Homemade food producers in Shelby County are governed by the Tennessee Food Freedom Act (T.C.A. 53-1-118). Foods produced in a home kitchen under the Act are exempt from state licensing, permitting, inspection, packaging, and labeling requirements.
The Tennessee Food Freedom Act, also called the Tennessee Cottage Food Law, was amended effective July 1, 2025 to allow sale of certain time/temperature-controlled foods. Foods made in a home-based kitchen under the Act are exempt from all state licensing, permitting, inspecting, packaging, and labeling laws, except when the Department of Health investigates a reported foodborne illness. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) does not issue permits or inspect these products, and there is no state sales cap. If products fall outside the Act's exemptions, TDA may enforce under T.C.A. 53-1-201 et seq. Producers must still meet local zoning: under UDC 2.7.4, food handling using standard home kitchen equipment is an allowed home occupation, but a restaurant is not.
Selling food outside the Act's exemptions (for example prohibited products) can trigger TDA enforcement under T.C.A. 53-1-201 et seq. Operating a food business that exceeds home-occupation limits is separately a Shelby County zoning violation.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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The Code of Shelby County authorizes the county to compel owners of unincorporated property to cut rank weeds, grasses, and underbrush deemed a health or tra...
See how Shelby County's cottage food operations rules stack up against other locations.
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