Cottage Food Laws by State
Iowa Cottage Food Laws
Iowa exempts cottage food from state licensing, permitting, inspection, packaging, and labeling laws, and the statute sets no sales cap. You make the food in a private residence and sell it straight to the consumer. A separate Home Food Processing Establishment license exists for items that fall outside the exemption.
Annual sales cap
No cap
Permit
None
Training
Not required
Home inspection
No
Online sales
Allowed
Shipping
Allowed
Wholesale
Not allowed
Verified against official sources on 2026-10-21.
Where You Can Sell in Iowa
You can take orders in person, by phone, or online, and the food can reach the customer through you, an employee or other agent, or by mail. Selling to be resold is not part of the exemption, and products cannot be placed in a food establishment. The one exception is a temporary food establishment that you operate yourself.
| Channel | Status |
|---|---|
| Online orders |
Conditions apply
Producer may sell remotely, by phone, or online and deliver by mail or through an agent such as an employee. |
| Retail stores | Not allowed |
| Wholesale | Not allowed |
| Restaurants | Not allowed |
What You Can Sell in Iowa
The test is whether the food needs time and temperature control to stay safe; if it does, it is out. Regulated milk products, meat and poultry, and unpasteurized juice are also excluded. Home-canned pickles, vegetables, and fruits qualify only when every batch is tested to a pH of 4.60 or lower or a water activity of 0.85 or lower.
Any food produced in a private residence that does not require time/temperature control for safety, excluding regulated dairy, meat and poultry, and unpasteurized juice.
Allowed with conditions
- Home-canned pickles, vegetables, and fruits — Each batch measured with a pH or water activity meter (finished pH 4.60 or lower, or water activity 0.85 or less); each container shows the date processed and canned; batch records available on request, including at the point of sale.
Not allowed
Limits and Requirements
Annual sales cap
No cap
- Food must be produced in a private residence
- Must be sold and delivered by the producer directly to the consumer, or delivered by mail or an agent such as an employee
- May not be offered for sale in a food establishment, except a temporary food establishment operated by the producer with food packaged and labeled
- Compliance with the exemption does not mean compliance with federal law
- If it is unclear whether a food needs time/temperature control, you must supply documentation to regulators on request
How to Start Selling in Iowa
-
1
Confirm your food qualifies
It must be made in a private residence and must not need time/temperature control for safety. It also cannot be regulated dairy, meat or poultry, or unpasteurized juice.
-
2
Use the state decision tool if unsure
The Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL) offers a spreadsheet to tell cottage foods from items needing a Home Food Processing Establishment license ($50/yr, $50,000 cap).
-
3
Test home-canned items
For pickles, vegetables, or fruits, measure every batch with a pH or water activity meter and keep batch records you can show on request.
-
4
Label every product
Include your contact information, common name, ingredients, the residential-exemption statement, allergens, and canning date where applicable.
-
5
Sell directly to customers
Sell and deliver yourself, by an agent, or by mail. Do not place products in a food establishment, apart from your own temporary food establishment.
What a Compliant Iowa Label Looks Like
Quickly Cottage builds your ingredient list, detects allergens, and adds the required disclosure automatically.
Product
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake Pops
Sunflower Home Bakery
Springfield, IA
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 was produced at a residential property that is exempt from state licensing and inspection.
Label Requirements
Every cottage food product sold in Iowa 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 |
| Product name |
| City name |
| "Not inspected" disclosure statement |
Iowa Labeling Notes
- Label information may be affixed or printed on the package.
Required Label Disclosure
This exact text must appear on every label you sell in Iowa.
This product was produced at a residential property that is exempt from state licensing and inspection.
Quickly Cottage adds this to your label automatically.
Generate your Iowa label in minutes
Ingredient lists, allergens, and the required disclosure — built in automatically.
Iowa Cottage Food — Common Questions
Cottage food is exempt from all state licensing, permitting, inspection, packaging, and labeling laws as long as the exemption conditions are met.
Iowa does not set a dollar cap on cottage food sales.
No training requirement appears in the cottage food statute or rule.
Online sales are allowed. Shipping is allowed. Producer may sell remotely, by phone, or online and deliver by mail or through an agent such as an employee.
Not allowed: Time/temperature control for safety foods; Milk and milk products regulated under Iowa Code chapters 192 and 194; Meat, poultry, and their products regulated under chapter 189A; Unpasteurized fruit or vegetable juice.
Resources and Law History
Who to contact
Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL)
515-725-5342
Agency website2022
2022 Acts ch. 1129 created the cottage food exemption in section 137F.20 and the home food processing establishment license.
2026
Administrative rule 481-30.13 was adopted effective March 11, 2026 (ARC 0058D).
Law reference: Iowa Cottage Food Law (Iowa Code section 137F.20 (Cottage food - requirements)) · Last updated 2026 · Always verify requirements with your state's department of agriculture before selling.
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