Guide
Cottage food in Arizona: the checklist
What cottage food covers in Arizona, whether sales are capped, and why a ticketed micro hospitality dinner needs a different route. Checked Sep 2026.
Tenseats · Updated September 25, 2026
Not legal advice. This is a starting checklist, checked 2026-09-25. Rules change and differ by county and city. Talk to a lawyer and confirm with ADHS before you sell a ticket or open your space.
At a glance
- Covers: perishable and shelf-stable foods, and meat from inspected sources. Not alcohol, fish, shellfish or raw milk. A.R.S. 36-931
- Sales cap: none in the statute. A.R.S. 36-932
- Registration and fee: take an accredited food handler course, then register online with ADHS. It's $0 and renews every 3 years. R9-8-101.02 ADHS guide ADHS overview
- Doesn't cover: ticketed or plated dinners. Your food has to be packaged at home, fully enclosed and sealed, and a plated course is hard to shrink-wrap. R9-8-101.02
- Home-kitchen meal law: none. HB 2042 lets you sell packaged meals, not seat people at your table. A.R.S. 36-932
Quick answers
What does Arizona's cottage food law cover? Perishable and shelf-stable foods, and meat from inspected sources. It excludes alcohol, fish, shellfish and raw milk. A.R.S. 36-931
Is there a sales cap on cottage food in Arizona? No. The statute sets no sales cap. A.R.S. 36-932
Does Arizona's cottage food law cover a ticketed dinner? No. Food must be packaged at home, fully enclosed and sealed, so plated dinners are out. In Maricopa County, a temporary food establishment permit is $249 (unverified: usually tied to a community event; call first). R9-8-101.02 Maricopa code
What this means for a dinner
- Start with a free dinner for friends at home. The licence question for a micro hospitality night starts when money changes hands, or when it's advertised to the public, charge or not. Maricopa exemptions
- Charging in Maricopa County? You'll need a county permit instead: $249 per temporary event (unverified: usually tied to a community event; call first), or catering at $614 a year. Maricopa code
- Your cottage kitchen can't double as a commissary, so you'll cook in a permitted kitchen. A.R.S. 36-932
- Selling at all? You need a $12 TPT (sales tax) licence, even if you only sell at events. ADOR
Your city
- Phoenix: organizer checklist · venue host checklist
- Scottsdale: organizer checklist · venue host checklist
Learn more
Not legal advice. Confirm with a lawyer and ADHS before you act.
Guides by city in Arizona
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