Virginia: the home-kitchen movement
Permit program (home meals) Home food processing exemption — low-risk foods (§ 3.2-5130(C)(3)) · Home food processing exemption — acidified vegetables (§ 3.2-5130(C)(4)) · Home food processing exemption — honey (§ 3.2-5130(C)(5)) · Permitted Home Food Processing Operation (VDACS Food Safety Program inspection + $40 annual fee)
Virginia has one of the most home-cook-friendly regimes in the country. Under § 3.2-5130, private homes may sell low-risk non-perishable foods (baked goods, candies, jams, dry mixes, etc.), acidified vegetables with pH ≤ 4.6, and pure own-hive honey with no state inspection, permit, or fee — just compliant labeling. Since HB402 took effect July 1, 2026, exempt producers may sell at any location, by phone, or online (within Virginia, direct to individuals for personal consumption) and deliver by mail or delivery service. Cooks who want to sell perishables, wholesale, or other products can instead obtain a VDACS Home Food Processing Operation permit, which requires a home-kitchen inspection and a $40 annual fee.
Status, history, and administering agency are verified from the state law guide's primary sources. Supporter/opposition research for this state is still in progress — nothing is listed until it can be sourced.
Where it stands
2024: HB759 (Acts of Assembly c. 131, effective 2024) expanded the exemption to allow sales at temporary events lasting no more than 14 consecutive days and affirmed that exempt producers may advertise their products on the internet. 2026: HB402 (patron Callsen; approved by Governor 4/13/2026, Chapter 605, effective 7/1/2026) is the biggest recent change — exempt home producers may now sell low-risk foods and acidified vegetables at ANY location, by phone, or through the internet to an individual in Virginia for his own consumption, and deliver in person, by mail, or by delivery service; labels may now use a P.O. box instead of a physical home address; the bill also directs VDACS to convene a Home Food Processing Operator Work Group (meetings complete by November 1, 2026; report to the House and Senate agriculture committee chairs by the first day of the 2027 session) to examine structural/equipment/facility standards for further expansion. 2026: HB699, a broader bill that would have exempted any food sold in person at private homes and farms, died in the House (left in Health and Human Services, 2/18/2026). No other 2024-2026 changes found; no 2027-session bills identified yet — the next change window is the VDACS work-group report due by the first day of the 2027 session.
Residents can find and support local kitchens through the Virginia hub — browse kitchens, read the law guide, and see what is cooking near you.
Cottage food fight in Virginia
- 2024 — HB759 — temporary-event sales; internet advertising
HB759 (Acts of Assembly c. 131, effective 2024) expanded Virginia's home food processing exemption to allow sales at temporary events lasting no more than 14 consecutive days and affirmed that exempt producers may advertise on the internet. Source - 2026 — Home food processing exemption — low-risk foods (§ 3.2-5130(C)(3))
2026: HB402 (patron Callsen; approved by Governor 4/13/2026, Chapter 605, effective 7/1/2026) is the biggest recent change — exempt home producers may now sell low-risk foods and acidified vegetables at ANY location, by phone, or through the internet to an individual in Virginia for his own consumption, and deliver in person, by mail, or by delivery service; labels may now use a P.O. Source
How we got here
- 2024 — Home food processing exemption — low-risk foods (§ 3.2-5130(C)(3)) Cottage food fight
2024: HB759 (Acts of Assembly c. Source - 2024 — Home food processing exemption — low-risk foods (§ 3.2-5130(C)(3))
131, effective 2024) expanded the exemption to allow sales at temporary events lasting no more than 14 consecutive days and affirmed that exempt producers may advertise their products on the internet. Source - 2026 — Home food processing exemption — low-risk foods (§ 3.2-5130(C)(3)) Cottage food fight
2026: HB402 (patron Callsen; approved by Governor 4/13/2026, Chapter 605, effective 7/1/2026) is the biggest recent change — exempt home producers may now sell low-risk foods and acidified vegetables at ANY location, by phone, or through the internet to an individual in Virginia for his own consumption, and deliver in person, by mail, or by delivery service; labels may now use a P.O. Source - 2026 — Home food processing exemption — low-risk foods (§ 3.2-5130(C)(3))
box instead of a physical home address; the bill also directs VDACS to convene a Home Food Processing Operator Work Group (meetings complete by November 1, 2026; report to the House and Senate agriculture committee chairs by the first day of the 2027 session) to examine structural/equipment/facility standards for further expansion. Source - 2024 — HB759 — temporary-event sales; internet advertising Cottage food fight
HB759 (Acts of Assembly c. 131, effective 2024) expanded Virginia's home food processing exemption to allow sales at temporary events lasting no more than 14 consecutive days and affirmed that exempt producers may advertise on the internet. Source
Supporters
Supporter research for this state is in progress — nothing is listed until it can be sourced.
Opposition
No on-record opposition has been verified for this state yet.
The deciders
Governor
Office of the Governor of Virginia (name not yet verified in this research pass)
Contact the deciders
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