Cottage food rules
Indiana Cottage Food Laws: A Free Guide to the Rules
The free, plain version of Indiana's home-based vendor rules, so you know what to sort before you sell.
On this page
What to remember
- Indiana’s home-based vendor law started with House Enrolled Act 1309 in 2009.
- House Enrolled Act 1149 in 2022 changed how and where you can sell, and added food handler training.
- You need a food handler certificate from an issuer accredited by the American National Standards Institute.
- The law covers shelf stable homemade food sold direct to consumers, with no sales cap.
- Your product labels need the required statement.
If you bake in your own kitchen and sell to people near you, this is the set of rules you are working under. The state’s own paperwork says home-based vendor, so use that phrase when you search for forms or call your local health office. For the short version, our page on whether Indiana has a cottage food law covers the basics in a few minutes.
What Indiana’s law actually says
House Enrolled Act 1309 passed in 2009, and that is the law that made it possible for individuals to prepare certain foods out of their homes as a home-based vendor. In 2022, House Enrolled Act 1149 defined the requirements for home-based vendors in the preparation and sale of food products. Purdue’s food science department sums up the 2022 change as two big shifts: how and where products can be sold, and a new set of requirements for food handler training.
The practical picture is this. Indiana home-based vendors sell shelf stable homemade food direct to consumers, there is no sales cap on what you sell, and you work with an ANSI accredited food handler certificate plus the required label statement. That is the shape of the law as it stands.
The food handler certificate
A home-based vendor in Indiana shall obtain a food handler certificate from a certificate issuer that is accredited by the American National Standards Institute. This is the part home bakers miss most often, because it is training and a certificate rather than a kitchen inspection. It is also the requirement the 2022 law added on the training side, so if you read an older blog post about selling from your kitchen in Indiana, it may predate this rule entirely.
Once you know which certificate issuer you are using, the rest of the setup gets easier to plan. Our step by step walkthrough on how to apply for cottage food law takes the same order of work and lays it out one move at a time.
Selling direct, and what to check first
The law lets you sell shelf stable homemade food direct to consumers. The direct part is doing real work in that sentence, and the 2022 changes touched how and where products can be sold, so check the current state guidance before you change where you sell, whether that is a market table, a porch pickup, or something new. Sales tax is a separate question from the cottage food rules, and our guide to cottage food laws and sales tax explains what to expect there.
Labels are the other thing to get right early. The required label statement is part of the law, so build it into your sticker or tag design now rather than reprinting a hundred labels later. If you are still deciding how much to charge once the rules are handled, the same planning work shows up in how much a home bakery license costs and in the pricing tools inside Brevl.
Where to read the rules yourself
The Indiana Department of Health publishes a home-based vendor FAQ and a home-based vendor handbook, and Brown County’s local health office publishes a guidance document that explains the 2009 origin of the law. Purdue’s food science department explains the 2022 changes. All four are free, and all four are listed in the sources below so you can read them yourself rather than take anyone’s summary on faith.
Try the free bake pricing calculator
Free, no signup.
Common questions
Does Indiana have cottage food laws?
Indiana uses the term home-based vendor instead of cottage food. The law began with House Enrolled Act 1309 in 2009, and House Enrolled Act 1149 in 2022 defined the current requirements for home-based vendors who prepare and sell food products.
Do I need a food handler certificate in Indiana?
Yes. A home-based vendor in Indiana shall obtain a food handler certificate from a certificate issuer accredited by the American National Standards Institute.
Is there a sales cap on Indiana home-based vendors?
The cottage food law library summary of Indiana describes the law as allowing shelf stable homemade food sold direct to consumers with no sales cap, alongside the ANSI food handler certificate and the required label statement.
What changed in 2022?
House Enrolled Act 1149 made two major changes to home-based vendor regulations: how and where products can be sold, and the addition of requirements for food handler training.
Where can I read the Indiana rules for free?
The Indiana Department of Health publishes a home-based vendor FAQ and handbook, Brown County's health office publishes a guidance document, and Purdue's food science department explains the 2022 changes. All four links are in the sources at the bottom of this guide.
Sources
This is general information about Indiana's home-based vendor rules, not legal or tax advice. Rules can change, so read the state documents linked above and confirm with your local health office before you sell.