Utah Cottage Food License: How to Get Your UDAF Permit Step by Step

Getting a Utah cottage food license through UDAF takes most people four to ten weeks from the first step to a Certificate of Registration in hand. The process isn't difficult, but the sequence matters — apply out of order and you'll get bounced back to an earlier step, costing you weeks. Here's the complete process, in the right order.

Step 1: Get Your Food Handler Permit (1–2 Days)

Every person in your household who participates in food preparation must hold a valid Utah food handler permit. That includes you and any family members who help with production, even occasionally.

Take a state-approved 75-minute course online ($25–$40 total, including the $15 local health department fee). The course provider submits your certificate to your county health department, which then issues the physical permit by mail. You'll need the permit number for your UDAF application.

Step 2: Register Your Business (2–5 Days)

Register your business entity through the Utah OneStop Business Registration portal. This handles three things at once:

• Business name clearance (DBA or LLC) with the Utah Department of Commerce
• Tax Commission registration for a Utah sales tax license
• EIN (Employer Identification Number) if you plan to hire employees

An LLC costs $59 to file. A DBA (doing business as) runs $22. If you're operating as a sole proprietorship, you can register under your own name at no charge, but an LLC provides liability protection that's worth the filing fee.

Step 3: Get Your Municipal Home Occupation License (5–15 Days)

Contact your city or county zoning department for a home occupation permit and local business license. UDAF's cottage food registration does not override local zoning ordinances — if your city prohibits commercial activity in your residential zone, you can't legally operate.

Municipal fees range from $50 to $200 depending on your locality. Some cities also require a zoning review or a signed landlord authorization if you rent your home. If you live in an HOA community, check your CC&Rs — HOA restrictions are private civil contracts that state food laws don't override.

Step 4: Write Your Recipes and Draft Labels (3–10 Days)

UDAF requires standardized recipes with all ingredients listed by weight (ounces or grams), not volume. Write up every product you plan to sell.

For each product, draft a label that complies with 21 CFR Part 101. Required label elements:

• Product's common name
• All ingredients in descending order by weight (including sub-ingredients of compound ingredients)
• Allergen declarations for the nine major FDA allergens
• Net quantity in both US customary and metric units
• Your name, physical address, and phone number
• "Home Produced" in bold, 12-point font on the principal display panel

Step 5: Lab Testing (If Applicable, 7–14 Days)

If any of your products are near the TCS threshold — specialty preserves, low-sugar jams, sourdough starters, or anything with ambiguous shelf-stability — UDAF requires lab verification that the product is non-TCS.

The thresholds: pH ≤ 4.6 or water activity (a_w) ≤ 0.85. Sourdough starters specifically must prove a pH of 4.0 or below, or use a commercially manufactured culture.

UDAF analytical lab testing for a standard pH analysis runs about $20. You can also use a UDAF-approved food laboratory or process authority — UDAF's Cottage Food Program Manager can point you to approved labs.

Step 6: Submit Your UDAF Application (5–10 Days for Review)

Submit UDAF Form PRA CTG (Cottage Food Establishment Application) to the UDAF Plan Review section at [email protected]. Your packet must include:

• Completed application form
• Copies of all food handler permits
• Complete product list
• Full recipe procedures (by weight)
• Lab results (if applicable)
• Final label mock-ups for every product

UDAF reviews recipes, labels, and lab results. If something doesn't meet standards, they'll send it back with specific corrections needed.

Step 7: Pay the Registration Fee ($75)

After UDAF approves your recipes and labels, they'll issue an invoice. The nonrefundable $75 Food Establishment Registration fee covers the "MICRO" or "FRMRMKT" tier under Rule R70-540. Pay through the UDAF portal.

Step 8: Pass the Home Kitchen Inspection (7–14 Days)

A UDAF inspector schedules an in-person walkthrough of your home kitchen to verify sanitation standards under Rules R70-560 and R70-530. Key things they check:

• Food-contact surfaces — must be smooth, easily cleanable, and in good repair
• Dedicated business refrigerator maintained at 41°F or below with a visible thermometer
• Pet exclusion — no free-roaming pets in the home during production (use child safety gates to partition areas if needed)
• Storage compliance — all ingredients stored indoors, at least six inches off the floor, never in bedrooms, bathrooms, or standard garages (self-contained freezers in enclosed garages with doors closed are acceptable)
• Sanitizer station — chemical sanitizers (quaternary ammonium or chlorine bleach) with matching test strips
• Water source — if you're on a private well instead of municipal water, annual water testing is required

No commercial production may begin until the physical Certificate of Registration arrives by mail.

Total Timeline and Cost

After You're Registered

Once your Certificate of Registration is in hand, you can start selling. Ongoing requirements:

• Maintain a batch production log (recipe, production date, batch volume, sale locations)
• Retain a physical sample of every batch for 14 days, labeled with production date and time
• No family meal cooking during commercial production hours
• Annual UDAF registration renewal ($75)
• Any recipe or ingredient changes require UDAF re-approval before selling

For the complete multi-pathway guide — including decision trees for choosing between Cottage Food, the Homemade Food Act, and MEHKO — our Utah Cottage Food & Home Food Business Guide covers every form, fee, and timeline from registration through your first sale.

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