Cottage Food Laws in Nevada
Last verified against official sources on by Amrit. How we verify
Yes, but only certain shelf-stable foods (foods that stay safe at room temperature), and you must register first. In Nevada you can make baked goods, candy, jams, dried fruit, granola and a few other foods in your own home kitchen and sell them in person to customers. You do not need a health permit, but you must register with the health authority for your area (in Clark County that is the Southern Nevada Health District) and wait for an approval letter. Every item must be packaged at home and carry the required label statement.[2][1]
At a glance
| Permit needed | No health permit, but you must register with your local health authority and get an approval letter before you start[2][1][5] |
|---|---|
| Who can register | One individual, making food in their own home kitchen. No partners or employees.[2] |
| Sales cap | $100,000 a year in gross sales according to the Clark County health district; Washoe County still lists $35,000. Confirm with your health authority.[2][6] |
| Fee | $220 one-time registration fee in Clark County, which applies only through June 30, 2027. Elsewhere, ask your health authority what it charges.[1][2] |
| Label statement | "MADE IN A COTTAGE FOOD OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENT FOOD SAFETY INSPECTION"[2] |
| Where you can sell | In person, from your home or at a licensed farmers market, flea market, swap meet, church bazaar, garage sale or craft fair. Not to stores or restaurants, not to wholesalers, and not on consignment (leaving food in a shop to be paid when it sells).[2][3] |
| Online and shipping | No online sales or shipping. You may advertise online, and the Clark County health district allows phone or online orders that you hand over in person.[2] |
| Agency | Southern Nevada Health District (Clark County), Northern Nevada Public Health (Washoe County), Carson City Health and Human Services, Central Nevada Health District, or the Nevada Department of Agriculture elsewhere[2] |
Step by step
Do these in order. Each step links to the official form or page.
Check that your food is allowed
Only the foods on Nevada's list qualify, and they must be shelf-stable. Baked goods cannot have cream, uncooked egg, custard, meringue or cream cheese frosting or garnishes, and must be baked or cooked with dry heat, not fried or steamed. Pickles and other acidified foods (foods made safe by adding acid, such as vinegar) are not on the cottage food list; certain ones can be made at home under Nevada's separate craft food law, run by the Nevada Department of Agriculture.[2]
Find your registering health authority
Who you register with depends on where you live and sell. Clark County: Southern Nevada Health District. Reno, Sparks and Washoe County: Northern Nevada Public Health. Carson City: Carson City Health and Human Services. Churchill, Mineral, Eureka and Pershing counties: Central Nevada Health District. Everywhere else: the Nevada Department of Agriculture food program. To sell in Clark County you must be registered with the Southern Nevada Health District even if you live elsewhere in Nevada.[2]
Make your labels
Each item needs a label that meets federal food labeling rules: the name of the food, net quantity, ingredients in order of weight, any major allergens, and your business name, the address of the home where the food is made (not a P.O. box) and your phone number. It must also carry the statement "MADE IN A COTTAGE FOOD OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENT FOOD SAFETY INSPECTION" in exactly that wording. Lettering must be at least 1/16 inch tall; the Southern Nevada Health District says the net quantity line must be at least 1/8 inch.[2][3][6]
Register and pay the fee
In Clark County, email the signed registration application to the Southern Nevada Health District; if it passes screening you finish the application in its online portal and are invoiced a one-time $220 fee (fiscal year 2026-27), which you must pay within 30 days. In Washoe County, apply online at onenv.us and upload your labels and photos of your packaging. Other health authorities have their own process, and Washoe County also charges a fee, so call yours first to ask what it costs.[1][6][2][4]
Wait for your approval letter
You are not registered, and cannot make or sell cottage food, until the health authority sends you an approval letter.[1][4]
Get a business licence
Registering with the health authority is not a business licence. Check with your city or county business licence office, and with the Nevada Secretary of State.[1][5]
Package at home and sell in person
Package every item in your kitchen before you take it anywhere; open food is not allowed where you sell. Sell face to face from your home or at a licensed farmers market, flea market, swap meet, church bazaar, garage sale or craft fair. In Clark County, selling at a market or event also needs the market manager's or event coordinator's approval. Samples must also be packaged at home.[3][2]
What you can and can't sell[2][6]
Allowed
- Baked goods that are shelf-stable, such as cookies, breads and cakes without cream or cream cheese frosting
- Candy (not cream-based chocolates such as ganache or truffles)
- Jams, jellies and preserves made with standard recipes
- Vinegar, and flavored vinegar that is strained, with no herbs or fruit pieces left in
- Dry herbs commonly used to flavor food, and seasoning mixes
- Dried fruits
- Cereals, trail mixes and granola
- Nuts and nut mixes
- Popcorn and popcorn balls
Not allowed
- Baked goods with cream, uncooked egg, custard, meringue or cream cheese frosting, or fresh fruit toppings
- Custard pies such as pumpkin, pecan or sweet potato, and lemon bars
- Baked goods that are fried or steamed
- Fruit butters and sugar-free or no-sugar-added jams
- Medicinal herbs
- Anything that needs refrigeration or temperature control
- Pickles and other acidified foods (certain ones are allowed under the separate craft food law)
Local rules
These places add their own requirements on top of the state rules.
- Clark County (Southern Nevada Health District): One-time $220 registration fee, applicable through June 30, 2027. Label review is voluntary and charged separately. Registration does not expire while your details stay accurate, but you must tell SNHD if you move or change your personal or business name, and adding a new category of food (for example, baked goods when you are registered for trail mix) needs a new registration. All SNHD registrations end on June 30, 2027.[1][2]
- Reno, Sparks and Washoe County (Northern Nevada Public Health): Apply online at onenv.us. Send example labels and photos of your packaging with the application; an inspector reviews them before you are approved. To add new foods later, email the labels for approval first. NNPH signs off on your business licence once you are registered.[4][6]
What it costs
| Step | Fee |
|---|---|
| Register and pay the fee | $220 one-time in Clark County (Southern Nevada Health District), applicable through June 30, 2027. Washoe County and the other health authorities' fees were not found; ask yours. |
| Total if every fee applies to you | $0 |
Not included in the total because the fee is set locally: Register and pay the fee.
Recent changes
- : Scheduled: under Assembly Bill 352 (2025), the Nevada Department of Agriculture becomes the registering authority for cottage food in the whole state, under new rules it is writing. Registrations with the Southern Nevada Health District stop being valid after June 30, 2027. Until then the current law (now NRS 580.600) and the local health authorities still apply.[1][2]
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell my cookies online or ship them?
No. Nevada cottage food must be sold face to face, and you cannot ship it or have a third party deliver it. You can advertise on a website or social media. The Southern Nevada Health District says customers may order by phone or online if you deliver the food to them in person.[2]
Can I sell to a coffee shop, store or restaurant?
No. Cottage food can only be sold to the person who will eat it. You cannot sell on consignment (leaving food in a shop to be paid when it sells), to a wholesaler, or to any business with a food permit; those businesses must treat cottage food as coming from an unapproved source and cannot serve or sell it.[2]
Can I sell cakes with buttercream or cream cheese frosting?
Not with cream cheese frosting, cream-based frosting, Chantilly-style frosting or buttercream made with egg (Swiss, Italian or French), according to the Southern Nevada Health District. Northern Nevada Public Health (Washoe County) goes further and lists frostings with dairy or other animal products as not cottage food, so ask your health authority before selling any buttercream. Baked goods must stay shelf-stable without refrigeration.[2][6]
Can my spouse or a friend help me run it?
No. A Nevada cottage food operation is one individual working in their own home. Partners and employees are not allowed.[2]
Will the health department inspect my kitchen?
Not necessarily. The registering authority may register a home kitchen without inspecting it. You must make the food in your own home kitchen, not in a restaurant or commercial kitchen.[2]
Can I sell pickles or salsa?
Not as cottage food: pickles and salsa are not on Nevada's cottage food list. Certain acidified and pickled foods (foods made safe by adding acid) can be made at home under Nevada's separate craft food law, run by the Nevada Department of Agriculture; contact the department to see whether your product qualifies.[2]
Can I hand out free samples?
Yes, if the samples are allowed foods and are packed in closed, food-safe containers in your home before you bring them to the sale. Northern Nevada Public Health (Washoe County) also requires samples to be labeled.[2][3][5]
What changes in July 2027?
The Nevada Department of Agriculture takes over cottage food registration for the whole state on July 1, 2027, under new rules it is writing. Clark County registrations end on June 30, 2027, so check the Department of Agriculture's requirements before then.[1][2]
Sources
- Cottage Food Operations, Southern Nevada Health District. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Cottage Food FAQ, Southern Nevada Health District. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Cottage Food Operation Registration Application and Guidance, Southern Nevada Health District. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Cottage Food Operations and Farm-to-Fork Events, Northern Nevada Public Health. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Northern Nevada Public Health FAQs: Cottage Food, Northern Nevada Public Health. Checked October 25, 2026.
- Cottage Food Fact Sheet and Food Safety Guidelines, Northern Nevada Public Health. Checked October 25, 2026.
Related
- Cottage Food Laws in Arizona
- Cottage Food Laws in California
- Cottage Food Laws in Idaho
- Cottage Food Laws in Oregon
- Cottage Food Laws in Utah
- Cottage Food Laws by State
This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules and fees change. Before you apply or start selling, confirm the details with Your local health authority (Southern Nevada Health District in Clark County, Northern Nevada Public Health in Washoe County) or your local health department. Spotted something wrong or out of date?Report it and we will check it.