Does anyone know what you need to do in order to start a homebased business in AZ? Like a license and all. I went to the AZ Secretary of State website and got lost. I don't know the proper protocal or channels to get licensed. I don't know if it is a matter of paperwork, fees, etc....
Any tips, advice, or knowledge is very much appreciated......
in the state of Arizona you have to have a Professional separate kitchen from your home kitchen that will be approved by the health department in order to get licensed. Other than that, I'm not sure what to do. The Westside cake club is meeting on Sunday if you want to come to that where there will be ladies who know what it takes.
Rachel
The Westside Cake Club is the last Sunday of every month, but due to an injury of our monthly hostess (we have it at her house) we postponed it til this Sunday. E-mail me [email protected] and I'll get you the directions and schedule, etc.
Rachel
From my research here there is no wsay to be licensed in home. You can rent a kitchen and be licensed that way. Like form any place that has a legal kitchen and will rent space for you to use and bake. Everyone I know that has a business does it this way. As far as licensing.. you have to have a state and city sales tax license. You charge sales tax to the customer and pay it in once a month. You need to get a trade name certificate from the Secretary of State and that is your dba (doing business as). You are suppose to have a food handlers card as well. SOme people get this and some don't.
I think that is it... 
Seems like a lot, but if you want to do it then at least it is possible.
I do know someone that is building a building on her property and will have a legal kitchen there but yyou have to be in an area that is zoned for that as well and most are not. Good Luck! I hope you get involved with the clubs and ICES too. The others will be happy to help you out.
As Bonnie said, there is no legal way to bake out of your home in AZ. As she also said, if you are on county land (like the example of the friend she mentioned) it is possible tha the zoning is correct for you to construct your own facility on your property, but this is pretty unlikely.
As far as being legal in general... well it depends on how legal you want to be. 
According to my hours on the phone with the Maricopa County Health Department and the City of Mesa these are a few things that are required to be truly legal. I know there are probably a few I am forgetting but off of the top of my head:
1. All storage, mixing, baking & decorating must be done in an approved commercial kitchen or an approved service kitchen.
2. The health department must know that you are operating out of that kitchen and you must be issued a license ($350) in order to do so. If the kitchen belongs to another company, the kitchen will likely not need to be re-inspected since the business that uses it and has presumably had it inpsected recently but a certificate in your name must be issued.
3. You must have insurance. At least a Million $, but 2 is better.
4. No deliveries of anything you produce can be delivered in a personal vehicle.
5. You must have a Maricopa County food handlers license.
6. You must contact the city your kitchen is in and acquire a Certificate of Occupancy (this may depend on the city)
As far as tradenames are concerned, in AZ it is not actually required that you register. It is recommended though. If you file an LLC, the county and state will have a record or your useage and that is good enough in this state. As Bonnie also said, you will also need a business license, Federal Tax ID as well as State & City.
I'm sure there is more, but have been working all day and can't think clearly.
Now you know why so few cake decorators in the Phoenix metro area who sell to the public are not fully legal... it can be a handful.
Wow, I didn't realize it was so much. I haven't done that many cakes, only to friends and family. All mostly free except for cost of ingredients. I would like to sell and make side money as I am a full time stay at home mom, but I don't think I get enough cake orders.
Well, I'm not that serious to really go through all the legallatity of it all. My situation would be to go through everything, get licensed and still not have any orders. I have only done a small handful of cakes, again for friends and family. I have never been asked to do a wedding or anything, almost, but they never happened.
All you girls in AZ that do have bakeries here, KUDOS to you. I would love to meet you someday and chat about cakes, and mostly watch your craft. I love to watch people come up with the neatest cakes. Maybe when my daughter starts school; I will look into a part time or full time job at a bakery and really learn. Who knows,maybe one day in the future I could start my cake business.
But for now, I just love my cake decorating hobby. I will email you Rachel regarding the Westside Cake club. That sounds very interesting to me.
Thanks for all your advice,
dtmc
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