Nevada Cottage Food Law: Labels, Limits & When You Need Nutrition Facts

Last verified 16 Sep 2026 · Sources

Nevada’s cottage food law (NRS 580.600) lets one person sell home-produced, non-potentially-hazardous foods (think jams, baked goods, and trail mix) directly to consumers once they register with their local food safety authority and stay under $100,000 in gross sales a year. Sales have to happen in person: a home pickup, a farmers market, or a similar event, not a website checkout or a phone order with delivery. Every package needs a specific state-mandated disclaimer sentence in addition to standard federal labeling. A Nutrition Facts panel isn’t required for a compliant cottage food label, but that exemption disappears the moment a nutrient or health claim shows up anywhere, including a farmers-market sign or an Instagram caption.

Quick facts	Nevada
Revenue cap	$100,000/yr gross, CPI-adjusted
Permit or registration	Registration required, fee varies by county
Sales channels	Direct, in-person only (home, markets, fairs)
Online sales	No
Required label statement	“MADE IN A COTTAGE FOOD OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENT FOOD SAFETY INSPECTION”
Nutrition Facts panel	Not required unless you make a nutrient claim
Administered by	Nevada Department of Agriculture; registered locally through Southern Nevada Health District, Washoe County Health District, or DPBH
Governing law	Nev. Rev. Stat. § 580.600 (Cottage Food Law)

What Nevada lets you sell from home

The statute lists the categories a cottage food operation can produce: nuts and nut mixes, candies, jams, jellies and preserves, vinegar and flavored vinegar, dry herbs and seasoning mixes, dried fruits, cereals, trail mixes and granola, and popcorn and popcorn balls (NRS 580.600). Baked goods qualify too, but only if they don’t require time or temperature control for safety: no cream, uncooked egg, custard, meringue, or cream cheese frosting fillings. Anything needing refrigeration to stay safe, such as cut fresh fruit, cream-based fillings, or low-acid canned goods, falls outside the exemption and needs a licensed, inspected kitchen. Southern Nevada Health District’s cottage food FAQ walks through more edge cases (southernnevadahealthdistrict.org).

Permits, registration, and the revenue cap

You register your cottage food operation with its “food safety authority” before selling anything: a local board of health or the state Department of Agriculture (NRS 580.600). That means Southern Nevada Health District for Clark County, Washoe County Health District for Washoe County, and DPBH for the remaining rural counties it still directly registers: Elko, Esmeralda, Humboldt, Lander, Lincoln, Lyon, Nye, Storey, and White Pine (dpbh.nv.gov). The statute caps the registration fee at “the actual cost of the food safety authority to establish and maintain a registry” rather than setting one number; Southern Nevada Health District currently charges $220, one time and non-refundable, for fiscal year 2026-27. The gross sales cap is $100,000 per calendar year, and starting with fiscal year 2026-27 the Department adjusts it annually by the change in the Consumer Price Index (All Items) measured from July 2025 forward, publishing the new number by September 30 each year (NRS 580.600).

Two 2025 bills reshaped this area. Senate Bill 466, effective July 1, 2025, moved food establishment authority from DPBH to the Nevada Department of Agriculture and recodified the cottage food statute from NRS 446.866 to NRS 580.600 (leg.state.nv.us; dpbh.nv.gov). Assembly Bill 352, effective July 1, 2027, will consolidate cottage food registration fully under the Department of Agriculture, ending direct administration by local health districts, and adds separate tracks for cottage cosmetics and certain craft foods (legiscan.com).

Where you can sell

Nevada keeps cottage food sales direct and in person: your home, a farmers market, a flea market or swap meet, a church bazaar, a garage sale, or a craft fair. Not allowed: phone or internet ordering paired with delivery or shipping, wholesale or consignment placement into stores, and sale through any permitted, inspected food establishment (NRS 580.600; southernnevadahealthdistrict.org). You can still advertise on a website or social media and take pre-orders for in-person pickup. The statute’s line is around shipping and third-party delivery, not around having an online presence.

What has to be on the label

Every Nevada cottage food package needs:

The exact disclaimer sentence below
Compliance with the federal packaging and labeling rules that already apply to most packaged foods (21 U.S.C. § 343(w), 9 C.F.R. Part 317, and 21 C.F.R. Part 101), which is where the product name, ingredient list in descending order by weight, net weight, and allergen declaration come from
The name and address of the cottage food operation, as federal labeling rules require for any packaged food

The required disclaimer, quoted verbatim from the statute:

“MADE IN A COTTAGE FOOD OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENT FOOD SAFETY INSPECTION” (NRS 580.600)

The statute doesn’t prescribe a minimum type size or a specific placement for that sentence beyond requiring it be on the label.

When you need a Nutrition Facts panel

Nevada’s cottage food exemption is about who has to register and get inspected. It doesn’t touch FDA nutrition labeling. A cottage food product sold under NRS 580.600 is exempt from the Nutrition Facts panel the same way any small-batch producer selling directly to consumers is (21 CFR 101.9), until one of three things happens: your label or any of your marketing makes a nutrient content or health claim (“low sugar,” “high protein,” “heart healthy”), your product moves into wholesale, retail, or interstate commerce, or the state itself imposes a stricter rule (Nevada’s doesn’t). The claim exemption is unforgiving about where the claim shows up: a farmers-market sign, a jar sticker, or an Instagram caption all count the same as text printed on the package.

When a retailer says yes, a panel built from your own recipe lets you answer with a finished label. Enter your recipe, then see your label: free with no card required, you see your calories, the claims you qualify for, your allergen line and the nutrient to watch, and every other value and %DV stays hidden until you unlock it. $29 unlocks every other nutrient value and %DV, every FDA format your product qualifies for, and the ingredient statement and allergen declaration that go with it. Start your label, or compare Nevada’s cap with other states on the cottage food laws hub.

Nevada cottage food FAQ

What is the Nevada cottage food sales cap?

$100,000 in gross sales of cottage food items per calendar year, and the figure is adjusted each year for inflation starting fiscal year 2026-27 (NRS 580.600).

Do I need a permit to sell cottage food in Nevada?

Yes. You register with your local food safety authority before selling: Southern Nevada Health District in Clark County, Washoe County Health District in Washoe County, or DPBH for the other rural counties it still covers.

Can I sell cottage food online in Nevada?

No. Nevada limits cottage food sales to direct, in-person transactions: your home, a farmers market, a flea market, a church bazaar, or a similar event. You can advertise online, but you cannot take phone or internet orders for delivery or shipping.

What has to be on a Nevada cottage food label?

A label meeting federal packaging rules plus this exact sentence: "MADE IN A COTTAGE FOOD OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENT FOOD SAFETY INSPECTION."

Is Nevada's cottage food law changing?

Yes. Senate Bill 466 (2025) moved the state's food-safety authority from the Division of Public and Behavioral Health to the Nevada Department of Agriculture on July 1, 2025, and recodified the old cottage food statute from NRS 446.866 to NRS 580.600. Assembly Bill 352 (2025) will fold registration entirely into the Department of Agriculture on July 1, 2027.

When does a Nevada cottage food maker need a real Nutrition Facts label?

The cottage food exemption covers labeling, not nutrition claims. The moment a label or ad says something like "low sugar" or "high protein," or your product moves into wholesale or interstate retail, FDA nutrition labeling rules apply.

Nearby states

Selling into a neighboring state means that state’s rules apply there: California, Arizona, Utah, Idaho. See the full state-by-state table.

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