Iowa has two paths for home food businesses. Cottage food is food made at a private residence that does not need time or temperature control for safety, and it is exempt from state licensing and inspection when it is sold directly to the consumer. A home food processing establishment is a licensed home business under Iowa Code chapter 137D that can make more kinds of food and sell to other businesses.

Sources: Iowa Code 137F.1(3); Iowa Code 137F.20(1); Iowa Code 137D.1(3)

License or permit

Cottage food needs no state license, permit or inspection. A home food processing establishment needs a license from the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing, or DIAL, before it opens. The license costs $50, lasts one year from the date it is issued and can be renewed. DIAL says at least one person on the team must complete food safety training.

Sources: Iowa Code 137F.20(1); Iowa Code 137D.2(1); DIAL Home Food Processing Establishments page

Sales cap

The cottage food law sets no sales cap. A home food processing establishment must have gross annual sales of less than $50,000.

Sources: Iowa Code 137F.20; Iowa Code 137D.1(3)

What you can sell

Cottage food covers foods that do not need time or temperature control for safety and that are made in a private residence. It also covers home-canned pickles, vegetables and fruits with a pH of 4.6 or lower or a water activity of 0.85 or lower, when each batch is measured with a meter and each container shows the date it was processed and canned. A licensed home food processing establishment may also make some time/temperature control for safety foods.

Sources: Iowa Code 137F.1(3); Iowa Code 137D.1(4); DIAL Cottage Food Law page

What you cannot sell

Foods that must be kept hot or cold for safety cannot be sold as cottage food. Milk and milk products regulated under Iowa Code chapters 192 or 194 are not cottage food, and neither are meat or poultry products regulated under chapter 189A.

Sources: Iowa Code 137F.1(3)(a)-(b); DIAL Cottage Food Law page

How you can sell

Cottage food must be sold and delivered by the producer directly to the consumer, or delivered by mail or by an agent of the producer such as an employee. Sales may be made in person, remotely, by phone or online. DIAL says the only food establishment where cottage food can be sold is a temporary food establishment run by the producer. Selling to stores or other businesses for resale needs a home food processing establishment license. The law says the cottage food exemption is not compliance with federal law, so check before shipping out of state.

Sources: Iowa Code 137F.20(1) and (3); Iowa Code 137D.1(3); DIAL Cottage Food Law page

Labels

Cottage food labels must show the name and the address, phone number or email of the person who made the food, the common name of the food, the ingredients in descending order of predominance and the statement "This product was produced at a residential property that is exempt from state licensing and inspection." Labels must also name each major food allergen in the food. Home-canned pickles, vegetables and fruits must show the date they were processed and canned.

Sources: Iowa Code 137F.20(2); DIAL Cottage Food Law page

Read the full Iowa cottage food law guide and FAQs

Iowa cottage food makers

Counties with listings

Northwest Iowa (43 listings)

Buena Vista County

Calhoun County

Clay County

Dickinson County

Emmet County

Ida County

Lyon County

Plymouth County

Sac County

Sioux County

Woodbury County

North Central Iowa (25 listings)

Cerro Gordo County

Floyd County

Franklin County

Grundy County

Hamilton County

Hancock County

Humboldt County

Mitchell County

Webster County

Worth County

Northeast Iowa (47 listings)

Allamakee County

Black Hawk County

Bremer County

Chickasaw County

Clayton County

Delaware County

Dubuque County

Fayette County

Howard County

Winneshiek County

Central Iowa (101 listings)

Boone County

Dallas County

Greene County

Jasper County

Madison County

Mahaska County

Marion County

Marshall County

Polk County

Poweshiek County

Story County

Tama County

Warren County

East Central Iowa (70 listings)

Benton County

Clinton County

Iowa County

Jackson County

Johnson County

Jones County

Linn County

Scott County

Southwest Iowa (30 listings)

Adams County

Audubon County

Carroll County

Cass County

Fremont County

Harrison County

Mills County

Monona County

Page County

Pottawattamie County

Shelby County

Taylor County

South Central Iowa (6 listings)

Appanoose County

Lucas County

Monroe County

Ringgold County

Southeast Iowa (22 listings)

Des Moines County

Henry County