# Georgia HB 398: Food, drugs, and cosmetics; authorize production and sale of cottage food items with certain exemptions, requirements, and disclosures

Georgia HB 398, Food, drugs, and cosmetics; authorize production and sale of cottage food items with certain exemptions, requirements, and disclosures, is a 2025-2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Beth Camp (Republican), Katie Dempsey (Republican), Houston Gaines (Republican) and 3 others; status signed, last action 2025-07-01 (Effective Date); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB398-2025-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Georgia HB 398
- State: Georgia
- Session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
- Title: Food, drugs, and cosmetics; authorize production and sale of cottage food items with certain exemptions, requirements, and disclosures
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2025-02-11
- Last action: 2025-07-01, Effective Date
- Sponsors: Beth Camp (Republican), Katie Dempsey (Republican), Houston Gaines (Republican), Leesa Hagan (Republican), Brian Prince (Democrat), Matt Reeves (Republican)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Subjects: Agriculture & Consumer Affairs, Agriculture and Consumer Affairs, General Bill
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 2 (225 yes, 4 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 6

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- More sales options for home food businesses: benefit, medium. Georgia home food businesses can sell qualifying foods directly, online, by mail, and to stores and restaurants. Foods must be non-potentially hazardous, made at the operator’s residence, and packaged there if packaged. Alcoholic drinks, cannabis foods, and raw milk are excluded. Products meeting t…
- Qualifying nonprofit bake sales avoid requirements: benefit, low. People selling non-potentially hazardous foods at qualifying bake sales are exempt from the law’s cottage-food requirements for those sales. The bake sale must be affiliated with a nonprofit, charitable, or religious organization.
- Local limits on home food resellers: mixed, medium. Counties and cities generally cannot regulate or ban cottage foods, or ban commercial delivery of those foods. But they can pass an ordinance banning cottage food sales through third-party vendors within their boundaries. They must hold a hearing 15 to 45 days after publishing notice in a local new…
- Home food inspections have clear limits: mixed, low. Georgia’s Department of Agriculture can adopt cottage-food rules and inspect homes to investigate complaints, foodborne illness reports, or public health emergencies. Inspections are limited to home areas used by the operator and must be scheduled ahead, except during emergencies. Operators can req…
- Home food sellers must disclose warnings: mixed, low. Sellers must show the operator’s business name, address, and phone number, or a Department of Agriculture identification number requested in writing. A warning in at least 10-point print must say the food was made at a home exempt from state inspection. It must also say the food may contain allerge…
- Stores must clearly mark cottage foods: mixed, low. Retail food establishments selling or offering cottage foods must post a sign specified by the Department of Agriculture. The sign says these foods are not subject to commercial food rules or inspection. Third-party vendors must display cottage foods in a separate section or case from other foods.…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Beth Camp (Republican), House
- Sponsor: Katie Dempsey (Republican), House
- Sponsor: Houston Gaines (Republican), House
- Sponsor: Leesa Hagan (Republican), House
- Sponsor: Brian Prince (Democrat), House
- Sponsor: Matt Reeves (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Sam Watson (Republican), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-04-02 | Senate | PASSAGE | pass | 54 | 2 |   |
| 2025-03-03 | House | PASSAGE | pass | 171 | 2 | 1 |

## Actions (15)

- 2025-07-01: Effective Date
- 2025-05-13: House Date Signed by Governor (House)
- 2025-05-13: Act 193
- 2025-04-08: House Sent to Governor (House)
- 2025-04-02: Senate Third Read (Senate)
- 2025-04-02: Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
- 2025-03-18: Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
- 2025-03-13: Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
- 2025-03-04: Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- 2025-03-03: House Third Readers (House)
- 2025-03-03: House Passed/Adopted (House)
- 2025-02-19: House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- 2025-02-13: House Second Readers (House)
- 2025-02-12: House First Readers (House)
- 2025-02-11: House Hopper (House)

## Bill text

- HB 398/AP* (v3): [PDF](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/239063)

## Related bills

- SB 160: Reckless Stunt Driving; a motor vehicle involved in a second offense of reckless stunt driving; replace the forfeiture penalty (signed)
- SB 384: Motor Vehicle; optional five-year motor vehicle registration and revalidation for certain motor vehicles; provide (signed)
- SB 76: License Plates; specialty license plate benefitting the Georgia Veterans Service Foundation; establish (signed)
- SB 406: "Georgia Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act"; enact (signed)
- HB 1391: Specialty license plates; honor public safety officers; establish (signed)
- HB 1344: Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act; enact (signed)

## Sources
- [HB 398/AP* (v3) (PDF)](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/239063)

## Related
- [SB 160: Reckless Stunt Driving; a motor vehicle involved in a second offense of reckles…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB160-2025-2026)
- [SB 384: Motor Vehicle; optional five-year motor vehicle registration and revalidation f…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB384-2025-2026)
- [SB 76: License Plates; specialty license plate benefitting the Georgia Veterans Servic…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB76-2025-2026)
- [SB 406: "Georgia Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act"; enact](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB406-2025-2026)
- [HB 1391: Specialty license plates; honor public safety officers; establish](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB1391-2025-2026)
- [HB 1344: Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act; enact](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB1344-2025-2026)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB398-2025-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).