))
5. Business name and address — specifically the address of your private home, drawn from 21 C.F.R. § 101.5 as incorporated by Nevada law
6. The verbatim Nevada disclaimer — see below

The Verbatim Disclaimer

Your label must display this exact statement:

"MADE IN A COTTAGE FOOD OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENT FOOD SAFETY INSPECTION"

This wording is required by NRS 446.866.2(c-e), per the SNHD FAQ. Don't paraphrase it, translate it, or tuck it into fine print. Nevada law says the food must be "clearly labeled" with this statement, but it does not specify a font size, color, or formatting. Use common sense: place it prominently where a buyer can read it.

Required vs. Recommended Label Elements

Here is the bottom line: Nevada demands six concrete elements on every package, led by that unmistakable all-caps disclaimer. Everything else is your choice, but best practices like dating your packages and adding a QR code can turn a compliant label into a marketing tool.

Now That You Know the Rules — Here's How to Start Selling in Nevada

You have the map. Here is the path.

1. Register in Every District Where You Plan to Sell If you are starting in Clark County, email your completed Cottage Food Operation Registration Application to regsupport@snhd.org. If you are anywhere else, call the appropriate health district from the list above and ask for their current procedure. Do not sell until you have your approval letter in hand.

2. Design Compliant Labels Before You Bake Build a label template that includes the six required elements, with the verbatim disclaimer front and center. MyPorch can help you generate labels that satisfy Nevada's federal-plus-state requirements without the guesswork.

3. Master Your In-Person Sales Workflow Set up your farmers market booth, home-pickup station, or craft fair table. Practice your pitch, perfect your packaging, and start building a local customer base that knows your face. You are the delivery driver, the cashier, and the brand.

4. Price with the \$35,000 Cap in Mind Because gross sales include every dollar you collect — ingredient costs do not reduce the tally — you need to price for real profit within a hard ceiling. Track every sale meticulously so you know when you are approaching the limit.

Ready to turn compliance into customers? Create Nevada-compliant labels in minutes, learn how to take pre-orders for your home bakery, and make sure you are pricing your baked goods for real profit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Recent Law Changes (Changelog)

Nevada's cottage food landscape has been stable since 2013, but the 2025 Legislature passed two bills that will reshape the statute book starting in 2027. Here is what changed, what is changing, and what to circle on your calendar.

July 1, 2027 — AB 352 (Chapter 420, 2025 Statutes) Replaces the Cottage Food Statute The biggest shift in Nevada cottage food history arrives July 1, 2027. AB 352, passed in 2025 and signed by the Governor, created an entirely new cottage food framework at NRS 585.700-585.770 (inside the Nevada Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, NRS Chapter 585). The old cottage food statute — NRS 446.866, in Chapter 446 — is scheduled for repeal on the same date. The new framework will: - Raise the annual gross sales cap from \$35,000 to \$100,000, adjusted annually for inflation (CPI) by the Nevada Department of Agriculture (NRS 585.710(2), 585.730(6)) - Allow online, telephone, mail-order, and third-party delivery sales (NRS 585.730(1)(a)) - Shift from health-district registration to a Department of Agriculture license (NRS 585.730(2)-(3)) - Transfer cottage food oversight from local health districts to the Nevada Department of Agriculture (NRS 585.760) - Keep the same verbatim disclaimer — "MADE IN A COTTAGE FOOD OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENT FOOD SAFETY INSPECTION" — now described as "printed prominently" rather than "clearly labeled" (NRS 585.730(1)(d)) - Continue the "natural person" requirement (NRS 585.710)

Until July 1, 2027, none of these changes are active. NRS 446.866 remains the operative law, SNHD and the other health districts remain the registering authorities, and the \$35,000 cap + in-person-only sales rule still govern your kitchen.

July 1, 2025 — SB 466 (Chapter 512, 2025 Statutes) Reorganizes Food Establishment Law Senate Bill 466 moved the authority to regulate and permit food establishments from the Division of Public and Behavioral Health to the Nevada Department of Agriculture, effective July 1, 2025. This bill repealed most of NRS Chapter 446 (food establishment definitions, permits, enforcement) on that date, but the cottage food section (NRS 446.866) was specifically coordinated with AB 352's July 1, 2027 effective date so that no gap in cottage food law occurs. If you hear that "Chapter 446 is repealed," that is technically true for the food establishment sections — but for cottage food, NRS 446.866 is still your governing statute until July 1, 2027.

2025 — AB 352 Approved by the Legislature During the 2025 session, the Nevada Legislature passed AB 352 (Assembly Bill 352) and the Governor signed it into law as Chapter 420 of the 2025 Statutes (page 2681). The law was immediately heralded as a modernization of cottage and craft food rules, but legislators built in a long runway: the Nevada Department of Agriculture has until July 1, 2027 to stand up the new regulatory framework and the new statute sections do not take effect until that date.

2015 — Craft Food Bill Creates an Alternative Path The Legislature passed a separate craft food bill placing certain acidified and pickled foods under the Nevada Department of Agriculture. This law is not part of Chapter 446 or Chapter 585 cottage food provisions, but it remains the only legal route for home producers who want to sell pickles or salsa before AB 352 takes effect in July 2027.

2013 — SB 206 Establishes Nevada Cottage Food Law The original cottage food bill passed in 2013, codified as NRS 446.866 in Chapter 446. It created the \$35,000 cap, the "natural person" requirement, the multi-district registration system, and the limited list of allowed foods that still govern your kitchen today.

Last Reviewed: April 21, 2026