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Can I sell food from home in Iowa?
Iowa cottage food law at a glance
| Home food sales allowed | yes Cottage Food (license-exempt); optional Home Food Processing Establishment license |
|---|---|
| Law | Iowa Code s. 137F.20 and s. 137F.1(3) (2022 Iowa Acts ch. 1129, HF 2431); Iowa Code ch. 137D (home food processing establishments) |
| Sales cap | Cottage food: no cap. Licensed home food processing establishment: under $50,000 gross annual sales. |
| Permit or registration | none. Cottage food is exempt from all state licensing, permitting, inspection, packaging, and labeling laws except the required label. Alternative: a Home Food Processing Establishment license from the Dept. of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing ($50/yr, periodic inspections, under $50k sales), which allows TCS foods and sales for resale. No training requirement found. |
| Sell in person | yes |
| Take online orders | yes |
| Ship within the state | yes |
| Ship to other states | unverified |
| Sell to shops and cafes | no |
| Where you can sell, details | Cottage food must be sold and delivered by the producer straight to the consumer, or delivered by mail or an agent such as an employee. Orders may be taken in person, remotely, by phone, or online. The statute doesn't address interstate sales and says the exemption is not federal compliance. Selling for resale requires the licensed home food processing establishment route. |
yes = allowed; limited = allowed with conditions; no = not allowed; unverified = we could not confirm it from an official source.
What foods can you sell from home in Iowa?
Allowed: Non-TCS foods made at a private residence, including home-canned pickles, vegetables, or fruits with finished pH 4.6 or lower or water activity 0.85 or lower. Each batch must be checked with a pH or water activity meter, and each container dated.
Not allowed: TCS foods (allowed only under the home food processing license); milk and milk products (Iowa Code ch. 192/194); meat and poultry products (ch. 189A). The licensed tier also excludes unpasteurized juice, raw sprouts, game, fish and shellfish, alcohol, hemp products, and raw milk.
Label requirements in Iowa
Required statement: This product was produced at a residential property that is exempt from state licensing and inspection. exact wording from an official source
Other label items: Label with: name and an address, phone number, or email of the preparer; common name; ingredients by predominance; a statement naming each major allergen; and the processing/canning date for home-canned pickles, vegetables, or fruits. Licensed home food processing establishments use a different statement plus net quantity and an expiration date for refrigerated TCS foods: This product was produced at a home food processing establishment.
Selling from home in Iowa? The Cottage Kitchen Toolkit prices your recipes for markets, pre-orders and shops. It scales batches and prints ingredient and allergen labels with Iowa's required statement filled in. It also has this guide for all 50 states and DC. One-time price, and it works offline.
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HF 2431 (2022) created the license-free cottage food exemption and kept the licensed home food processing tier, now capped at $50,000. Local add-on rules weren't checked. Pet treats aren't addressed here. Statute text was read from the Iowa Code 2026 PDFs.
Sources
- Iowa Code 137F.20 Cottage food - requirements (2026) official
- Iowa Code 137F.1 Definitions (2026) official
- Iowa Code ch. 137D Home Food Processing Establishments (2026) official
- Forrager - Iowa cottage food law secondary
Last checked: 2026-10-24 · confidence: high (high = key facts confirmed on an official page; medium = partly confirmed or secondary sources agree; low = a single secondary or outdated source). Summaries are our own wording, not the text of the law.
This page is a research summary, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities and counties can add their own rules. Confirm with your state agency and local health department, using the official sources below, before you sell.