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Selling homemade food in Nevada means your label has to follow the Nevada Cottage Food Operation — NRS 446.866 (enacted by SB 206, 2013). A cottage food operation is exempt from the health-permit requirement but must REGISTER with the local health authority (Southern Nevada Health District in Clark County; Washoe County Health District in the north); registration is not complete until an approval letter issues. Labeling conforms to NRS 446.866 and FDA labeling requirements adopted by reference (21 CFR 101). Here is exactly what that label must show in 2026 — the required fields, the allergen rule, and the verbatim disclaimer and its font size — sourced to the statute and dated.
Print this statement on the label, word for word:
Verbatim, statutorily prescribed wording (NRS 446.866) — verified against SNHD's guide, which prints it exactly. Must appear prominently and conspicuously, in ENGLISH. The governing legal size measure is a physical HEIGHT, not a point size: all required label information (including this disclaimer) must be no smaller than 1/16 inch tall, measured on the lower-case letter 'o'; SNHD notes this is 'approximately an 8-point font' for many but not all typefaces — check with a household ruler because 8 pt varies by typeface. A stricter rule applies to the Net Quantity statement, which must be at least 1/8 inch tall on the principal display panel. Use readable typefaces (e.g., Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman, Cambria); avoid decorative fonts. Confirm interpretation with your local health authority (SNHD in Clark County or Washoe County Health District).
Nevada has a true cottage food exemption. NRS 446.020(2)(i) removes a 'cottage food operation that meets the requirements of NRS 446.866' from the statutory definition of 'food establishment', so the operation needs no health permit and is not routinely inspected. NRS 446.866(6)(a) defines a cottage food operation as a NATURAL PERSON who manufactures or prepares food items in his or her private home or, if allowed by the health authority, in the kitchen of a fraternal or social clubhouse, a school or a religious, charitable or other nonprofit organization, for sale to a natural person for consumption, and whose gross sales of such food items are not more than $35,000 per calendar year. The exemption is conditional: every food item must meet all six conditions of NRS 446.866(1) - sold on the operator's private property or at a location where the maker sells directly to the consumer, by an in-person transaction that does not involve selling by telephone or via the Internet; sold to a natural person for that person's consumption and not for resale; labelled to the federal requirements of 21 U.S.C. 343(w), 9 C.F.R. Part 317 and 21 C.F.R. Part 101; labelled 'MADE IN A COTTAGE FOOD OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENT FOOD SAFETY INSPECTION' printed prominently; prepackaged so the item is protected from contamination during transport, display, sale and acquisition; and prepared in the kitchen of the maker's private home (or the alternative kitchens above with health authority permission). Because the statute says 'natural person', the Southern Nevada Health District states that partners and employees are not permitted. Registration with the local health authority is mandatory before any sale. IMPORTANT AND CONTRARY TO A COMMON READING: the statute is on a fixed sunset. NRS 446.020, 446.866, 446.868 and 446.869 are all marked 'Effective until 7/1/2027', and NRS 446.866 'is hereby repealed (7/1/2027)'. From 1 July 2027 a new chapter-585 scheme enacted by Assembly Bill 352 (2025) replaces it: cottage food operations will need a LICENCE from the State Department of Agriculture rather than a registration with a health district, the sales ceiling rises to $100,000 per calendar year, and Internet and telephone sales become lawful with fulfilment in person, by mail or through a food delivery service platform. Everything in this record other than this paragraph and the notes below describes the law in force TODAY (17 August 2026), which both health districts confirm still governs.
Allowed:
Not allowed under the program:
$35,000 in gross sales of cottage food items per calendar year (NRS 446.866(6)(a)). SNHD defines gross sales as the full amount received from customers without any deduction, including the cost of ingredients. Both districts restate the figure. The ceiling rises to $100,000 per calendar year only when the AB 352 scheme takes effect on 1 July 2027 (section 14 of the 2025 act); $100,000 is NOT the law today.
Registration is handled by The local 'health authority', not a single statewide agency - this is the defining feature of the Nevada programme. NRS 446.866(3) requires registration with the health authority before selling any food item. Clark County: Southern Nevada Health District, Environmental Health, 280 S Decatur, Las Vegas NV 89127, (702) 759-0500, regsupport@snhd.org. Reno, Sparks and the rest of Washoe County: Northern Nevada Public Health, Environmental Health Services, 1001 E. Ninth Street Building B, Reno NV 89512, (775) 328-2434, cottagefood@nnph.org, applications online at onenv.us. Carson City: Carson City Health and Human Services, (775) 887-2190. Churchill, Mineral, Eureka and Pershing counties: Central Nevada Health District, (775) 867-8181, HealthPermit@CentralNevadaHD.org. All other areas: Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health, (775) 687-7533..
Fee: Set locally, and capped by statute: NRS 446.866(4) permits a registration fee no greater than the actual cost to the health authority of establishing and maintaining a registry of cottage food operations. Clark County (SNHD): $220, a one-time non-refundable registration fee, shown as item 8922 'MISCPR - COTTAGE FOOD OPERATION REGISTRATION' on the SNHD Environmental Health Fee Schedule effective 07/01/2026 (it was $203 on the 07/01/2022 schedule; SNHD updates the schedule each 1 July). Washoe County (NNPH): $325 for 'Exemption from Inspection - Application (Exempt/Cottage Food/Farm to Fork)' plus $61 for 'Exemption from Inspection - Annual Certification', both effective 7/1/2025 on the NNPH EHS Fee Schedule (previous column: $318 and $60 effective 7/1/2024). Fees in other jurisdictions were not read and must be confirmed with the district. Separately, SNHD label review is a fee-for-service option invoiced individually; the amount was not read.
Renewal: No statutory renewal or expiry. SNHD states its registration does not expire so long as it remains accurate, and that the operator must contact SNHD on moving to a different private residence, or before expanding outside the food categories already registered - a new registration is required to move between categories (for example trail mix to baked goods), but not to add items within a category already held (cookies to cakes or breads). Washoe County differs in practice: the NNPH fee schedule carries an 'Exemption from Inspection - Annual Certification' fee of $61, which indicates an annual certification step for cottage food registrations in that county; the certification procedure itself was not described on any NNPH page read.
None. No food handler card, food safety course or certified food protection manager requirement appears in NRS 446.866, in the SNHD application and guidance (updated 07/2025), or in the NNPH Cottage Food Fact Sheet and Food Safety Guidelines. What replaces training is a set of written practices the districts publish and expect: preparation kept separate from personal meal preparation, dishwashing and kitchen cleaning; no infants, small children or pets in the kitchen during cottage food preparation; 20-second handwashing with soap and warm running water before food handling and again after changing tasks, handling raw eggs or using the restroom; no eating or smoking while preparing food; no cottage food production while the operator or a household member is ill, and no work at all until at least 24 hours after vomiting or diarrhoea stops; no bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food (utensils or single-use gloves); food contact surfaces washed, rinsed and sanitised before use, with a stated sanitiser of 1 teaspoon unscented household bleach to 1 gallon of water, air-dried and not rinsed off; water meeting potable drinking water standards, and store-bought drinking water where the supply is a private well; food and storage areas protected from dirt, rodents, insects, overhead leakage and chemicals; and ingredients from approved sources such as grocery stores.
No routine inspection - that is the point of the exemption, and it is why the statutory disclaimer says the food is not subject to government food safety inspection. NRS 446.866(5) allows the health authority to inspect a cottage food operation ONLY to investigate a food item that may be adulterated under NRS 585.300 to 585.360, or an outbreak or suspected outbreak of illness known or suspected to be caused by a contaminated food item. The operation must cooperate with any such inspection. If the investigation shows the operation produced an adulterated item or was the source of an outbreak, the health authority may charge and collect a fee not exceeding its actual cost of investigating - SNHD states plainly that where a complaint of illness, injury or adulterated food is found valid, the operator is financially liable for the health authority's fees and costs. What does get reviewed pre-approval is paperwork, not premises: SNHD reviews the application (and labels if the optional review is chosen) and NNPH has a food safety inspector review the application, every product label and photographs of all packaging before the registration letter issues. There is no kitchen inspection in either district. Registered operators found operating outside the requirements and limitations of NRS 446.866 are treated as an unpermitted vendor; SNHD states that products may be confiscated or destroyed and other government agencies notified.
NRS 446.866(2) is a preemption clause: no local zoning board, planning commission or governing body of an unincorporated town, incorporated city or county may adopt any ordinance or other regulation that prohibits a natural person from preparing food in a cottage food operation. A city or county therefore cannot zone the activity out of existence. Everything else remains local. Which agency registers you, what the application looks like and what it costs all depend on the county - $220 one-off in Clark County against $325 plus a $61 annual certification in Washoe County, with a different form, a different submission route (e-mail to SNHD, the onenv.us portal for NNPH) and different documentary demands (NNPH requires labels and packaging photographs up front; SNHD makes label review optional and chargeable). Interpretation of the statutory food list also differs in detail between districts, so a product cleared in one county should be re-confirmed before selling in another. A business licence is a separate local obligation from the city or county licensing agency (NNPH requires it and signs off on it after registration; SNHD says it is outside its authority). NNPH additionally points operators to the Regulations of the Washoe County District Board of Health Governing Food Establishments for the complete cottage food requirements in that county - a local regulation layered on top of the statute. Selling in Clark County requires SNHD registration even for an operator who lives elsewhere in Nevada; and because the statute applies only within Nevada, out-of-state makers cannot use it at all.
Program sources: National Agricultural Law Center, 'Cottage Food Law Statutes: Nevada' (reproduction of NV Rev. Stat. 446.020, 446.866, 446.868, 446.869, 585.245, 585.550, 587.693, 587.6945, 587.695, 587.696, 597.7629 and of 2025 Nevada Act ch. 585 sections 1-19.5; current through the 2025 Regular Session of the 83rd Legislature; carries the 'Effective until 7/1/2027' annotations and the note 'NRS 446.866 is hereby repealed (7/1/2027)') - https://nationalaglawcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/assets/cottagefood/Nevada.pdf · Southern Nevada Health District, 'Cottage Food Operations' (AB 352 notice - new law does not take effect until July 2027, Nevada Department of Agriculture to write regulations, SNHD remains the registering authority for Clark County until July 2027; SB 206 origin; $35,000 cap; five-step registration process; fee is one-time and non-refundable; not registered until the approval letter is received; page last modified 2025-09-18) - https://www.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/permits-and-regulations/cottage-food-operations/ · Southern Nevada Health District, 'Cottage Food FAQ' (registering agencies and phone numbers by county; no health permit; natural person only, no partners or employees; per-category detail on candies, jams, vinegar, herbs, dried fruit and baked goods; to whom and where cottage foods may be sold; telephone and Internet prohibition and the advertising-only website rule; $35,000 gross sales definition; registration does not expire and when it must be updated; business licence outside SNHD authority; samples; label review voluntary since 1 July 2023; page last modified 2025-08-28) - https://www.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/permits-and-regulations/cottage-food-operations/cottage-food-faq/ · Southern Nevada Health District, 'Cottage Food Operation Registration Application' and 'Cottage Food Operations Guidance' PDF, form updated 07/2025 (application fields and categories; plain-language NRS 446.866 duties; approved cottage food items; financial liability for a valid illness, injury or adulteration complaint; kitchen conditions including no infants, small children or pets during preparation; potable water requirement) - https://media.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/download/eh/cottage-app.pdf · Southern Nevada Health District, 'Environmental Health Fee Schedule - Effective 07/01/2026', item 8922 'MISCPR - COTTAGE FOOD OPERATION REGISTRATION' = $220 - https://media.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/download/eh/2022/fees/SNHD-Environmental-Health-Fee-Schedule-Effective-20220701b.pdf · Southern Nevada Health District, 'Environmental Health Fee Schedule - Effective 07/01/2022', same item 8922 = $203 (used only to show the fee is revised annually) - https://media.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/download/eh/2022/fees/SNHD-Environmental-Health-Fee-Schedule-Effective-20220701.pdf · Northern Nevada Public Health, 'Cottage Food Operations and Farm-to-Fork Events' (AB 352 effective July 2027 and NNPH continues to handle Washoe County cottage food registrations through July 2027; cottage cosmetics not required until July 2027; craft foods stay with the Nevada Department of Agriculture and NNPH does not permit them; onenv.us application route; approval letter; contact details; page last modified 2026-07-09) - https://www.nnph.org/programs-and-services/environmental-health/food-protection-services/farm-to-fork-cottage-foods.php · Northern Nevada Public Health, 'Cottage Food Fact Sheet and Food Safety Guidelies' H-713-77A, rev. 5.4.26 (allowed food list; TCS explanation; non-exhaustive prohibited list; sales requirements including no online sales, $35,000 limit, sampling in pre-portioned closed labelled containers; five-step application and approval process; hygiene, sanitiser, water and ingredient-source rules; business licence sign-off; reference to the Regulations of the Washoe County District Board of Health Governing Food Establishments) - https://www.nnph.org/files/ehs/food-protection-services/H-713-77A_Cottage_Guidelines_Checklist_5.4.26.pdf · Northern Nevada Public Health, 'EHS Fee Schedule' FY26 ('Exemption from Inspection - Application (Exempt/Cottage Food/Farm to Fork)' $318 effective 7/1/2024 and $325 effective 7/1/2025; 'Exemption from Inspection - Annual Certification' $60 then $61) - https://www.nnph.org/resources/fees/EHS-Fees---FY26.pdf · Central Nevada Health District, 'Cottage Food Operation Registration Process' (CNHD reviews and approves registrations for Churchill, Eureka, Mineral and Pershing counties; restates NRS 446.866 venues and the non-inspected kitchen; publishes a public list of current cottage food registrations) - https://www.centralnevadahd.org/cottage-food-operation-registration/
Nevada's disclaimer is fixed verbatim by statute — 'MADE IN A COTTAGE FOOD OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENT FOOD SAFETY INSPECTION' — and SNHD's own guide prints it word-for-word. But the enforceable SIZE rule is a physical height (no smaller than 1/16 inch, measured on a lower-case 'o'), NOT a point size; SNHD explicitly calls 8 pt merely 'approximately' 1/16 inch and only 'for many (but not all) fonts.' The net-quantity line is held to a stricter 1/8 inch. A generated label that hard-codes '8 pt' can technically fail if the chosen typeface renders below 1/16 inch, so the safest output ties every required line to the 1/16-inch measure and sizes net weight larger. Nevada is a registration state, not a pure exemption: you register with the LOCAL health authority (SNHD in Clark County, Washoe County Health District up north) and cannot sell until an approval letter issues — but the registration number does NOT go on the label. Label review became voluntary July 1, 2023 and remains available as a paid fee-for-service.
Nevada requires registering with the local health authority, but NRS 446.866 / the SNHD guide list exactly six required label elements — statement of identity, net quantity, ingredients, allergens, business name + full street address, and the disclaimer — and a permit/registration number is not among them. Adding a fake or unissued number is worse than omitting it.
The label must carry the business name AND a full address: street, city, state, and ZIP. 'Las Vegas, NV' alone or a P.O. box is non-compliant. Nevada offers no home-address exemption the way some states do; home operators uncomfortable printing a home address should confirm options with the local health authority before selling.
The Contains statement must DIRECTLY follow the ingredient list and name tree nuts, fish, and crustacean shellfish BY SPECIES (e.g., 'almond', 'salmon', 'shrimp') — a generic 'tree nuts' or 'fish' is a documented SNHD rejection. If a product contains none of the Big 9, omit the Contains line entirely rather than writing 'Contains: none'; an optional 'made in a facility that also processes...' may-contain warning is allowed.
Sub-ingredients of compound ingredients (butter, chocolate chunks, vanilla extract, etc.) must be broken out in parentheses, with everything listed in descending order by weight. SNHD's guide flags hidden allergens buried inside a compound ingredient as a leading labeling error — the reason full ingredient-of-ingredient listing is required.
Timeline: Register with your local health authority and wait for the approval letter before selling — registration is not complete until approved. SNHD processing typically runs a few business days to a couple of weeks depending on completeness; the optional paid label review adds time. Confirm current turnaround with the specific health district.
Cost: Cottage food registration is filed with the local health authority; fees vary by district and are not fixed in state statute — confirm the current amount with SNHD or Washoe County (budget roughly $0–$100). Label review has been optional since July 1, 2023 and is a separate fee-for-service if requested. Nevada caps cottage food gross sales at $35,000 per calendar year.
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Make my Nevada label →Nevada requires this exact statement on a cottage food label: “MADE IN A COTTAGE FOOD OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENT FOOD SAFETY INSPECTION.” The state sets no minimum point size for it.
No. Nevada does not require a permit or registration number printed on the label.
At minimum: product name — the common name of the food; your business / producer name; the address of the cottage food operation; a complete ingredient list, in descending order by weight (sub-ingredients included); an allergen declaration — the 9 major FDA allergens, in the ingredient list or a “Contains:” line; net weight, in US customary and metric units; the state's required disclaimer (see below).
Registration in Nevada goes through The local 'health authority', not a single statewide agency - this is the defining feature of the Nevada programme. NRS 446.866(3) requires registration with the health authority before selling any food item. Clark County: Southern Nevada Health District, Environmental Health, 280 S Decatur, Las Vegas NV 89127, (702) 759-0500, regsupport@snhd.org. Reno, Sparks and the rest of Washoe County: Northern Nevada Public Health, Environmental Health Services, 1001 E. Ninth Street Building B, Reno NV 89512, (775) 328-2434, cottagefood@nnph.org, applications online at onenv.us. Carson City: Carson City Health and Human Services, (775) 887-2190. Churchill, Mineral, Eureka and Pershing counties: Central Nevada Health District, (775) 867-8181, HealthPermit@CentralNevadaHD.org. All other areas: Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health, (775) 687-7533.. Confirm every product falls inside the nine statutory categories and is non-TCS; if unsure, ask the district before applying (NNPH gives an e-mail address for exactly this). Clark County - complete and sign the SNHD 'Cottage Food Operation Registration Application' (form updated 07/2025), declaring the business licence jurisdiction, ticking each food category, listing every food type intended for sale, describing the packaging and the selling locations, and stating whether labels will be produced by the operator or submitted for SNHD review; e-mail it to regsupport@snhd.org. Incomplete applications are not processed. Clark County - SNHD reviews in order of receipt and contacts the applicant with questions; if an optional SNHD label review is chosen it is contacted and invoiced separately. Clark County - on approval SNHD sends a 'Cottage Food Operation Registration Agreement' to review and sign; when it is returned an account is created and a single non-refundable registration invoice issues. An invoice unpaid after 30 days causes denial as a delinquent account, and further applications from the same person are denied until the account is financially compliant.
Allowed: Nuts and nut mixes (NRS 446.866(6)(b)(1)); Candies - but Southern Nevada Health District excludes cream-based chocolates such as ganache and truffles; Jams, jellies and preserves - SNHD requires standardised recipes containing only the fruits described in 21 C.F.R. Part 150; fruit butter is not allowed, and sugar-free or no-sugar-added jams and jellies are not allowed; Vinegar and flavored vinegar - SNHD requires flavored vinegar to be strained or filtered before bottling, with no flavouring components left in the bottle (no herbs, fruit or vegetable pieces, or fruit rinds); Dry herbs and seasoning mixes - SNHD limits herbs to those commonly used to flavour food; medicinal herbs are not allowed; Dried fruits - SNHD requires low-acid fruits, excludes fruits that need time or temperature control once cut (melon is the stated example), and allows freeze-drying of low-acid fruits; Cereals, trail mixes and granola; Popcorn and popcorn balls; Baked goods that (I) are not potentially hazardous foods, (II) do not contain cream, uncooked egg, custard, meringue or cream cheese frosting or garnishes, and (III) do not require time or temperature controls for food safety; Baked-good additions (inside or on top) are allowed only if the finished item is still non-potentially-hazardous: SNHD bars animal products, requires hard cheese to be grated and used sparingly, bars soft cheese, requires fruit and vegetables to be cut very small or grated, and requires acidified vegetables such as jalapeno peppers to be commercially manufactured; Baked goods must be cooked by dry heat, for example baked in an oven or cooked on a hot skillet (SNHD).
$35,000 in gross sales of cottage food items per calendar year (NRS 446.866(6)(a)). SNHD defines gross sales as the full amount received from customers without any deduction, including the cost of ingredients. Both districts restate the figure. The ceiling rises to $100,000 per calendar year only when the AB 352 scheme takes effect on 1 July 2027 (section 14 of the 2025 act); $100,000 is NOT the law today.
No. CottageCompliance gives general information based on each state's published rules, dated to when we last verified them. Always confirm with your state or local agency before selling.
Source: Southern Nevada Health District, Cottage Food Operations — https://www.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/permits-and-regulations/cottage-food-operations/ ; SNHD 'Cottage Food Operation Registration Application' + 'Food Labeling Guide - Cottage Foods' (Updated 07/2025), citing NRS 446.866 and 21 CFR 101 — https://media.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/download/eh/cottage-app.pdf (label section read directly; disclaimer wording, 1/16-inch height rule, six required elements, and $35,000 cap all verified here) ; Nevada SB 206 (77th Session, 2013), enacting NRS 446.866 — https://www.leg.state.nv.us/Session/77th2013/Bills/SB/SB206_EN.pdf Verified 2026-08-10. General information, not legal advice — confirm with your state or local agency before selling.