Does anyone know the laws in Texas on a home based bakery? Are they allowed? I know I can call the state but, you kind of get the run around so, I was wondering if anyone here is in Texas and operating legally from home. TIA

home based is not allowed in TX

Dratz! I thought they let us do anything in TEXAS!!!!!!!lol

Thanks!

Well, it is allowed if you build out a garage or something that isn't attached to your house into a commercial licensed kitchen. Doing it from your kitchen in your house is not allowed.

No, Texas is fairly strict about this. Check with the state health department in Austin. Depending on your county, you may have a local health dept, however, many rural areas don't have a local authority and those are regulated by the state. For instance, Dallas, Houston, Austin etc all have local authorities. As some have said, they try to find kitchens to rent, but I understand thats alot of calling to find one that will rent.

why is that earlene who is in texas had a home kitchen??

It's not unusual to start with a home kitchen. I think Earlene has had a separate legal kitchen for quite some time.

unfortanitly (sp?) we cannot have home bakeries in tx unless it is a seperate kitchen with a seperate entrance from the house. that is why i dont have a business yet because i am renting and cannot add on. it really sucks tho. i feel your pain.

you need to read the TFER, Texas food establishment regulations. its posted on the TDH website and is nearly 200 pages long. I have a legal 'home based' commercial kitchen, it is not my residential kitchen, you cannot bake out of that one. but it is possible, first place to check is zoning, if your city wont allow any home based business then you your stuck.

My understanding is that it's a zoning issue. Check first with your homeowner's association, then your city's zoning board.

the problem is...i'm not in texas right now...i won't be until next year. i would like to know the cities that allow separate kitchens, so we can purchase a house in that area.

I think that it varies even within cities and between neighborhoods. I think the best way to go about it would be to work backwards -- find a neighborhood or property that you like, then check and see if it's zoned for a separate kitchen.

I live in the same city as the kitchen I rent, only about 2 miles away. The owner turned her guest home into a commercial kitchen, it is on about a 1 acre lot in an older neighborhood. I live in newer construction where the houses are packed tight together, and my homeowners association would never allow such a thing.

thank-you for telling me. i think my husband and i will be searching for homes that are not so close to neighbors. if i recall, earlene's home in lubbock is not close to neighbors. that would probably be best and on the safe side.

You are right, Earlene's place is out from the city of Lubbock, somewhat. Every county/city, etc has different rules. If you know you will be in the San Antonio area, check out the more rural communities. I'm sure there are some people on here from SA!?! Maybe they could help you. Also, maybe look for a house that already has a garage or shed that has separate entrance from the house & separate air circulation. If we ever decide to move, that will be my preference. Otherwise, I'll have to wait till DH can build me one! Good luck!!!

I live in the city of Schertz, a suburb of San Antonio, and am looking for a commercial kitchen. So far I've had no luck in SA, so I have considered Gina's kitchen in Austin and driving down once a week or so. My neighborhood association nor the city would allow a home kitchen. We went to the zoning people here first and were told no. Our neighborhood association doesn't even allow portable storage buildings in your back yard unless they can't be seen from the street. So even putting up a portable storage building for us to store our lawn equipment required approval from the neighborhood association and a permit from the city.