Cottage food rules
Indiana Cottage Food Laws: What Home Bakers Need to Know
What Indiana lets you bake at home and sell, and what to sort out first.
On this page
What to remember
- Indiana writes these rules for a home based vendor, not a cottage food operation.
- Only non-TCS food is covered, meaning food that does not need time or temperature control for safety.
- An ANSI food handler certificate is part of the deal.
- Indiana sets no dollar limit on cottage food sales.
- Everything you sell has to be made by you, at your location.
The rules come from House Enrolled Act 1149, which passed in 2022, and the code section is IC 16-42-5.3, effective July 1, 2022. If you want the plain language walk through of the state paperwork, start with Indiana cottage food laws, a free guide.
What you can make and sell
A home based vendor is an individual who prepares and packages non-TCS food products out of the kitchen of their home. Non-TCS means the food does not need time or temperature control for safety. Picture the bakes that sit on a counter and stay good, not the ones that depend on a fridge to stay safe.
The other half of the rule is about who made it. Under IC 16-42-5.3, a home based vendor shall prepare and sell only a food product that is made, grown, or raised by the individual at the individual’s location. In plain terms, the banana bread you sell has to be the banana bread you baked in your own kitchen. You cannot buy in a tray from someone else and pass it on as yours.
Who you can sell to
Indiana’s law is described as letting home based vendors sell shelf stable homemade food direct to consumers. If a cafe, shop, or restaurant asks to buy from you in bulk, that is a different conversation, and one to have with the state before you agree to it. Do not assume a wholesale order sits under the same rules as a Saturday market table.
The food handler certificate
Indiana ties the home based vendor rules to an ANSI food handler requirement. That certificate is the piece of paper to sort out first, before you take a single order, because everything else hangs off it. Our step by step guide to how to apply for cottage food law covers the order to do things in.
No dollar cap, but your kitchen sets the limit
Indiana sets no dollar limit on cottage food sales. That sounds like a green light, and in a way it is, but it also means the ceiling on your business is the kitchen and the time you have, not a number written into a statute. Nobody is going to tell you when to stop. You have to decide that yourself, and price so the hours are worth it.
That is why costing matters more here than in a state with a low cap. If you can sell as much as you can bake, the question stops being how much am I allowed to sell and becomes what is each bake actually earning me. When you are ready to think about the next step up, read license to sell baked goods from home.
Before you take your first order
Go through your recipes
Mark anything that depends on time or temperature control for safety. Those bakes sit outside the home based vendor rules.
Get your ANSI food handler certificate
This is the requirement named in the Indiana rules. Do it before you advertise, not after.
Check that you make it yourself
Every product you sell has to be made, grown, or raised by you at your location.
Set your own sales ceiling
With no dollar cap, pick a weekly number you can actually bake and still enjoy doing.
Price before you post
Work out what each bake costs you before it goes on a menu, so a busy week is also a paid week.
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Common questions
Do I need a license to sell baked goods from home in Indiana?
Indiana handles this through the home based vendor rules rather than a cottage food label. That means an ANSI food handler certificate and only non-TCS food that you made at your own location.
Is there a limit on how much I can sell?
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.
Can I sell bakes that need refrigeration?
The rules cover non-TCS food, which means food that does not need time or temperature control for safety. A recipe that depends on a fridge to stay safe falls outside that.
What changed in 2022?
House Enrolled Act 1149 passed in 2022 and set out the requirements for home based vendors. The code section is IC 16-42-5.3, effective July 1, 2022.
Can I sell something I did not bake myself?
No. Under IC 16-42-5.3, a home based vendor shall prepare and sell only a food product made, grown, or raised by the individual at the individual's location.
Sources
This is general information for home bakers, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm the details with the Indiana Department of Health before you sell.