Last verified 16 Sep 2026 · Sources
Alaska’s Homemade Food Rule, enacted through House Bill 251 and codified at AS 17.20.332–17.20.338, lets you sell food from your home kitchen directly to Alaska consumers with no state food-safety permit, no kitchen inspection, and (since the 2024 law took effect) no annual sales cap. A general business license is usually still required. Every package still needs a specific home-kitchen disclosure sentence, and potentially hazardous foods like cheesecake can only move producer-to-consumer, never through a retailer. None of this touches federal nutrition labeling: a Nutrition Facts panel isn’t required unless the label carries a nutrient content or health claim.
| Quick facts | Alaska |
|---|---|
| Revenue cap | None |
| Permit or registration | None; no permit or inspection required |
| Sales channels | Direct in-state; retail add-on for non-hazardous items only |
| Online sales | In-state only |
| Required label statement | “This food was made in a home kitchen, is not regulated or inspected, except for meat and meat products, and may contain allergens.” |
| Nutrition Facts panel | Not required unless you make a nutrient claim |
| Administered by | Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Food Safety and Sanitation Program |
| Governing law | Alaska Homemade Food Rule (House Bill 251) |
What Alaska lets you sell from home
Before August 2024, Alaska’s cottage food exemption (18 AAC 31.012) covered only non-potentially-hazardous, shelf-stable items (jams, jellies, baked goods, pickled vegetables, dried mixes) sold direct to consumer under a $25,000 annual cap. HB 251 replaced that framework with a broader Homemade Food Rule that now also allows potentially hazardous, time/temperature-controlled-for-safety (TCS) products: cheesecake, lemon meringue pie, cut melon, salad mixes, and foods made with pasteurized milk or USDA-inspected meat and poultry (dec.alaska.gov/eh/fss/homemade-food/food-types). Home-canned goods are fine if made with a tested, proven recipe and canning method; kombucha and processed honey are handled case by case depending on pH and water activity.
Off the list entirely: raw or unpasteurized milk products, whole or raw poultry, game meat (moose, deer, bear), reindeer meat, seafood and shellfish, uninspected meat or poultry, rendered animal fats such as lard or seal oil, and anything containing alcohol, cannabis, or a controlled substance. Dairy products fall partly under a separate rule, 18 AAC 32.
Permits, registration, and the revenue cap
There’s nothing to file with DEC to start selling under the exemption: no permit, no facility inspection, no fee. DEC’s own FAQ states plainly that “there is no limit or sales cap for homemade food sales” (dec.alaska.gov/eh/fss/homemade-food/faq). That’s a direct result of HB 251, sponsored by Rep. George Rauscher and signed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy at the Alaska State Fair on August 24, 2024 (gov.alaska.gov), which eliminated the $25,000 gross-receipts ceiling that had applied under the prior regulation. DEC is separately working through rulemaking to repeal the outdated 18 AAC 31.012(a) so the Alaska Food Code lines up with the new statute (dec.alaska.gov/eh/regulations/aligning-the-food-code-with-alaskas-homemade-food-rule), but the statute itself already governs. A state business license is generally still required, with some exceptions. Check with Alaska’s Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing to confirm your situation.
Where you can sell
Non-potentially-hazardous homemade food (cookies, bread, jam, granola, and similar shelf-stable items) can be sold direct from the home, at farmers markets, roadside stands, and events, sold online with in-state delivery, and now also placed with a third-party retailer or agent such as a grocery store or food hub, a change from the old direct-only rule (dec.alaska.gov/eh/fss/homemade-food/requirements). Potentially hazardous, refrigerated items are more restricted: you can only sell them directly to the consumer (in person, online, or by mail within Alaska) with no agent, retailer, wholesale, resale, or consignment arrangement standing in.
Either way, sales have to stay inside Alaska. DEC’s guidance is explicit that homemade food “must be sold in Alaska and sales may not involve interstate commerce,” so you can take online orders but can’t ship your product to a buyer in another state under this exemption.
What has to be on the label
Every packaged product sold under the Homemade Food Rule needs, per AS 17.20.332–17.20.338 and DEC’s published requirements:
- Product name
- Ingredients in descending order by weight or volume
- Allergen information
- Net weight or volume
- Producer’s name
- Producer’s current address
- Producer’s telephone number
- Alaska business license number
- The required disclosure statement, below
This food was made in a home kitchen, is not regulated or inspected, except for meat and meat products, and may contain allergens.
(dec.alaska.gov/eh/fss/homemade-food/requirements)
Food sold unpackaged (at a market stall or self-serve display, for instance) needs a sign or verbal disclosure instead, stating that the food was prepared in accordance with AS 17.20.332–17.20.338 and is not subject to certain state certification, labeling, licensing, packaging, regulation, or inspection requirements, along with the same producer name, address, and phone number. DEC’s guidance calls for labels and signage to be “clear and prominent,” without a numeric type-size rule like some states set.
When you need a Nutrition Facts panel
Alaska’s exemption doesn’t require a Nutrition Facts panel: the home-kitchen disclosure and ingredient list stand in for it under state law. That changes the moment a label, package, or piece of marketing makes a nutrient content or health claim: “high protein,” “low sugar,” even a casual “low-carb” in a farmers-market sign or an Instagram caption. At that point ordinary FDA nutrition labeling under 21 CFR 101.9 applies, regardless of what the state exemption otherwise allows. The same is true once your product leaves the direct-to-consumer, in-state channel the exemption covers and moves into standard wholesale, retail, or interstate distribution (through a co-packer’s production run, for example).
When a claim, a co-packer, or a retail shelf makes the panel necessary, having it ready means you can say yes to that order instead of “not yet.” Enter your recipe, then see your label: your calories, the claims you qualify for and your allergen line are free, no card required, 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, the ingredient statement and the allergen declaration, ready to print. Start your label, or see how other states compare on the cottage food laws hub.
Sources
Alaska cottage food FAQ
Does Alaska have a sales cap for homemade food?
No. House Bill 251, signed in August 2024, removed the previous $25,000 annual cap that had applied under the old 18 AAC 31.012 cottage-food exemption, and the Department of Environmental Conservation's current guidance confirms there is no sales-volume limit (dec.alaska.gov/eh/fss/homemade-food/faq).
Do I need a permit to sell homemade food in Alaska?
No state food-safety permit or kitchen inspection is required under the Homemade Food Rule (AS 17.20.332–17.20.338), though a general Alaska business license is usually still needed, with some exceptions the state's Business Licensing office can confirm (dec.alaska.gov/eh/fss/homemade-food/requirements).
Can I sell homemade cheesecake or other refrigerated food in Alaska now?
Yes. HB 251 extended the exemption to potentially hazardous, time/temperature-controlled foods like cheesecake, cut melon, and dishes made with pasteurized dairy or USDA-inspected meat, but you can only sell those items directly to the consumer, never through a retailer or third party (dec.alaska.gov/eh/fss/homemade-food/food-types).
Can I ship or sell Alaska homemade food online to buyers out of state?
No. DEC's guidance states homemade food "must be sold in Alaska and sales may not involve interstate commerce," so online orders and mail delivery have to stay within the state (dec.alaska.gov/eh/fss/homemade-food/faq).
What exact wording does an Alaska homemade food label need?
Your packaged products need your name, current address, phone number, and business license number, plus the sentence "This food was made in a home kitchen, is not regulated or inspected, except for meat and meat products, and may contain allergens." (dec.alaska.gov/eh/fss/homemade-food/requirements).
When does my Alaska cottage food need a real Nutrition Facts panel?
The Homemade Food Rule doesn't require one, but that exemption ends the moment a label or ad makes a nutrient content or health claim, or your product moves into ordinary wholesale, retail, or interstate distribution beyond what the exemption covers.
Sources
- akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Detail/33
- dec.alaska.gov/eh/fss/homemade-food
- dec.alaska.gov/eh/fss/homemade-food/requirements
- dec.alaska.gov/eh/fss/homemade-food/food-types
- dec.alaska.gov/eh/fss/homemade-food/faq
- dec.alaska.gov/eh/regulations/aligning-the…h-alaskas-homemade-food-rule
- gov.alaska.gov/governor-signs-agricultural-bills-at-the-alaska-state-fair
- regulations.justia.com/states/alaska/title-18/chap…icle-1/section-18-aac-31-012