Selling Honey in Each State
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
Honey is a unique food product, having been eaten by mankind in it's natural form since the dawn of mankind. Nevertheless, governments feel the need to control and regulate it! So, the pages below will assist you understanding the requirements and steps to sell honey that your hives produce regardless of the state you're in.
Overview
If you would like to extract, bottle and sell honey, most states have requirements for licensing, and annual inspection. A few states allow honey sales under their Cottage Food rules, which as less burdensome. Your state may require you to register your bees.
There may also be zoning requirements. It's even possible your homeowner's association has rules. See below for details for your state.
Links to State-Specific Honey Selling Information
Remember, the descriptions above are generic; you must check your state to find out the details that apply to your situation and location.
- Alabama
Alabama Honey selling, laws, regulations and how-to's - Alaska
Alaska Food Code allows the sale of non-potentially hazardous foods sold directly to the consumer without a permit as long as certain conditions are met. If you do not find information you are looking for, please contact your local Environmental Health Officer. If you plan on selling your products within the Municipality of Anchorage, these exemptions may not apply.- Cottage Food Fact Sheet
- Exempt Product Placard Example
- Guide to Cottage Foods (brochure)
- Guide to Operating a Successful Home Based Food Business
- Product Testing Facts
- Environmental Health Laboratory
- UAF Cooperative Extension
- Alaska Department of Agriculture
- Business Licensing
- Establishing a Business in Alaska
- Municipality of Anchorage Food Safety
- Small Business Assistance
- UAF Cooperative Extension
- UAF Cooperative Extension
- How to find a Community Kitchen
- Preserving Alaska's Bounty - Alaska is not offering this course now, but you can find complete and easy to understand preserving directions for almost anything here: https://pickyourown.org/allaboutcanning.htm
- Safe Egg Handling for Small Operations
- Arizona
Arizona Honey selling, laws, regulations and how-to's - Arkansas
Selling Honey in Arkansas - California
Selling Honey in California
California Cottage Foods, laws, regulations and how-to's - Colorado
Click here for Colorado Honey selling, laws, regulations and how-to's - District of Columbia
Washington, D.C. how to sell your honey - Florida
Selling honey in Florida
Florida Cottage Food laws, regulations and how-to's
Georgia
Georgia Honey selling, laws, regulations and news - Hawaii
Hawaii has a proposed cottage food bill, see House Bill 100 - Idaho
Idaho's seven health districts operate as independent agencies.
Each district responds to local needs.
Click for the Department of Health and Welfare, and then click on your district for specific information. - Illinois
Illinois Honey selling, laws, regulations and how-to's - Indiana
Indiana Cottage food (HBV) facts, laws, regulations and news - Iowa
Iowa's honey selling requirements. - Kansas
Selling honey in Kansas - Kentucky
Selling Honey in Kentucky
Kentucky Food Processor laws - Maine
Maine's Honey selling requirements. - Maryland
Maryland Honey selling, laws, regulations and how-to's - Massachusetts
Massachusetts' Honey selling, laws, regulations and how-to's - Michigan
Michigan Honey selling, laws, regulations and how-to's. - Minnesota
Minnesota Honey selling, laws, regulations and how-to's. - Mississippi
Mississippi allows sales at farmers markets only.
Click for Mississippi's Department of Agriculture. - Missouri
Missouri Honey selling, laws, regulations and how-to's - Nebraska
Nebraska honey regulations
Click for Guidelines for Farmers Markets - New Hampshire
New Hampshire's Honey selling requirements. - New Jersey
New Jersey Honey selling, laws, regulations and news - New Mexico
New Mexico's honey selling requirements. - New York
New York Home Food Processor facts, laws, regulations and news - North Carolina
North Carolina Honey selling, laws, regulations and how-to's - North Dakota
North Dakota's honey selling requirements. - Ohio
Ohio's honey selling requirements. - Oklahoma
Oklahoma Honey selling, laws, regulations and how-to's - Oregon
Oregon's domestic kitchen laws. Domestic Kitchens - Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania honey selling laws (call Limited Food Establishments) and facts, regulations and how-to's - South Carolina
South Carolina Honey selling, laws, regulations and how-to's - South Dakota
South Dakota's honey selling requirements. - Tennessee
Tennessee Honey selling, laws, regulations and how-to's - Texas
Texas Honey selling, laws, regulations and how-to's - Utah
Utah Honey selling, laws, regulations and how-to's - Vermont
Vermont's honey selling requirements. - Virginia
Virginia Honey selling, laws, regulations and how-to's - Washington State
Washington State Honey selling, laws, regulations and how-to's - Washington D.C.
Washington, D.C. how to sell your honey - West Virginia
Farmer's Market Vendor Guide.
Contact: Teresa Halloran 304-558-2210 for specifics on rules and start up procedure. - Wisconsin
Click here for more information about this state's honey selling requirements. - Wyoming
Click here for more information about this state's honey selling requirements.