Universal City, TX Home Business: Cottage Food Operations (2026)

The Texas Cottage Food Law codified in Health and Safety Code Chapter 437 authorizes individuals to prepare and sell certain non potentially hazardous foods from their home kitchens without a food manufacturer or retail food establishment license. Permitted items include baked goods that do not require refrigeration such as breads and cookies, candy, jams and jellies, dried herbs, roasted coffee, popcorn, dry mixes, and certain pickles and fermented items that meet pH requirements. A cottage food producer must complete an approved food handler course, label every product with the producer name and address, net weight, ingredients in descending order, allergen statement, and the cottage food disclaimer, and may not exceed 50,000 dollars in gross annual cottage food sales. Sales can be direct to consumers at home, farmers markets, events, online with local delivery, and by mail within Texas. Universal City does not add additional permit requirements for cottage food operators that stay within state law, though home occupation zoning rules still apply to visible activity and customer traffic.