Selling Honey in Arizona
Since 2011, Arizona beekeepers may sell their own honey (any amount, no annual limit) under the state's Cottage Food Laws.
Licensing
- Registration is required (it may be done online (easy and free),
- Most producers will also need to get a food handler card.
Summary: To register for the program,
- Obtain a food handler's card, if offered in the county in which you live; and next
- complete the Arizona online cottage foods registration form here. . The Road Map is designed to allow you to figure out everything you need to make your registration as smooth and easy as possible, shortening the turnaround time.
Details:
Arizona residents are required by ARS 36-136(H)(4)(g) to register for the Home Baked and Confectionery Goods Program to be authorized to produce products for commercial purposes. Registrants can also choose to sign up for email updates from the program which will include food safety information, product recalls, and healthy baked good recipes from the Arizona Department of Health Services.
To become a registered home baker, you need to obtain a food handler card or training certificate, as required by your county. Some counties issue a county-specific food handler card, some only require you to take a food handler training course, and others have no food handler training requirements at all. If your county does not require food handler training, you are still strongly encouraged to take a food handler training course. Here is a list of online training certificate programs accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
Other licenses:
See your county and municipality for:
- Assessor's Office (for questions about business-related property taxes)
- Planning & Zoning Office (for questions about zoning restrictions on home-based businesses)
- City Clerk (for questions on local business license requirements)
- You may also want to contact your insurance company to determine the impact (if any) of a home-based
business on homeowner's liability. In general, you will at least need to add an "Umbrella
policy"
For labeling, training and other requirements, see
Arizona Cottage Food laws, regulations and how-to's
Resources
Great helpful books and guides
The Backyard Beekeeper - Absolute Beginner's Guide to Keeping Bees in Your Yard and Garden, Setting up and caring for your own colonies,practical and nontoxic ways to care for your bees, Swarm control
The Backyard Beekeeper's Honey Handbook: A Guide to Creating, Harvesting, and Cooking with Natural Honeys
Beekeeping For Dummies, very popular
The Backyard Beekeeper’s Honey Handbook by Kim Flottum