Homemade Texas

TL;DR: Texas cottage food law does not expressly prohibit unattended or self-service stands, but DSHS interprets the law to prohibit them in most circumstances. That makes this a disputed area, not a green light. Homemade Texas is not telling anyone to operate an unattended stand; we are explaining what the law actually says, what DSHS […]

In 2025, the Texas Legislature said, essentially, “No permits for cottage food producers. We’re serious this time.” The City of Devine apparently heard, “How about a permit, a $1,000 bond, a criminal background check, three personal references, and a sworn and notarized signature?” Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this is how things are going out there

Homemade Texas and FARM Submit Letter to City of Waxahachie Regarding Cottage Food Affidavit Requirement On July 27, 2026, Homemade Texas and the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance (FARM) sent a joint letter to the City of Waxahachie regarding its requirement that cottage food producers complete a sworn, notarized affidavit before operating within the city.

Another advocacy letter went out from Homemade Texas last month; this time to the tiny southwest Texas town of Brackettville. 🤠 I’ve always maintained that the farther you get from Austin, the more likely it is that local officials start making up their own rules when it comes to cottage foods. Unfortunately, this appears to

For years, a persistent rumor has circulated in the cottage food world: “Cake balls are tax exempt, but cake pops are taxable because the stick counts as a utensil.” It sounds official and it gets repeated confidently. And like many good myths, it contains just enough logic to seem believable. But it’s wrong. Where This

Across Texas, we are seeing a growing trend of cities shutting down small front yard and porch sales, often without any clear explanation of why these activities are a problem. These are not large-scale businesses. They are neighbors selling to neighbors. They are low impact, community driven, and often the first step for someone trying

On October 29, 2025, we sent a second letter to the Pasadena Health Department regarding their employees’ improper enforcement of sampling rules for cottage food producers. This time, we received a response. Have you had an incident with a health inspector who doesn’t understand the law? Get it in writing! Contact us at home@homemadetexas.org. Make

On October 18, 2025, at an event in Seabrook regulated by the Pasadena Health Department, a health inspector told vendor “Sara’s Spicy Pretzels” that she was not allowed to give out samples, in direct contradiction of the sampling rules of SB 541 which went into effect on September 1, 2025. As outlined in our letter

At a recent Homemade Texas seminar in Red Oak, one cottage food producer reported that a McLennan County health official had confiscated and disposed of all her jams and jellies, claiming that only jams and jellies made with recipes from the University of Georgia’s book “So Easy to Preserve” were allowed to be sold under

With the new cottage food law only a couple of weeks old, already misunderstandings about certain provisions are occurring. In Bexar County, it was reported that a health inspector made a cottage food vendor remove a cottage food product from her shelves because the labels of said product did not include a DSHS Cottage Food