Cottage food rules
Indiana Cottage Food Law: What Home Bakers Need to Know
A plain walk through Indiana's home based vendor rules, from the 2009 start to today.
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What to remember
- Indiana’s home food rules began with House Enrolled Act 1309 in 2009.
- House Enrolled Act 1149, passed in 2022, defines the requirements for home based vendors.
- Indiana sets no dollar limit on cottage food sales.
- House Bill 1424 addresses time and temperature control rules for homestead vendors.
If you bake from your kitchen in Indiana and sell what you make, the words to know are home based vendor. That is the term the state uses in the rules, and it is the phrase that will get you the right answers when you read the official documents. This guide walks through how those rules came about, what changed, and where the limits actually sit. For the practical side, start with what home bakers can sell in Indiana.
How Indiana’s home based vendor rules began
In 2009 the Indiana Legislature passed House Enrolled Act 1309, which made it possible for individuals to prepare certain foods out of their homes as a home based vendor. The goal of that act was to allow safe food production in the home and sales of home produced foods that do not present a health risk. That framing still shapes how the rules read today, with food safety as the line the rules are drawn around.
Then in 2022 the Legislature passed House Enrolled Act 1149. That act defines the requirements for home based vendors in the preparation and sale of food products, and it reorganizes provisions about an individual vendor selling certain food products at a farmers market. If you are reading older guidance from anywhere, compare it against the 2022 act before you rely on it.
There is no dollar cap on what you sell
Indiana sets no dollar limit on cottage food sales. That is worth sitting with for a moment, because many states do cap what a home baker can sell in a year and Indiana does not. The ceiling on growth here is the kitchen and your time rather than a statutory cap. If you want to know which items fit inside the rules before you plan a menu, our guide to what home bakers can sell in Indiana goes through it item by item.
What House Bill 1424 says for homestead vendors
House Bill 1424 addresses farm and homestead food sales. It provides that time and temperature control rules for food safety adopted by the Indiana department of health executive board may not be applied to a homestead vendor. If you sell baked goods that need temperature control, read that bill language closely and ask your local health department how it applies to your setup before you build a menu around it.
Because the bill language separates homestead vendors from those time and temperature rules, do not assume it changes everything for every home baker. Read the bill text and the state’s home based vendor FAQ side by side, and keep your own note on which category you fall into.
Getting your kitchen ready to sell
Read the state FAQ
Start with the Indiana home based vendor FAQ. It sets out the requirements for the preparation and sale of food products as a home based vendor.
Read the guidance document
The home based vendor guidance explains the purpose behind the 2009 act and the food safety thinking behind the rules.
Read the 2022 act
House Enrolled Act 1149 is the act that defines the current requirements. Read it before you rely on anything older.
Sort out your labels
Labels are where a lot of home bakers get caught out. Our guide to label requirements covers what goes on a package.
Check your recipes
Some ingredients raise questions. Cream cheese is one of them, and this guide on cream cheese walks through it.
Before you take your first order, write down what you plan to sell, how you will package it, and where you will sell it. Then read the state FAQ with that list in front of you. The rules are much easier to apply to a specific bake than to a general idea of selling from home.
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Common questions
Is there a dollar limit on Indiana cottage food sales?
No. Indiana sets no dollar limit on cottage food sales, so the ceiling on growth is your kitchen and your time rather than a statutory cap.
When did home based food sales become possible in Indiana?
In 2009, when the Legislature passed House Enrolled Act 1309, making it possible for individuals to prepare certain foods out of their homes as a home based vendor.
What did the 2022 law change?
House Enrolled Act 1149 defines the requirements for home based vendors in the preparation and sale of food products, and it reorganizes provisions about an individual vendor selling certain food products at a farmers market.
What does House Bill 1424 say about homestead vendors?
It provides that time and temperature control rules for food safety adopted by the Indiana department of health executive board may not be applied to a homestead vendor.
What does Indiana call a home baker who sells what they make?
A home based vendor. Using that term when you search will take you to the state's own FAQ and guidance documents.
Sources
This is general information, not legal advice. Read the state's own documents and check with your local health department about your situation.