Cottage Food Laws by State
Indiana Cottage Food Laws
Indiana's home-based vendor law lets residents make shelf-stable foods in their own kitchen and sell them without a food establishment license or routine inspection. The chapter sets no annual sales cap. In exchange, vendors must hold a food handler certificate, label carefully, and sell only to the final customer inside the state.
Annual sales cap
No cap
Permit
None
Training
Required
Home inspection
No
Online sales
Allowed
Shipping
Allowed
Across state lines
Not allowed
Wholesale
Not allowed
Verified against official sources on 2026-10-21.
Where You Can Sell in Indiana
You may take orders in person, by phone, or online, and hand over products yourself, mail them, or use a carrier, as long as the buyer lives in Indiana. Stores, restaurants, and wholesalers cannot buy from you, and nobody else may sell on your behalf. Fairs and markets can set their own rules about who may sell.
| Channel | Status |
|---|---|
| Farmers markets | Allowed |
| Events & festivals |
Conditions apply
Event organizers, such as fairs and festivals, may refuse home-based vendors; that decision is theirs, not the state's. |
| Roadside stands | Allowed |
| Online orders |
Conditions apply
Post the label of every product on your website. |
| Retail stores |
Conditions apply
Allowed only when you are physically present and sell directly to the customer; products cannot be left for sale at a business. |
| Wholesale | Not allowed |
| Restaurants | Not allowed |
What You Can Sell in Indiana
The key test is whether a food needs time or temperature control for safety. Cookies, breads, candy, honey, roasted coffee, granola, and jams from acidic fruit generally pass. Cheesecake, cream pies, dairy, meat, pickles, fermented foods, and homemade sauces do not. The health department's handbook lists many examples and tells you who to ask when unsure.
Any food that is not a time/temperature control for safety food, made in your primary residence kitchen; the state health department publishes example lists of accepted and rejected products.
Bread
Candy
Condiments
Dry goods
Preserves
Snacks
Allowed with conditions
- Frosting and icing — Use commercially prepared shelf-stable icing or a tested, science-based recipe followed exactly.
- Baked goods with fresh fruit or vegetables — Produce must be uniformly shredded and mixed into the batter, then fully baked; not used as a topping.
- Cheese breads — Cheese must be uniformly shredded and baked in.
- Pies — Must be shelf-stable; cream and custard-type pies are not.
Not allowed
Limits and Requirements
Annual sales cap
No cap
- Food must be made at your primary residence, including a permanent structure on the same property
- Sell only to the end consumer; no resale and no sales to stores, restaurants, or wholesalers
- No shipping or delivery to customers outside Indiana
- The producer sells in person; products cannot be sold on your behalf
- Keep shipping or delivery records for at least one year
- Local zoning rules may still apply
Local rules: State law bars local governments from requiring licensing, certification, or inspection of home-based vendor foods, but zoning and home business rules may still apply; check with your municipality.
How to Start Selling in Indiana
-
1
Check your product
Confirm it is not a TCS food using the Indiana Department of Health Home-Based Vendor Handbook, or ask your local health department.
-
2
Get a food handler certificate
Take a course from an ANSI-accredited issuer; Purdue Extension offers in-person classes.
-
3
Send your certificate to the county
Give a copy to the local health department in the county where you live.
-
4
Label every product
Include all required label items and the NOT FOR RESALE statement; post labels on your website if selling online.
-
5
Pack and track shipments
Use tamper-evident sealed packages for mail or delivery and keep customer addresses for a year.
-
6
Check local zoning
Contact your city or county about home business rules.
What a Compliant Indiana Label Looks Like
Quickly Cottage builds your ingredient list, detects allergens, and adds the required disclosure automatically.
Product
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake Pops
Net Wt: 8 oz (227g)
Produced: October 24, 2026
Sunflower Home Bakery
412 Maple Ave, Springfield, IN
Ingredients:
Enriched Bleached Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Sugar, Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Leavening (Baking Soda, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Corn Starch, Salt, Soybean Oil; Sugar, Unsweetened Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Milkfat, Soy Lecithin, Vanilla; Sugar, Corn Starch, Vegetable Oil (Palm), Confectioner's Glaze, Carnauba Wax, FD&C Colors; Water, Propylene Glycol, FD&C Red 40.
Contains:
This product is home produced and processed and the production area has not been inspected by Indiana Department of Health. NOT FOR RESALE.
Label Requirements
Every cottage food product sold in Indiana must have a label that includes the following.
| Required field |
|---|
| All 9 FDA major allergens present |
| Complete ingredient list, in descending order by weight |
| Business name |
| Business address |
| Product name |
| Net weight |
| Date of production |
| "Not inspected" disclosure statement |
Indiana Labeling Notes
- Unpackaged food needs a sign with the same information.
- Allergen labeling is not required by the state but is encouraged.
- Online sellers must post each product label on their website.
- Shipped or delivered products must be in sealed, tamper-evident packaging.
Required Label Disclosure
This exact text must appear on every label you sell in Indiana.
This product is home produced and processed and the production area has not been inspected by Indiana Department of Health. NOT FOR RESALE.
Quickly Cottage adds this to your label automatically.
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Ingredient lists, allergens, and the required disclosure — built in automatically.
Indiana Cottage Food — Common Questions
Indiana law (IC 16-42-5.3) exempts home-based vendors from food establishment licensing, but you must give a copy of your food handler certificate to your county's local health department.
Indiana does not set a dollar cap on cottage food sales.
Obtain a food handler certificate from an ANSI-accredited issuer; cost varies by provider.
Online sales are allowed. Shipping is allowed. Post the label of every product on your website.
Not allowed: Time/temperature control (TCS) foods; Meat, dairy products, and prepared meals; Cheesecake and pumpkin roll; Pickled, acidified, and fermented foods; Homemade BBQ or hot sauce; Low-acid or low-sugar jams (e.g. pepper jelly, fig); Home-canned vegetables; Homemade vanilla extract and foods with 0.5% alcohol or more; Pet treats (regulated separately).
Resources and Law History
Who to contact
Indiana Department of Health, Division of Food Protection
317-233-1974
Agency website2009
HEA 1309 created the home-based vendor program for non-hazardous foods made in a primary residence.
2022
HEA 1149 added internet, phone, mail, and carrier sales, some product exemptions, and food handler training.
Law reference: Indiana Cottage Food Law (Indiana Code 16-42-5.3 (Home Based Food Products)) · Last updated 2026 · Always verify requirements with your state's department of agriculture before selling.
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