Cottage food laws in Tennessee

The limits

Sales cap

None

You can sell

Broad — most homemade foods, expanded effective July 1, 2025 to include certain time/temperature-controlled (TCS) items, poultry produced under the federal 1,000-bird exemption, and pasteurized dairy products (added by the 2025 amendment); acidified foods and low-acid canned goods (pickles, sauerkraut, canned vegetables, hot sauces) are also permitted — Tennessee is reported as one of only a few states allowing both acidified and low-acid canned goods under this type of law.

You cannot sell

Not confirmedUnverified — TDA's own Food Freedom Act page does not enumerate a prohibited list; it frames the Act as a broad exemption from licensing/permitting/inspection/packaging/labeling laws and directs complaints to the Tennessee Department of Health. Secondary sources consistently describe the statute (T.C.A. § 53-1-118) as excluding unpasteurized milk, alcoholic beverages, fish, shellfish, meat and meat byproducts, with a 2025 amendment (HB 130, enacted as Public Chapter 431, effective July 1, 2025) adding limited allowances for 1,000-bird-exempt/inspected poultry and pasteurized dairy — but this could not be confirmed against readable primary statutory text. Confirm with TDA or consult T.C.A. § 53-1-118 directly.

Getting set up

Permit / registration

No — TDA states it does not issue permits, conduct inspections, or provide business-specific advice under this Act.

Cost

None

Training

No

Kitchen inspection

No, except when the Department of Health is investigating a reported foodborne illness.

Labeling

Exempt from the state's standard food labeling laws under the Act; TDA's page does not specify any minimum required disclosure text — confirm with TDA whether any baseline label content is still expected for consumer safety even though formal labeling law does not apply.

Where you can sell

Permitted venues

Direct sales from home, farmers markets, roadside stands, community events, home pickup, direct delivery, producer's own website/social media/online marketplaces (e.g., Etsy), and in-state shipping; non-perishable products only may be wholesaled to grocery stores, co-ops, specialty food shops, gift shops, and farm stores. Sales through restaurants are prohibited, and perishable/TCS products cannot be wholesaled or moved through third-party delivery platforms (e.g., DoorDash).

Online sales

Yes

Delivery in state

Yes, including in-state shipping.

Shipping out of state

No — out-of-state shipping is not permitted under the Act.

The fine print

Statute

Tenn. Code Ann. § 53-1-118 (Tennessee Food Freedom Act); originally enacted via HB 813 (2022); amended effective July 1, 2025 (HB 130 / referenced secondarily as Public Chapter 431) to add TCS items, 1,000-bird-exemption poultry, and pasteurized dairy.

Recent changes

July 1, 2025 amendment (HB 130) expanded allowed products to include certain TCS foods, poultry under the federal 1,000-bird exemption, and pasteurized dairy products.

Notes

Tennessee is one of the most permissive jurisdictions in this batch — no sales cap, no permit, no inspection (absent a foodborne-illness complaint), and no mandatory food handler training. The specific bill-chapter number for the 2025 amendment (referenced as "Public Chapter 431" in secondary material) was not independently confirmed against the Tennessee General Assembly's bill-status page during our research and should be verified with TDA or capitol.tn.gov if the exact chapter number is needed for citation purposes.