Guide

Cottage food in Tennessee: the checklist

Q: Is there a cottage food sales cap in Tennessee?

No. There's no sales cap. There's no licence, permit or inspection either, and state food fees are $0. Source: TDA

Q: Does Tennessee cottage food cover a ticketed dinner?

No. The Act covers only the "sale of homemade food items." Serving food to the public needs a permit or a permitted venue, "regardless of whether there is a charge." Source: Food Safety Act

What cottage food covers in Tennessee, 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 TDA before you sell a ticket or open your space.

At a glance

Covers: any homemade food or non-alcoholic drink made in your own home. Perishable food sells in person only. PC 862 PC 431
Sales cap: none. PC 862
Registration and fee: none. No licence, permit or inspection, and state food fees are $0. TDA
Doesn't cover: plated dinners. "Food freedom" is generous, but it stops at your front door: the Act covers only the "sale of homemade food items." UT Extension PC 862
Home-kitchen meal law: none, and none pending (unverified). Food Corridor

Quick answers

What does cottage food cover in Tennessee? Any homemade food or non-alcoholic drink made in your own home. PC 862 Perishable food sells in person only, and can't contain meat, fish, shellfish, alcohol or unpasteurized milk. PC 431

Is there a cottage food sales cap in Tennessee? No. There's no sales cap. PC 862 There's no licence, permit or inspection either, and state food fees are $0. TDA

Does Tennessee cottage food cover a ticketed dinner? No. The Act covers only the "sale of homemade food items." PC 862 Serving food to the public needs a permit or a permitted venue, "regardless of whether there is a charge." Food Safety Act

What this means for a dinner

Start with a free micro hospitality night for friends at home. The licence question starts when money changes hands. Food Safety Act
Serving food to the public makes you a food service establishment "regardless of whether there is a charge." You need a permit or a permitted venue. Food Safety Act
Most mains are out anyway. Perishable homemade food can't contain meat, fish, shellfish, alcohol or unpasteurized milk. PC 431
Restaurants and caterers can't use homemade food, so you'll cook in a permitted kitchen. UT Extension
Selling take-home food? Label it with your name, home address, phone, ingredients and the exempt-from-inspection notice. PC 862

Your city

Memphis: organizer checklist · venue host checklist

Learn more

Not legal advice. Confirm with a lawyer and TDA before you act.

Guides by city in Tennessee