Arizona cottage food label requirements
Arizona's label rule is A.R.S. 36-932 together with Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) rule R9-8-101.02, in effect since February 4, 2025. It is different from most states: the label carries your ADHS registration number and the production date, and it does not ask for your address. It also has two fixed sentences, one about allergens and inspection and one sending buyers to ADHS.
Required statement (A.R.S. 36-932(A)(3))
This product was produced in a home kitchen that may come in contact with common food allergens and pet allergens and is not subject to public health inspection.
Type size: No set size; the label must be "clear and legible".
Open the Arizona preset in the tool
Last checked October 19, 2026. Sources · Example label · FAQ
What a Arizona cottage food label must show
| Element | What to print | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Your name and registration number | The name of the registered food preparer and your ADHS cottage food registration number. | A.R.S. 36-932(A)(1); R9-8-101.02(C)(3)(a) |
| All ingredients | Every ingredient in the product. | 36-932(A)(2); R9-8-101.02(C)(3)(b) |
| Production date | The date the food was prepared. | 36-932(A)(2); R9-8-101.02(C)(3)(c) |
| Home kitchen statement | The sentence quoted below. | 36-932(A)(3); R9-8-101.02(C)(3)(d) |
| ADHS website statement | "To obtain additional information about cottage foods or to report a food-borne illness, go to azdhs.gov/Cottagefood" | 36-932(A)(5); R9-8-101.02(C)(3)(e) |
| Developmental disabilities facility | Only if the food was made in a facility for individuals with developmental disabilities: a statement saying so. | 36-932(A)(4); R9-8-101.02(C)(3)(f) |
| Packaging | Packaged at home, clean, secure, fully enclosing the food, with a tamper-evident seal (the label can be the seal). | 36-932(A); R9-8-101.02(C)(4) |
Not on Arizona's list: an address, a net weight, an allergen "Contains" line and a type size. ADHS registration already ties the number to your home address. Arizona lets you sell "to the maximum extent allowed by federal law" (36-932(D)(1)), and federal rules for packaged food ask for a net quantity and a major-allergen declaration, so our tool still prints them. Buyers with food allergies look for the "Contains" line first, and adding it costs nothing.
Keep your home address off the label?
Arizona’s rule does not ask for an address. A.R.S. 36-932(A)(1) asks for the name and the registration number of the food preparer instead, and your ADHS registration links that number to you.
This is what the rule says, not legal advice. Check with your state agency before you print.
The Arizona statement, word for word
A.R.S. 36-932(A)(3) gives the statement in quotation marks:
This product was produced in a home kitchen that may come in contact with common food allergens and pet allergens and is not subject to public health inspection.
The wording is fixed. "Pet allergens" stays in even if you have no pets, and "common food allergens" stays even if your recipe has none.
The second required sentence comes from ADHS rule R9-8-101.02(C)(3)(e), which writes out the website statement the law asks for:
To obtain additional information about cottage foods or to report a food-borne illness, go to azdhs.gov/Cottagefood
If you are registered as a preparer working in the home kitchen of a facility for individuals with developmental disabilities, the label must also disclose that. The law requires the fact, not set words; the tool prints "This product was prepared in the home kitchen of a facility for individuals with developmental disabilities." when you tick that box.
Type size and placement
Arizona sets no point size. The label must be attached and in "a clear and legible printed or handwritten font" (36-932(A)), so handwritten labels are allowed if they are easy to read.
Our 4-inch PDF prints body text at about 7 to 8 points and the product name at about 12 points when printed at 100%. If you print on small stickers, check that the long statement is still easy to read.
Selling online, at markets or through stores
- Online sales: the listing must show a prominent notice with your name and registration number, the ingredients and production date, both statements and the ADHS web address (36-932(B); R9-8-101.02(E)).
- Stores and kiosks (third-party vendors): your products must be in a separate section or display case from non-homemade foods, with a sign saying they are homemade and exempt from state licensing and inspection (36-932(E)(4)).
- Markets and events: display your certificate of registration when selling away from your home kitchen (R9-8-101.02(A)(7)).
- Cottage foods may be sold and delivered only in Arizona (R9-8-101.02(D)(1)).
Your registration number on the label has to be current: ADHS registration is renewed every three years, and you need an active food handler certificate to keep it (R9-8-101.02(A)(4)-(5)).
Example Arizona cottage food label
A fictional Tucson candy maker selling an 8-ounce bag of pecan brittle. The registration number is made up:
Red Chile Pecan Brittle
Ingredients: sugar, pecans, light corn syrup (corn syrup, salt, vanilla), water, butter (cream, salt), baking soda, ground red chile, salt.
Contains: Milk, Pecan.
Net Wt 8 oz (227 g)
Saguaro Sweets
Registration #: 12345
Made on: 10/19/2026
This product was produced in a home kitchen that may come in contact with common food allergens and pet allergens and is not subject to public health inspection.
To obtain additional information about cottage foods or to report a food-borne illness, go to azdhs.gov/Cottagefood
- There is no street address: Arizona asks for the name and registration number instead.
- The production date is required for every Arizona cottage food, not only perishable ones.
- The two fixed sentences come last, word for word.
- Net weight and the "Contains" line are not on Arizona's list but are printed anyway (see above).
Open the Arizona preset in the tool
On your first visit the tool loads this example, with its made-up details marked as examples and a Start blank button. If you already have a recipe saved, it keeps your recipe and switches the state to Arizona.
Easy mistakes to avoid
- Leaving off the production date.
- Leaving off the azdhs.gov/Cottagefood sentence, or shortening it to just the web address.
- Editing the statement, for example removing "and pet allergens".
- Printing an expired registration number after the three-year renewal date.
- Online listings that show the product but not the label information.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need my address on an Arizona cottage food label?
No. A.R.S. 36-932(A)(1) asks for the name and registration number of the food preparer. ADHS already has your home address from your registration.
Where do I get the registration number?
From ADHS when you register as a cottage food preparer. Registration requires a food handler certificate from an accredited program and is renewed every three years (A.R.S. 36-932(C); R9-8-101.02).
Do I need a production date on every Arizona cottage food label?
Yes. Both the statute (36-932(A)(2)) and the ADHS rule (R9-8-101.02(C)(3)(c)) require the date the food was produced or prepared.
Can I handwrite my labels?
Yes. The statute allows "a clear and legible printed or handwritten font".
What do I need when selling online?
A prominent notice on the listing with the same information as the label: name, registration number, ingredients, production date, both statements and the ADHS web address (36-932(B)).
Do Arizona cottage foods need a Nutrition Facts panel?
Arizona's list does not include one. Under federal rules, small businesses that make no nutrition claims are usually exempt; our food label requirements guide explains when that changes.
Sources
Last checked October 19, 2026. We read each of these official sources; quotes on this page are copied from them.
- A.R.S. 36-932: Labeling; food handler certification; sale and delivery requirements
- Ariz. Admin. Code R9-8-101.02: Cottage Food (effective 2/4/2025)
This page explains the rules in plain English. It is not legal advice. Rules change, and your county or market may ask for more, so check with the agency above before printing a large run.
How we check these rules, and what changed: How we verify · change log · report an error.
Other states
California · Florida · Georgia · Michigan · Ohio · Oregon · Texas · All states and the label maker
Also useful: what goes on a food label (federal basics) and the ingredient label maker.