Indiana cottage food law: home-based vendor rules

Purdue's Indiana Home-Based Vendor guidance, which follows the state rules, says products must be made, grown or raised by you at your primary residence. Allowed foods are non-TCS foods that do not need refrigeration. As of July 1, 2023, whole, uncut produce is no longer regulated under the home-based vendor rules at all.

• Baked items, candy and confections
• Tree nuts, legumes, honey, molasses and maple syrup
• Traditional jams and jellies from high-acid fruit with full-sugar recipes
• Shelf-stable canned goods and fruit jams, according to the Harrison County Health Department's summary of the rule

Home-based vendors may not sell TCS foods, meaning foods that need time and temperature control for safety. Purdue's examples are raw or heat-treated animal foods, heat-treated plant foods, raw seed sprouts, cut melon, cut leafy greens and garlic in oil.

You also cannot resell other people's food. Anyone who resells must be licensed as a wholesaler.

The state rules we read do not describe a registration or license for home-based vendors, and no fee is listed. If you sell in-shell eggs, you must register with the Indiana State Egg Board. Poultry and rabbit sold at farmers' markets or roadside stands have their own rules.

You must get a food handler certificate from a certificate issuer accredited by ANSI. ServSafe Food Handler qualifies, and the certificate is valid for three years. Local health departments may add requirements, and some ask vendors to test pH and water activity, so call yours.

The label you print tells buyers that the production area has not been inspected by the state.

Purdue's page says you may sell "in person, by telephone, or through the Internet." Delivery may be "in person, by mail, or by a third-party carrier." Products can only be shipped within Indiana. Interstate shipping is prohibited.

The Harrison County Health Department's summary of the rule adds that shipped products need tamper-resistant packaging and that you keep shipping records for at least one year. You may sell at farmers' markets and roadside stands. Products may not be resold.

Labels must include your name and address, the common name of the food, ingredients in descending order by weight, net weight or volume, and the processing date. The required statement must be in at least 10-point type. Purdue gives it as: "This product is home produced and processed and the production area has not been inspected by Indiana Department of Health," followed by "NOT FOR RESALE."

State guidance documents word this statement slightly differently, so copy it from the IDOH Home-Based Vendor Handbook before you print.

• Check every product is non-TCS and made at your primary residence.
• Get an ANSI-accredited food handler certificate and keep it current.
• Call your county health department and ask about local steps, such as pH or water activity testing.
• Print labels with the processing date and the home-produced statement.
• If you ship, use tamper-resistant packaging, ship only within Indiana, and keep records for a year.
• Register with the State Egg Board if you sell eggs.
• Check your city's zoning for home businesses.

Indiana names telephone and internet sales, so an ordering site fits. pickup.kitchen gives you yourname.pickup.kitchen with a menu, photos and checkout, with payments to your own Stripe account.

Pickup windows suit door pickup and market days. Slots close when full, and order cutoffs let you plan a weekly bake. Delivery in person is on the list, so the delivery tools can plan your own route and send it to your phone, with a photo at the door.

Your customer list keeps every buyer, ready for your next email. Keep orders inside Indiana, and make sure your label carries the processing date. Free onboarding, pay as you use.

Checked November 2026 against the official Indiana sources linked below. Laws change, so open the official page before you print labels or take your first order.

This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice. Check with your state and county before you sell.