Sumner County, TN Home Business: Cottage Food Operations (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- TN Food Freedom Act, §53-1-118
- License/inspection
- Not required
- Revenue cap
- None
- Allowed
- Shelf-stable homemade foods
- Sales
- Direct to consumer
Summary
The Tennessee Food Freedom Act lets Sumner County residents sell most homemade foods direct to consumers with no license, no inspection, and no revenue cap. State law controls, and the county adds no cottage-food permit.
Notwithstanding part 2 of this chapter, or another law to the contrary, except as provided in this section, the production and sale of homemade food items under this chapter are exempt from all licensing, permitting, inspecting, packaging, and labeling laws of this state, except when the department of health is investigating a reported foodborne illness.
Full Breakdown
Under the Tennessee Food Freedom Act, Tenn. Code Ann. § 53-1-118, a resident of Gallatin, Hendersonville, Portland, White House, or unincorporated Sumner County may produce shelf-stable homemade foods in a home kitchen and sell them directly to the end consumer without any state license, permit, inspection, or kitchen approval, and with no cap on sales. Allowed items include baked goods, candies, jams, dried mixes, and similar non-perishable foods; products that need refrigeration for safety are excluded. Each package must carry the producer's name and address, ingredients, allergens, and a notice that the food was made in a home kitchen. The Department of Health may step in only to investigate a reported foodborne illness.
Violations & Fines
The exemption is enforced through its labeling terms and a foodborne-illness investigation by the Department of Health. Selling excluded perishable foods, or mislabeling, drops the exemption and pulls the seller under standard retail-food rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to sell homemade food in Sumner County?
Is there a limit on how much I can sell?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sumner County
Compare Sumner County to another location·View the Tennessee home business overview
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