The essentials
Indiana, at a glance
Indiana now has two home-food routes.
The established home-based-vendor (HBV) route covers qualifying foods that do not need temperature control for safety and has no annual sales cap. Since July 1, 2026, qualifying homestead vendors and small farms have a broader route, with a $1.5 million annual gross-sales ceiling and different labels, sourcing rules and selling conditions.
Choose the route that fits
- Home-based vendor
- IC 16-42-5.3 permits qualifying non-TCS home food, with mandatory food handler certification and no annual gross-income restriction.
- Homestead vendor or small farm
- Effective July 1, 2026, IC 16-42-5.4 provides a separate direct-consumer route with broader prepared-food categories, sourcing conditions and a $1.5 million annual gross-sales ceiling.
- Sales limits
The HBV route has no annual gross-income restriction; the new homestead and small-farm definitions each limit relevant annual gross sales to not more than $1.5 million.
- Registration & permits
Compliant HBVs are exempt from food-establishment requirements and routine inspections; suspected adulteration, misbranding or complaints can trigger inspection and an imminent hazard can stop sales.
- All HBV requirements met
View official sources (3)
- IC 16-42-5.3: Home Based Food Products Indiana General Assembly; official Harrison County health department copy
- HEA 1424: Farm and Homestead Food Sales Indiana General Assembly; official Morgan County health department copy
- Farm and Homestead Food Sales memorandum Indiana Department of Health
One step at a time
Your first 1 steps
Start with your recipe and selling plan
Write down the finished recipe, production address, intended customer and delivery method.
For HBV sales, verify that the finished food is non-TCS, obtain the required ANSI-accredited food handler certificate, and give your county health department a copy. Prepare compliant labels and check event policies before booking a stall. For the new route, qualifying property is owned or leased primary-residence or agricultural land. Foods must satisfy the statute’s “primarily derived” sourcing condition; confirm how it applies if you rely on purchased ingredients.
View official sources (4)
- IC 16-42-5.3: Home Based Food Products Indiana General Assembly; official Harrison County health department copy
- Indiana Home-Based Vendor Handbook Indiana Department of Health and Purdue University
- HEA 1424: Farm and Homestead Food Sales Indiana General Assembly; official Morgan County health department copy
- Farm and Homestead Food Sales memorandum Indiana Department of Health
Make what you love
Can you sell what you make?
These are examples. Check the complete recipe, preparation method and sales route before offering a product.
Straightforward HBV products
Check the conditionsCookies, suitable breads, high-acid fruit jams, dried herbs, roasted coffee, honey and maple syrup can fit the HBV route when the handbook’s product-specific conditions are satisfied.
Commercial dairy ingredients in a suitable baked product are different from selling a dairy product. Select the actual finished recipe before deciding which category applies.
Frosting, cheesecake and pickles
Check the conditionsHBV frosting needs a commercially prepared shelf-stable product or an appropriate tested recipe followed exactly.
Cheesecake, cream fillings, pickles, pepper jelly and low-sugar preserves are outside the handbook’s HBV permissions. A broader homestead prepared-food category exists, but that does not establish approval for every recipe, ingredient source or processing method.
View official sources (3)
- Indiana Home-Based Vendor Handbook Indiana Department of Health and Purdue University
- HEA 1424: Farm and Homestead Food Sales Indiana General Assembly; official Morgan County health department copy
- Farm and Homestead Food Sales memorandum Indiana Department of Health
From your kitchen to your customers
Where and how you can sell
| Selling method | What matters |
|---|---|
| In-person HBV sales | HBVs can sell directly at markets and events, subject to the organizer’s policies. IDOH says the producer must personally conduct in-person sales: do not leave products with a shopkeeper or send someone else to operate the stall. Selling to a retailer for resale is outside this exemption. |
| HBV online orders and shipping | HBVs may accept telephone and internet orders and use personal delivery, mail or a third-party carrier within Indiana. Use sealed packaging that shows tampering and keep the customer’s shipping or delivery address for at least one year after the sale. Shipping or delivering to an out-of-state customer is prohibited under this route. |
| Homestead sales and delivery | The new route permits direct-consumer sales at qualifying property and farmers markets; IDOH also identifies online sales. Shipping or delivery requires an ANSI-accredited food handler certificate and sealed packaging. Keep destinations within Indiana and handle, refrigerate, transport and store products to prevent contamination. Do not treat the route as permission for wholesale supply. |
View official sources (4)
- IC 16-42-5.3: Home Based Food Products Indiana General Assembly; official Harrison County health department copy
- Indiana Home-Based Vendor Handbook Indiana Department of Health and Purdue University
- HEA 1424: Farm and Homestead Food Sales Indiana General Assembly; official Morgan County health department copy
- Farm and Homestead Food Sales memorandum Indiana Department of Health
Your label, explained
Every field has a purpose.
Use the example to understand the structure. Follow the Indiana requirements below for your product and sales route.
Your product
name
Your product name and actual net quantity
Your complete recipe and supplier ingredients
Operation or producer name; full business address (see state notes)
The statement for your state, product and sales route
Home-based vendor (HBV)
A guide to the fields, not a ready-to-print label. Use your actual product and business details.
Name it. Measure it.
Identify your product and its actual net quantity. Check the state’s formatting and unit requirements below.
Use your actual recipe.
Check every ingredient and supplier label. Use the applicable ingredient and allergen declarations for your product.
Identify your operation.
Operation or producer name; full business address (see state notes)
Use the wording for your route.
Requirements can differ by product and sales channel. Keep the disclosure, placement and type-size conditions together.
HBV label: identity, quantity and date
For HBV packaged food, include producer name and primary-residence address, common product name, ingredients in descending weight order, net weight or volume or numerical count, and processing date.
A PO Box does not replace the residence address under IDOH’s handbook. Use a sign for unpackaged food and post each product’s label on your website.
HBV label: exact disclosure
Use this statement in at least 10-point type: “This product is home produced and processed and the production area has not been inspected by the Indiana Department of Health.
NOT FOR RESALE.” The amended statute uses “Indiana Department of Health”; older examples still using “State Department of Health” should not be copied into a new label.
Homestead label: different required fields
For the homestead/small-farm route, include producer name and address, product description, ingredients in descending weight order, and a description of allergens that might have contacted the food.
Put the information on the packaged-food label or unpackaged-food sign. Do not substitute the HBV label simply because both products were made at home.
Homestead label: exact disclosure
The new route requires this statement in at least 10-point type: “This product was produced by a homestead vendor or the owner of a small farm that is exempt from government licensing and inspection.” This is a separate statutory disclosure from the HBV statement and belongs only on products sold under the applicable homestead or small-farm route.
The wording for your label
Home-based vendor (HBV)
This product is home produced and processed and the production area has not been inspected by the Indiana Department of Health. NOT FOR RESALE.
Homestead or small-farm route
This product was produced by a homestead vendor or the owner of a small farm that is exempt from government licensing and inspection.
View official sources (3)
- IC 16-42-5.3: Home Based Food Products Indiana General Assembly; official Harrison County health department copy
- Indiana Home-Based Vendor Handbook Indiana Department of Health and Purdue University
- HEA 1424: Farm and Homestead Food Sales Indiana General Assembly; official Morgan County health department copy
A useful head start
Your Indiana label kit.
Editable template, example label and starting checklist.
Personalize it for your products and business.
Enter your email. Get the files immediately.
Before your first sale
A few details worth getting right.
An example
A cookie order from across the state line
An Indiana customer can order qualifying HBV cookies online and receive them by carrier in Indiana, with the required packaging and address records.
An order requiring delivery across the state line does not qualify. Both Indiana home-food routes prohibit shipping or delivery to an end consumer outside the state.
An example
A meal business using the new law
The new homestead law includes prepared foods, but a meat-based meal needs additional scrutiny.
BOAH says meat and poultry inspection rules did not change. Opening inspected meat and assembling charcuterie boards is not automatically exempt. Confirm the product and processing route with BOAH before offering meat meals or repackaged meat.
Keep packaging intact at the market
IDOH’s new-route guidance says prepared foods, baked goods, meat, candy, sweeteners and fruit spreads should be prepared and packaged on the property before transport.
It prohibits subsequent manipulation at the market, including cutting, serving, reheating or repackaging. Plan portions before leaving home rather than turning the stall into a food-preparation station.
Poultry is a separate conditional exemption
The HBV chapter preserves specific exemptions for qualifying farm poultry and limited farm rabbit sales.
At farmers markets or roadside stands these products must be frozen; on-farm sales and producer delivery require refrigeration. This does not make red meat, jerky or all poultry ordinary HBV products. Check BOAH’s applicable processing exemption and labeling requirements.
View official sources (4)
- IC 16-42-5.3: Home Based Food Products Indiana General Assembly; official Harrison County health department copy
- HEA 1424: Farm and Homestead Food Sales Indiana General Assembly; official Morgan County health department copy
- Farm and Homestead Food Sales memorandum Indiana Department of Health
- FAQs: Sale of Meat & Poultry Under Farm and Homestead Food Sales (HEA 1424) Indiana State Board of Animal Health
A few more answers
Common questions
Do I need a permit, and what will it cost?
Compliant exempt operations do not have a food-establishment permit fee or annual permit renewal under these chapters. HBVs still need the food handler certificate; new-route shipping and delivery need one too. Check the selected accredited issuer’s course cost and certificate terms. Separate regulated activities can have their own permits and fees.
View sources for this answer (3)
- IC 16-42-5.3: Home Based Food Products Indiana General Assembly; official Harrison County health department copy
- HEA 1424: Farm and Homestead Food Sales Indiana General Assembly; official Morgan County health department copy
- Farm and Homestead Food Sales memorandum Indiana Department of Health
Is allergen labeling mandatory?
Keep the programs separate. The HBV handbook strongly encourages a separate allergen declaration but says it is not mandatory under that program; a complete ingredient list is still required. The new homestead/small-farm statute expressly requires a description of allergens that might have contacted the product.
View sources for this answer (3)
- IC 16-42-5.3: Home Based Food Products Indiana General Assembly; official Harrison County health department copy
- Indiana Home-Based Vendor Handbook Indiana Department of Health and Purdue University
- HEA 1424: Farm and Homestead Food Sales Indiana General Assembly; official Morgan County health department copy
Does exemption remove all local oversight?
No. HBV complaints, adulteration or misbranding can trigger inspection, and local zoning still deserves a check. The new law permits foodborne-illness investigations and preserves specified road-access, setbacks, parking, signage and sewage obligations. Federal food rules and private market admission policies also remain relevant.
View sources for this answer (4)
- IC 16-42-5.3: Home Based Food Products Indiana General Assembly; official Harrison County health department copy
- Indiana Home-Based Vendor Handbook Indiana Department of Health and Purdue University
- HEA 1424: Farm and Homestead Food Sales Indiana General Assembly; official Morgan County health department copy
- Farm and Homestead Food Sales memorandum Indiana Department of Health
Keep it handy
Your first-sale checklist
Use this free checklist to keep track of your next steps. The conditions in this guide still apply.
0 of 1 completed · Restoring progress…
Official guidance
Sources, updates & your next step
Use the right official resource
Start with IDOH’s guidance page for the HBV handbook and accredited course resources. Ask your county health department about an uncertain recipe; Purdue FEMI offers pH and water-activity testing. For meat or poultry, contact BOAH at 317-544-2400 or animalhealth@boah.in.gov. Provide the recipe, sourcing, processing and sales plan with your question.
Official sources 6 references
- IC 16-42-5.3: Home Based Food Products →
Indiana General Assembly; official Harrison County health department copy · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Indiana Home-Based Vendor Handbook →
Indiana Department of Health and Purdue University · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- HEA 1424: Farm and Homestead Food Sales →
Indiana General Assembly; official Morgan County health department copy · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Farm and Homestead Food Sales memorandum →
Indiana Department of Health · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- FAQs: Sale of Meat & Poultry Under Farm and Homestead Food Sales (HEA 1424) →
Indiana State Board of Animal Health · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Guidance Documents: Home-Based Vendors →
Indiana Department of Health · Reviewed September 14, 2026
Guide updates September 14, 2026
Reviewed Indiana’s product eligibility, sales routes, starting requirements and label guidance against the official sources below. Current conditions and any dated changes are explained in the relevant sections of this guide.
View sources for this update (4)
- IC 16-42-5.3: Home Based Food Products Indiana General Assembly; official Harrison County health department copy
- Indiana Home-Based Vendor Handbook Indiana Department of Health and Purdue University
- HEA 1424: Farm and Homestead Food Sales Indiana General Assembly; official Morgan County health department copy
- Farm and Homestead Food Sales memorandum Indiana Department of Health
This guide is a starting point. Confirm requirements for your products and location with the relevant authority. Examples are illustrative and are not a compliance approval.