Which laws apply

• Cottage food law
• Craft food operation (acidified foods)

Allowed foods

Allowed (non-potentially-hazardous, shelf-stable only): nuts and nut mixes; hard candies and candies made with commercial chocolate; jams, jellies, and preserves; vinegar and flavored vinegar (with restrictions — strained/filtered, no flavoring components left in bottle); dry herbs and seasoning mixes; dried fruits; cereals, trail mixes, and granola; popcorn and popcorn balls; baked goods that are not potentially hazardous, contain no cream, uncooked egg, custard, meringue, cream cheese frosting or garnishes, and need no temperature control. Not allowed: pickled vegetables, fermented foods, salsa, or other acidified foods (these are a separate NDA-licensed 'craft food' program); home-canned foods; BBQ sauces and home-made sauces; dried/dehydrated meats or jerky; apple cider, apple/pumpkin/fruit butters; soft cheeses; any meat, dairy, TCS, or temperature-controlled food; fresh fruits/vegetables. From July 1, 2027 (AB352), the list changes: adds teas and dried vegetables, keeps non-TCS baked goods rules; acidified foods remain in the separate craft-food track.

Sales caps

Current: $35,000 gross sales per calendar year (NRS 580.600, through June 30, 2027). Scheduled: $100,000 per calendar year effective July 1, 2027 under AB352 (2025), with a single statewide NDA license replacing per-district registration. The separate craft-food (acidified) program cap also rises $35,000 → $100,000 on July 1, 2027.

Permit steps

1. Verify products are non-TCS and on the allowed list; acidified/pickled/fermented foods need the separate NDA craft-food license instead.
2. Register with the health district for each county where you will make or sell (SNHD = Clark County; Northern Nevada Public Health = Washoe; Carson City HHS = Carson City/Douglas; Central Nevada Health District = Churchill, Pershing, Mineral, Eureka, Fallon; DPBH = other rural counties).
3. Clark County example: complete the SNHD Cottage Food Operation Registration Application (signed by the single natural-person owner) and email it as PDF/JPG/PNG to regsupport@snhd.org for pre-screening.
4. If approvable, create an online account in SNHD's Accela Citizen Access portal and complete the application there.
5. Pay the registration fee when invoiced electronically — SNHD: one-time, non-refundable $220 for FY 26/27; unpaid after 30 days means denial.
6. Receive the written approval letter — you are not registered and cannot operate until it arrives.
7. Obtain a Nevada State Business License and any required city/county business license.
8. No routine kitchen inspection (district may investigate complaints/adulteration only); no state food-safety training requirement for cottage food — craft food (acidified) requires an NDA-approved course and exam.

How to start in Nevada

1. Confirm your products are on the allowed non-TCS list (pickled/fermented/acidified foods go through the separate NDA craft-food program instead). 2. Identify every health district where you will make or sell (SNHD for Clark County, Northern Nevada Public Health for Washoe, Carson City HHS for Carson City/Douglas, Central Nevada Health District for Churchill/Pershing/Mineral/Eureka/Fallon, DPBH for other rural counties). 3. Complete that district's cottage food registration application (Clark County: email the SNHD pre-screening application to regsupport@snhd.org) and wait for approval before selling. 4. Set up the district's online portal account (SNHD uses Accela Citizen Access) and pay the registration fee when invoiced (SNHD: $220 one-time for FY 26/27; pay within 30 days). 5. Wait for the written approval/registration letter — you may not operate until it arrives. 6. Get your Nevada State Business License from the Secretary of State plus any city/county business license. 7. Label every product with federal-style labeling plus the statement 'MADE IN A COTTAGE FOOD OPERATION THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENT FOOD SAFETY INSPECTION.' 8. Sell direct to consumers only (farmers markets, flea markets, craft fairs, your property) — no wholesale, no online/telephone orders until the July 2027 law change.

Recent changes

2024: no regular legislative session (Nevada meets in odd years), no changes. 2025: AB352 (Assemblymember Anderson; approved June 9, 2025 as Chapter 420, Statutes of Nevada) — the biggest Nevada cottage-food overhaul ever: repealed NRS 446.866 and NRS Chapter 446 food-establishment provisions, recodified the interim rules at NRS 580.600 (in effect until June 30, 2027), and created a new state-licensed cottage food regime (NRS Chapter 585) effective July 1, 2027. From that date: the Nevada Department of Agriculture replaces all local health districts as the single licensing authority; annual sales cap rises from $35,000 to $100,000; telephone/internet sales allowed (fulfilled in person, by mail, or via food-delivery platform); allowed-foods list revised (adds teas, dried vegetables); local governments still cannot ban cottage food operations. AB352 also raised the separate craft-food (acidified) cap from $35,000 to $100,000 effective July 1, 2027, allowed phone/internet orders fulfilled in person, and dropped the approved-recipe and batch-log requirements for craft food. NDA is writing the new regulations between 2025 and July 2027. 2026: no regular session — nothing pending; the next regular session is 2027. No MEHKO-style or food-freedom program was enacted in 2024-2026.

Official sources

• Nevada Legislature — AB352 enrolled bill text (Chapter 420, Statutes of Nevada 2025)
• Southern Nevada Health District — Cottage Food Operations (registration authority, fees, AB352 transition)
• Nevada DPBH — Cottage Foods Guide 2023 (allowed foods, district-by-district registration, labeling)