Cottage Food Laws in Alaska
Last verified against official sources on by Amrit. How we verify
Yes. Since July 1, 2024, Alaska's homemade food law lets you make food and drinks in your home kitchen (or a kitchen you lease) and sell them without a state food permit, license or inspection (a general Alaska business license may still apply). The law sets no sales limit. You must sell only within Alaska, to people buying for their own use, label packaged food with your contact details and a required statement, and stay away from banned items such as seafood and game meat.[1][2][5]
At a glance
| Permit needed | No state food permit, license or inspection[1] |
|---|---|
| Sales cap | None in the homemade food law[1][4] |
| Where you can make it | Your own home kitchen, or a private or commercial kitchen you lease[1] |
| Label statement | "This food was made in a home kitchen, is not regulated or inspected, except for meat and meat products, and may contain allergens."[1] |
| Where you can sell | In Alaska only: farmers markets, agricultural fairs, farms, ranches, your home or office, a third-party store, or any place you and the buyer agree on. Apart from raw, unprocessed fruits and vegetables, homemade food can't be sold to or used in restaurants or other commercial food businesses.[1] |
| Foods that need refrigeration | Allowed, but you (the person who made it) must sell it yourself. Stores and agents can't sell it for you. Eggs are the exception.[1] |
| Online and shipping | No sales across state lines. The law does not mention online orders; the sale itself must happen in Alaska.[1] |
| Fee | No state food permit fee. An Alaska business license is $50 a year, if you need one.[1][6] |
| Agency | Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)[1] |
Step by step
Do these in order. Each step links to the official form or page.
Check that your food is allowed
Almost any food or drink is allowed. You cannot sell seafood, game meat (such as moose or caribou), oil rendered from animal fat, or anything containing a controlled substance. Meat from cattle, sheep, pigs, horses or goats, and food containing it, is allowed only if you meet federal meat rules.[1]
Get an Alaska business license if you need one
Alaska law requires a license to engage in a business in the state, with some exemptions. One exemption covers people who don't present themselves as regularly selling goods or services. If you have a license, its number must go on your label.[5][7][6][1]
Label packaged food
Every item packaged for individual sale needs a clear label with your name, current address, phone number, your business license number if you have one, and this exact statement: "This food was made in a home kitchen, is not regulated or inspected, except for meat and meat products, and may contain allergens."[1]
Tell buyers about unpackaged food
Before you sell anything unpackaged, tell the buyer it was made under Alaska's homemade food law and is not subject to certain state certification, labeling, licensing, packaging, regulation or inspection requirements, and give them your name, current address, phone number and business license number if you have one. A store selling your unpackaged food must do the same.[1]
Sell in Alaska, to people buying for their own use
Sell at a farmers market, an agricultural fair, a farm or ranch, your home or office, a third-party store, or a place you and the buyer agree on. The buyer must be buying for themselves, their employees or their unpaid guests, not to resell. You can't sell across state lines or to restaurants and other commercial food businesses. Foods that need refrigeration or hot holding must be sold by you, the person who made them.[1]
Follow the display rules for retail spaces and stores
A shop or grocery store may sell your eggs and foods that don't need refrigeration. Any retail space selling homemade food, including one at your own home, farm or ranch, must prominently display a sign saying the food was made in a home kitchen, may contain allergens, and is not regulated or inspected (except for meat and meat products). In a store or grocery, homemade food can't share a shelf or display with inspected food. If a retail space selling foods that need refrigeration also sells inspected food or is in any way tied to a commercial food business, it needs a separate door and register, signs showing which areas sell inspected and uninspected food, and separate coolers, freezers and storage, and it must meet any other DEC requirements for homemade food.[1]
What you can and can't sell[1]
Allowed
- Most foods and drinks made in your home kitchen or a kitchen you lease
- Foods that need refrigeration or hot holding, such as cheesecake, if you sell them yourself
- Eggs
- Raw, unprocessed fruits and vegetables, which (unlike other homemade food) may also be sold to restaurants and other food businesses
- Meat from cattle, sheep, pigs, horses or goats, and food containing it, only if you meet federal meat rules
Not allowed
- Seafood, including fish, shellfish and other aquatic animals
- Game meat, such as moose or caribou
- Oil rendered from animal fat
- Anything containing a controlled substance
- Meat and meat products that don't meet federal rules
Local rules
These places add their own requirements on top of the state rules.
- All Alaska cities and boroughs: The state law exempts homemade food only from state requirements. It does not exempt you from local laws and ordinances about food, so check with your city or borough.[1]
- Municipality of Anchorage: Anchorage repealed its cottage food license (and its $25,000 sales limit) in November 2025. Homemade food needs no city permit if it meets the ordinance's conditions. These follow the state law but are stricter in places: no poultry, marijuana or alcoholic beverages, and no resale or wholesale (foods that don't need refrigeration may still be sold by your agent or a third-party vendor directly to the consumer). Unpackaged food must come with the producer's details and a home-kitchen statement, told to the buyer or posted on a sign. The Anchorage Health Department does not inspect homes routinely but can investigate complaints. Old cottage food licenses expire six months after the ordinance passed.[8]
What it costs
| Step | Fee |
|---|---|
| Get an Alaska business license if you need one | $50 (per year; $25 for a sole proprietor who is 65 or older or a disabled veteran) |
| Total if every fee applies to you | $50 |
Recent changes
- : DEC repealed the old state cottage food exemption in 18 AAC 31.012(a), because the 2024 homemade food law covers it more broadly.[4][8]
- : The homemade food part of HB 251 (AS 17.20.332 to 17.20.338) took effect. It exempts homemade food from state permits, licensing and inspection, allows foods that need refrigeration, and allows meat sold under federal rules. The governor signed the bill on August 24, 2024, with the homemade food section effective from July 1, 2024.[2][3][1]
Frequently asked questions
Is there a limit on how much I can sell?
The homemade food law sets no sales limit. The old state cottage food rule was repealed in 2025, and so was Anchorage's cottage food license, which had capped sales below $25,000 a year.[4][8]
Can I sell cheesecake or other foods that need refrigeration?
Yes. Foods that need time or temperature control for safety are allowed, but you, the person who made them, must be the one who sells them. A store or agent can't sell them for you.[1]
Can I sell my baked goods to a coffee shop or restaurant?
Not to use or serve there. Homemade food (other than raw fruits and vegetables) can't be sold to or used in a commercial food business, and buyers must be buying for their own use. A retail shop or grocery store can sell your eggs and foods that don't need refrigeration, with a home-kitchen sign and on a separate shelf from inspected food.[1]
Can I ship my food to customers in other states?
No. Sales under the homemade food law must take place in Alaska and can't involve interstate commerce.[1]
Can I sell smoked salmon or moose jerky?
No. Seafood and game meat are both excluded from the homemade food law.[1]
Can I rent a commercial kitchen instead of using my home?
Yes. Food made in a private or commercial kitchen you lease counts as homemade food.[1]
Will anyone inspect my kitchen?
There is no state inspection requirement for homemade food that follows the law. DEC can still inspect to investigate reports of foodborne illness, unsafe sanitary practices or mislabeled food, order unsafe practices to stop, and destroy unsafe food. You can also ask DEC for help or an inspection.[1]
Sources
- Alaska Statutes AS 17.20.332 - 17.20.338: Homemade Food; Animal Shares, Alaska State Legislature. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Enrolled HB 251, 33rd Legislature: Homemade Foods; Agricultural Loans, Alaska State Legislature. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Bill history: HB 251, 33rd Legislature, Alaska State Legislature. Checked October 25, 2026.
- 18 AAC 31.012: Exempt activities and facilities, Alaska Administrative Code (Alaska State Legislature). Checked October 25, 2026.
- AS 43.70.020: Business license required; application, Alaska State Legislature. Checked October 25, 2026.
- AS 43.70.030: Levy and computation of license fee, Alaska State Legislature. Checked October 25, 2026.
- AS 43.70.105: Business license exemptions, Alaska State Legislature. Checked October 25, 2026.
- AO No. 2025-114: Amending the Anchorage Food Code to align with homemade food provisions in state law, Municipality of Anchorage. Checked October 25, 2026.
Related
This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules and fees change. Before you apply or start selling, confirm the details with Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Food Safety and Sanitation Program or your local health department. Spotted something wrong or out of date?Report it and we will check it.