The essentials
Maine, at a glance
Maine’s Home Food License is the standard state route for eligible shelf-stable foods made in a home kitchen.
It supports direct sales and distribution through other sellers. Some communities also have a separate food-sovereignty ordinance, but that local route must be checked against the actual ordinance and transaction.
Choose the route that fits
- Home Food License
- State licensing for qualifying home-made shelf-stable foods sold directly or through distribution.
- Local Food Sovereignty Ordinance
- Separate, ordinance-dependent treatment of qualifying direct producer-to-consumer transactions.
- Registration & permits
An initial inspection is required before a Home Food License is issued.
View official sources (4)
- 01-001 Chapter 345: Home Food Manufacturing Maine government
- Home Food License 101 Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
- Permits and Licenses Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
- 7 M.R.S. §284: Authority Maine government
One step at a time
Your first 2 steps
Choose the route before building the menu
Write down the production address, products and intended customers.
If you plan to sell through shops or broader distribution, start with DACF’s licensed home-food process. If you intend to rely on a local ordinance, obtain the operative text and identify exactly which direct transactions it covers.
Apply and prepare for the first inspection
Use the Food and Fuel License application and discuss your kitchen with DACF.
The currently linked guide lists a $20 yearly home-food fee, with annual application under the rule. An initial inspection is required, so prepare the space and any product-review documents before promising a start date.
View official sources (5)
- 01-001 Chapter 345: Home Food Manufacturing Maine government
- Home Food License 101 Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
- Permits and Licenses Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
- 7 M.R.S. §284: Authority Maine government
- 7 M.R.S. §282: Definitions Maine government
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.
Start with finished shelf-stable foods
Check the conditionsOrdinary nonperishable baked goods are a sensible category to discuss under the Home Food License.
Evaluate the finished filling, topping and storage requirements rather than only the base recipe. Products that need refrigeration or freezing for microbial safety require a different route; freezing cannot turn a perishable product into an eligible home food.
Canned products need review before licensing
Check the conditionsPickles, relishes and BBQ sauces are examples of canned shelf-stable products needing process-authority review.
Submit the actual recipe and heating method before sales. The review concerns whether that product and process are safe; it should not be treated as permission to substitute ingredients or improvise a new canning method.
Pressure canning is outside this route
Check the conditionsChapter 345 does not allow home-canned products that require pressure cooking for sealing to be sold.
Do not interpret an approved pickle recipe as approval for low-acid vegetables, soup or another pressure-canned product. Ask DACF to identify the appropriate commercial requirements if that category is essential to your menu.
View official sources (2)
- 01-001 Chapter 345: Home Food Manufacturing Maine government
- Home Food License 101 Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
From your kitchen to your customers
Where and how you can sell
| Selling method | What matters |
|---|---|
| Direct customer pickup at home | The state home-food rule allows direct consumer sales from the home and provides a specific labeling exemption for that transaction. Keep your recipe and ingredient information organized even when the exemption applies. Moving the same product to a public market or store changes the label obligation. |
| Markets and fairs | Products sold through public marketing need individual labels under Chapter 345. DACF also offers a mobile-vendor license for certain prepared-food sales at markets and fairs. Describe the stall activity and product handling to the agency so it can identify the necessary retail approval before you reserve a season of events. |
| Selling to shops and other resellers | The licensed route supports wholesale distribution of eligible products, and each item sold through stores or further distribution needs the required label. Include the full product identity, ingredients, quantity and business details. A store order does not share the direct-from-home label exemption. |
| Orders shipped beyond Maine | DACF describes the Home Food License as supporting distribution throughout Maine and the United States. Treat that as Maine’s licensing scope, while checking the destination and applicable federal requirements before shipping. A broader customer base does not remove the need for an eligible shelf-stable product and correct packaging. |
View official sources (3)
- 01-001 Chapter 345: Home Food Manufacturing Maine government
- Home Food License 101 Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
- Permits and Licenses Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Your label, explained
Every field has a purpose.
Use the example to understand the structure. Follow the Maine 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
Licensed home-food production
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.
Use the ordinary licensed-product information
For stores, wholesale and public markets, include the common product name, ingredients from greatest to least amount, net weight or count, and the producer, manufacturer or distributor’s name, address and ZIP.
Work from the actual recipe and package size rather than copying an example label with someone else’s business details.
No special licensed-home disclaimer appears in Chapter 345
The licensed home-food rule does not specify a mandatory homemade or uninspected-food statement.
Do not add one as though it replaces the required fields. If operating under a local sovereignty ordinance instead, review that ordinance’s disclosures separately; rules from the licensed route do not establish all local requirements.
View official sources (2)
- 01-001 Chapter 345: Home Food Manufacturing Maine government
- 7 M.R.S. §284: Authority Maine government
A useful head start
Your Maine 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
Moving from home pickup to a farm shop
Imagine a licensed baker sells directly from home and then supplies a nearby shop.
The product now needs the individual label required for store distribution. Prepare those labels before delivery, and keep the shop arrangement within the state license rather than relying on a direct-consumer local exemption.
Example scope: Hypothetical eligible non-TCS bakery product.
An example
A customer wants to resell an ordinance-based purchase
The sovereignty statute defines a consumer as someone acquiring the food for personal or family consumption.
A shop buying stock for resale is different. Before accepting that order, check the licensed distribution route with DACF instead of assuming a local direct-sale ordinance reaches the new arrangement.
Example scope: Hypothetical operation relying on an applicable local ordinance.
Check pets, surfaces and production timing
Exclude pets before production and clean and sanitize the working area.
Keep preparation surfaces and utensils sanitary, keep uncontrolled children away and avoid tobacco during processing. A written setup routine is useful because a kitchen used by a household can change condition between one business batch and the next.
View official sources (4)
- 01-001 Chapter 345: Home Food Manufacturing Maine government
- Home Food License 101 Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
- Permits and Licenses Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
- 7 M.R.S. §282: Definitions Maine government
A few more answers
Common questions
What if the kitchen uses a private well?
The rule requires yearly private-water testing, and the current guide names coliform and nitrates. Keep the test report with the license records. Review the sink arrangement with DACF too: current guidance accepts a two-bay sink or a one-bay sink plus dishwasher, subject to the agency’s review of the actual setup.
View sources for this answer (1)
- Home Food License 101 Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Can I reuse jars and lids?
The rule allows appropriate reusable home-canning glass containers after sanitizing, but seals cannot be reused. Keep packaging choices tied to the reviewed product and process. A jar that looks intact is not a reason to depart from the approved preparation method or the rule’s restrictions on home pressure-canned foods.
View sources for this answer (2)
- 01-001 Chapter 345: Home Food Manufacturing Maine government
- Home Food License 101 Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Does food sovereignty remove every rule?
No. It depends on an adopted local ordinance and the transactions that ordinance governs. The statute also preserves required meat and poultry controls. Before relying on the local route, read the applicable text and separate direct personal-consumption sales from wholesale distribution and other activities outside that defined relationship.
View sources for this answer (3)
- 7 M.R.S. §284: Authority Maine government
- 7 M.R.S. §282: Definitions Maine government
- 7 M.R.S. §285: Departmental authority; livestock and poultry Maine government
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 2 completed · Restoring progress…
Official guidance
Sources, updates & your next step
Ask DACF about the proposed operation
Use the current licensing page to find the Food and Fuel application, and call 207-287-3841 with home-food questions. Provide the production location, product list, canning methods and intended sales venues. Those details help the agency distinguish a home-food license, an additional retail approval and an ordinance-specific question.
Official sources 6 references
- 01-001 Chapter 345: Home Food Manufacturing →
Maine government · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Home Food License 101 →
Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- Permits and Licenses →
Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- 7 M.R.S. §284: Authority →
Maine government · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- 7 M.R.S. §282: Definitions →
Maine government · Reviewed September 14, 2026
- 7 M.R.S. §285: Departmental authority; livestock and poultry →
Maine government · Reviewed September 14, 2026
Guide updates September 14, 2026
Reviewed Maine’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)
- 01-001 Chapter 345: Home Food Manufacturing Maine government
- Home Food License 101 Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
- 7 M.R.S. §284: Authority Maine government
- 7 M.R.S. §282: Definitions Maine government
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.