Shreveport, LA Home Business: Cottage Food Operations (2026)

The food rules are state law, not city law. R.S. 40:4.9 exempts home preparation of low-risk foods from Louisiana Department of Health licensing, with the exemption ending once gross annual sales reach $30,000. Breads, cakes, cookies and pies are low-risk foods under subsection (E)(1) and fall under the same $30,000 cap but cannot be sold to any retail business or individual for resale. Every item must be labeled to show it was not produced in a licensed or regulated facility. Shreveport layers on UDC Section 7.3.O: a home-based business certificate of occupancy, only resident employees, no exterior sign or display, and no more than four customers on site at once between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. by appointment. A city occupational license tax applies under Section 86-26.