Texas runs one of the more detailed cottage food label rulebooks in the country, and unlike California, the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is explicit about the exact sentence it wants on every label — in capital letters, word for word.
The exact disclosure statement DSHS requires
Every Texas Cottage Food Production Operation (CFPO) label must carry this sentence verbatim, in capital letters:
"THIS PRODUCT WAS PRODUCED IN A PRIVATE RESIDENCE THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENTAL LICENSING OR INSPECTION."
Cottage food vendors — people who buy a CFPO's products and resell them directly to consumers — have to display the identical statement on their signage, not just the original producer's label.
What else has to be on the label
Beyond the disclosure sentence, DSHS requires the name of the operation; either its address or, for registered operators, a DSHS-issued unique identification number used in place of the address; the common or usual name of the product; and a major food allergen disclosure covering all nine federally recognized allergens (milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame, added under the FASTER Act). Every piece of required text has to be legible.
Two narrower rules apply to specific product types. If you're selling pickled fruits or vegetables, fermented vegetables, or acidified canned goods, your label also needs a batch number so a specific production run can be traced. And if you sell any time-and-temperature-control-for-safety (TCS) food under the cottage food exemption, the label needs a production date and safe-handling instructions in at least 12-point type — a font-size rule Texas states explicitly where most other states are silent.
The $150,000 gross income threshold
Effective September 1, 2025, Texas raised its cottage food gross income threshold from $50,000 to $150,000 per year — DSHS adjusts this figure annually for inflation using the Consumer Price Index, so confirm the current-year number on the DSHS page before you plan around a specific ceiling.
Registering for an ID number instead of printing your home address
Texas doesn't require most CFPOs to hold a permit to sell non-TCS cottage foods directly to consumers. But if you sell TCS foods, or you're a vendor reselling a CFPO's goods, you must register through the DSHS Online Licensing Registry. One practical benefit of registering even when it isn't strictly required: DSHS issues a unique identification number you can print on your label in place of your home address, which is the main reason Texas bakers who sell at markets bother registering even for non-TCS products.
Using the free generator for a Texas label
Select Texas in the generator on this site's homepage and every field above becomes a form input — operation name, address or DSHS ID number, product name, ingredients in descending order, net weight, allergens, and an optional batch number field for pickled, fermented, or acidified products. The mandatory disclosure statement is inserted automatically in the exact required wording and capitalization, live in the preview, so you can print or save a PDF that matches what DSHS actually requires without retyping the sentence yourself.
Required label elements at a glance
- Legible, permanent label text
- Name of the cottage food production operation
- Address, or a DSHS-issued unique identification number in place of the address
- Common or usual name of the product
- Major food allergen disclosure (milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, sesame)
- The exact mandatory disclosure statement (below)
- Batch number, for pickled or fermented vegetables and acidified canned goods only
- Production date and safe-handling instructions (≥12-pt type) for TCS foods
Minimum type size
No stated minimum for the disclosure statement itself; safe-handling instructions for TCS foods must be at least 12-point type.
Sales cap
$150,000/year gross income (raised from $50,000 effective September 1, 2025; DSHS adjusts it annually for inflation).
Permit / registration
No permit is required to operate as a Cottage Food Production Operation (CFPO) selling non-TCS foods directly to consumers. If you sell time-and-temperature-control-for-safety (TCS) foods, or you're a vendor reselling another CFPO's products, you must register on the DSHS Online Licensing Registry — and registered operators may print their DSHS-issued identification number on the label instead of their home address.