Idaho Falls, ID Home Business: Cottage Food Operations (2026)

The City of Idaho Falls does not publish its own cottage food ordinance; cottage food in Idaho is governed at the state level. Under Idaho's food-freedom framework, a cottage food operation prepares non-time/temperature-controlled foods in the home kitchen of a primary residence and sells them directly to the end consumer. For such direct-to-consumer sales of non-hazardous foods (baked goods, jams and jellies, candies, dried goods, and similar shelf-stable items), the state generally does not require a food license, inspection, permit, or training. Sales must be direct to consumers (for example, farmers' markets, roadside stands, special events, home pickup, and direct delivery); selling through grocery stores, restaurants, or other retail resale outlets is not allowed for cottage food. Eastern Idaho Public Health is the local health agency for food questions in the Idaho Falls area and confirms that home-based direct-to-consumer non-hazardous food sales do not require a food license. Two city-level cautions apply: first, the Idaho Falls home-occupation standards in Zoning Code Section 11-2-6(R)(11) prohibit 'commercial food preparation, not including catering' as a home occupation, so an at-home food business should confirm how its activity is classified before scaling up; and second, time/temperature-controlled or potentially hazardous foods, and any wholesale or retail-resale model, fall outside cottage food and may require licensing. Confirm current rules with Eastern Idaho Public Health and the Idaho State Department of Agriculture.