Nevada's cottage food rules sit in NRS 580.600 until June 30, 2027, after a 2025 law, Assembly Bill 352, moved the program toward the Department of Agriculture. Today a home cook registers with the local food safety authority, the Southern Nevada Health District in Clark County, and can then make foods from a fixed list, baked goods without cream or custard, candy, jams, granola, nuts, popcorn, dried fruit, and sell them in person at home, farmers markets, flea markets, craft fairs and garage sales, up to $100,000 in gross sales a calendar year, adjusted for inflation. No telephone or internet sales, and nothing for resale. Every package carries a federal food label and one statement in capitals. From July 1, 2027, the Department of Agriculture takes over registration statewide. In the example below, a Henderson baker sorts six products. Below are the rules, the foods, the label, the example, and a free checklist.
The short version
- Register with your food safety authority before selling; in Clark County that's SNHD.
- Only the listed foods: baked goods that aren't potentially hazardous, candy, jams, jellies and preserves, nuts, dried fruit, cereals and granola, dry herbs and seasonings, vinegar, popcorn.
- Up to $100,000 in gross sales a calendar year, adjusted for inflation from Fiscal Year 2026-2027.
- Sell in person, at home or venues like farmers markets, flea markets, swap meets, church bazaars, garage sales and craft fairs; no phone or internet sales.
- To a person for their own consumption, never for resale.
- Label to federal rules, plus "MADE IN A COTTAGE FOOD OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENT FOOD SAFETY INSPECTION".
- Local zoning can't ban cottage food operations.
- From July 1, 2027, the Department of Agriculture registers cottage food statewide.
- TaroStack keeps each batch's lot and the year's sales against the limit. More below.
The rules
| Rule | What NRS 580.600 says |
|---|---|
| Who | A natural person preparing food at home, or in a clubhouse, school or nonprofit kitchen if the authority allows |
| Registration | With the food safety authority before any sales: name, address, contact information, and any business name |
| Fee | No more than the authority's cost; SNHD lists $220 for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 |
| Selling | In person on your property or at a direct sale venue, not by telephone or the internet |
| Buyers | A natural person for their own consumption, not for resale |
| Limit | $100,000 in gross sales a calendar year, adjusted each fiscal year for inflation |
| Inspection | Only to investigate a possibly adulterated food or an illness outbreak |
| Local rules | No ordinance can prohibit a person from preparing food in a cottage food operation |
The law is NRS 580.600, in effect through June 30, 2027. The Southern Nevada Health District's cottage food page explains AB 352, its registration steps and the fee; from July 1, 2027, NRS 585.700 to 585.770 put the program under the Department of Agriculture, which is writing the new regulations. This is general information, not legal advice.
What you can make
| On the list | Not allowed |
|---|---|
| Baked goods that aren't potentially hazardous | Baked goods with cream, uncooked egg, custard, meringue or cream cheese frosting or garnishes |
| Candies | Anything needing time or temperature control |
| Jams, jellies and preserves | Foods not on the list |
| Nuts and nut mixes; dried fruits; cereals, trail mixes and granola | |
| Dry herbs and seasoning mixes; vinegar and flavored vinegar | |
| Popcorn and popcorn balls |
Which foods need refrigeration is in TCS foods list.
The label
| Line | What it says |
|---|---|
| Federal label | A label meeting 21 CFR Part 101 and the federal allergen labeling law |
| Statement | "MADE IN A COTTAGE FOOD OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENT FOOD SAFETY INSPECTION", printed prominently |
| Packaging | Prepackaged to protect the food in transport, display and sale |
The federal label means the product name, net quantity, ingredients by weight, allergens, and the name and place of the business; how those parts work is in food labeling requirements for small business, and how to work out allergens in allergen matrix template.
An example: a Henderson baker
Mojave Bakehouse, a made-up cottage food operation in Henderson, Nevada, I use in these examples, registered with SNHD and sells at a farmers market and a craft fair:
| Product | Allowed? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Pecan brittle | Yes | Candies |
| Prickly pear jelly | Yes | Jams and jellies |
| Sourdough bread | Yes | A baked good that isn't potentially hazardous |
| Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting | No | No cream cheese frosting |
| Cookies ordered online and shipped | No | In-person sales only |
| Cookies for a café to resell | No | Not for resale |
Summer heat slows the markets from June to August; by September Mojave Bakehouse had sold $36,000. How a home food business starts is in how to start a cottage food business.
Get the checklist
Download the Nevada cottage food checklist. Three sheets: the label, each line with a column for yours; products, each with whether it's allowed and why; and sales by month against $100,000, red past 90%. It's an ordinary Excel file with no macros, and it works in Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Numbers.
Where this stops working
The limit counts a calendar year's gross sales, the label follows federal rules, and in 2027 the registration moves to a new agency with new regulations. Records kept in one place make the move, and any question about a batch, easier.
How TaroStack does it
TaroStack keeps each batch's lot and the year's sales against the limit.
Each batch dated. A batch of brittle gets a lot with its production and best-before dates, and lot labels print with it.
Where it went. Market and fair orders record the lots each customer got, so one recall report shows where a batch went; TaroStack connects to Square for market sales.
The year's sales. The total against $100,000 comes from the orders, and every list exports to CSV for the new registration.
| The job | Notebook | In TaroStack |
|---|---|---|
| A batch's date | Written on the bag | The batch's lot and dates |
| Who got a batch | Not recorded | One recall report |
| The year's gross sales | Added up by hand | From the orders, exported to CSV |
Lots, batches, orders and lot labels are on every plan, from $49 a month. The first 30 days are free, with no credit card. If you'd like a hand setting up, ask, and we'll do it with you.