The Arkansas Food Freedom Act lets you make non-hazardous food at your Washington County home and sell it directly to consumers with no license, no health inspection, and no sales cap. Only a product label is required. It is one of the most permissive laws nationally.
Arkansas Code Section 20-57-501 et seq., enacted as Act 1040 of 2021, governs homemade food statewide and overrides county land-use for this activity. A homemade food or drink product processed at your private residence is exempt from state licensure, inspection, certification, and packaging requirements, so no Arkansas Department of Health permit or kitchen inspection is needed and there is no annual dollar cap. It covers shelf-stable, non-time/temperature-control foods sold directly to the consumer in person, online, or by delivery, and Arkansas even permits some items other states forbid. Each product must carry a label with the producer's name, address, and phone, the product name, ingredients, and a notice the food is not state-inspected. Meat, poultry, and refrigerated foods stay excluded.
Selling time/temperature-control foods, meat or poultry, or omitting the required label strips Food Freedom Act protection and subjects the seller to full retail food-establishment permitting and Arkansas Department of Health enforcement.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Washington County, AR
Washington County may require hosts to carry liability insurance for short-term rental properties. Minimum coverage amounts vary by jurisdiction.
Washington County, AR
Washington County limits the number of guests allowed in short-term rental properties. Occupancy caps are typically based on bedroom count or square footage ...
Washington County, AR
Washington County has no ordinance regulating holiday lights, inflatables, or yard displays in its unincorporated area, and Arkansas has no statute on them. ...
Washington County, AR
Garage-sale signs on your own property face no county permit in unincorporated Washington County. Off it, Ark. Code §27-67-304 makes state highway rights-of-...
Washington County, AR
Political signs on your own land in unincorporated Washington County need no county permit. The firm limit is placement: Ark. Code §27-67-304 holds state hig...
Washington County, AR
Unincorporated Washington County runs no rental registration or landlord licensing. There is no county rental permit, mandatory inspection, or per-unit fee. ...
See how Washington County's cottage food operations rules stack up against other locations.
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