Meat / poultry · food 41 of 42
Can I sell meat jerky from home?
meat jerky is prohibited under cottage food law in 43 of 51 US jurisdictions. The other 8 allow it conditionally, usually with a scheduled process, pH test, or acidified-foods training requirement.
High demand but nearly universally excluded
Free with a Crosodo account. 5-page national report with all 51 US jurisdictions.
National picture
Allowed outright0
Conditional8
Prohibited43
Out of 51 US jurisdictions
Why it's treated this way
The food-safety reasoning
Federal law (Federal Meat Inspection Act, Poultry Products Inspection Act) requires USDA-inspected slaughter and processing for any meat product sold to the public. Most states adopt the federal rule verbatim for cottage food.
What can go wrong
Real risks in a home kitchen
E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella from cross-contamination or under-cooking. Trichinella in pork. Meat jerky is especially risky because low-heat drying can leave the interior below the 160°F pathogen-kill threshold if not done under an approved HACCP plan.
Jump to state law
Where meat jerky is most often sellable
Open the full state guide for sales caps, registration, and county pages — then download that state's label template before market day.
All 51 US jurisdictions
Meat jerky — Allowed / Conditional / Not allowed
Click any state name for the full cottage food guide (cap, registration, counties). Pair with a state label template once you know you can sell.
| State | Verdict | Notes | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Okay | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | AS 17.20.332 |
| Alabama Good | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | Ala. Code §22-20-5.1 |
| Arkansas Freedom | No | Arkansas Food Freedom Act (Act 1040) excludes meat products.· state override | A.C.A. §20-57-201 (Act 1040 of 2021) |
| Arizona Great | No | Home baked/confectionery goods program excludes meat products.· state override | A.R.S. §36-931 / §36-932 |
| California Good | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | Cal. Health & Safety Code §113758 |
| Colorado Great | Conditional | Colorado Tamale Act (HB26-1033, eff. Jan 1 2027) allows up to 5 meat products per producer using federally-inspected meat, with certified food-handling course and CDPHE registration.· state override | C.R.S. §25-4-1614 |
| Connecticut Okay | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | Conn. Gen. Stat. §21a-62a |
| District of Columbia Okay | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | D.C. Code §7-742.02 |
| Delaware Good | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | 16 Del. Admin. Code 4458A |
| Florida Great | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | Fla. Stat. §500.80 |
| Georgia Okay | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | O.C.G.A. §26-2-470 et seq. (eff. July 2025); prior: GA R&R 40-7-19 |
| Hawaii Poor | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | HAR §11-50-3 |
| Iowa Good | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | Iowa Code §137F.1 / §137F.20 |
| Idaho Great | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | IDAPA 16.02.19 (Idaho Food Code, cottage food provisions) |
| Illinois Great | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | 410 ILCS 625/4 (Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act, §4) |
| Indiana Great | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | Ind. Code §16-42-5.2 |
| Kansas Great | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | K.S.A. §65-657 |
| Kentucky Okay | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | KRS §217.137 |
| Louisiana Okay | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | La. R.S. §40:4.13 |
| Massachusetts Okay | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | 105 CMR 590.009(D) |
| Maryland Good | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | MD COMAR 10.15.03.27 |
| Maine Freedom | Conditional | Maine Food Sovereignty Act allows DTC meat sales in participating municipalities with informed-consumer notice.· state override | 7 M.R.S.A. §282 (Food Sovereignty Act) |
| Michigan Great | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | MCL §289.4102 |
| Minnesota Great | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | Minn. Stat. §28A.152 |
| Missouri Great | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | Mo. Rev. Stat. §196.298 |
| Mississippi Good | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | Miss. Code Ann. §75-29-951 |
| Montana Freedom | Conditional | Montana Local Food Choice Act allows DTC meat (excluding poultry) with informed-consumer disclosure.· state override | Mont. Code §50-50-116 and §50-50-117 (cottage food); Mont. Code §§50-49-201 et seq. (Local Food Choice Act) |
| North Carolina Good | No | Meat products require USDA / NCDA inspection.· state override | 02 NCAC 9C.0307 |
| North Dakota Freedom | Conditional | North Dakota Food Freedom Act allows home-produced meat DTC with informed consumer notice.· state override | N.D. Cent. Code §23-09.5-01 through §23-09.5-02 |
| Nebraska Good | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | Neb. Rev. Stat. §81-2,280 (producer of food at private home); §81-2,239 et seq. (Nebraska Pure Food Act) |
| New Hampshire Good | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | RSA §143-A:12 |
| New Jersey Poor | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | N.J.A.C. 8:24-11 et seq. |
| New Mexico Great | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | NMSA §25-12-3 (Homemade Food Act) |
| Nevada Okay | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | NRS §446.866 (repealed 2025; superseded by AB352/chapter 420 & 512, Statutes of Nevada 2025) |
| New York Good | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | N.Y. Agric. & Mkts. Law §251-z-4; 1 CRR-NY 276.4 |
| Ohio Good | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | O.R.C. §3715.023; §3715.025; Ohio Admin. Code Ch. 901:3-20 |
| Oklahoma Freedom | Conditional | Homemade Food Freedom Act (2021) allows limited DTC meat sales with disclosure.· state override | 2 O.S. §5-4.1 through §5-4.6 (Homemade Food Freedom Act) |
| Oregon Good | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | ORS §616.723 |
| Pennsylvania Good | No | Pennsylvania Limited Food Establishment law excludes all meat/poultry products.· state override | 3 Pa.C.S. §§5721–5737 |
| Rhode Island Poor | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | R.I. Gen. Laws §21-27-6.2 |
| South Carolina Good | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | S.C. Code §44-1-145 |
| South Dakota Good | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | SDCL §34-18-35 |
| Tennessee Good | Conditional | Tennessee Food Freedom Act allows home-produced meat DTC (excluding poultry) with informed-consumer notice.· state override | Tenn. Code §53-1-125 (Food Freedom Act) |
| Texas Great | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | Tex. Health & Safety §437.001 et seq. |
| Utah Freedom | Conditional | Utah HB94 Home Consumption and Homemade Food Act allows DTC meat with informed-consumer disclosure.· state override | Utah Code §4-5-501 |
| Virginia Good | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | Va. Code §3.2-5130 |
| Vermont Okay | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | 18 V.S.A. §4351; Act 42 (2025) cottage food operator exemption |
| Washington Good | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | RCW §69.22.010–.040 |
| Wisconsin Freedom | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | Wis. Stat. §97.29 |
| West Virginia Good | No | Meat and poultry are excluded from nearly every cottage food law and require USDA/state inspection. | W. Va. Code §19-40-1 through §19-40-6 (Article 40, Cottage Foods, enacted 2026); §19-35-6 (Nonpotentially hazardous foods at farmers markets) |
| Wyoming Freedom | Conditional | Wyoming Food Freedom Act allows home-produced meat (excluding poultry) direct to informed end consumers with signage. Not for interstate or retail sale.· state override | Wyo. Stat. §11-49-101 through §11-49-104 (Wyoming Food Freedom Act) |
Take it with you
Get the meat jerky report as a PDF
5-page national report — verdict tiles, food-safety reasoning, and the complete 51-jurisdiction table with statute citations.
Download the PDFOr read the deeper writeup on the blog post.
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Want all 42 foods in one PDF?
Can I Sell This? The Cottage Food Rulebook
A single 100+ page reference — every food, every state, every verdict, with the sanitation reasoning behind each yes, no, and conditional. Same data as this page, plus 41 other foods.
Fine print
This is a summary of state cottage food statutes as of July 2026, not legal advice. Statutes change; municipal zoning codes update quarterly. Verify with your state's department of agriculture, your local health department, and your city or county's planning office before selling. Crosodo is a clothing brand for cottage bakers, not a law firm.