Hamilton County, IN Home Business: Cottage Food Operations (2026)

Hamilton County Code Chapter 7 requires a permit from the health officer to operate a 'food establishment,' and Section 16-20-8-1 defines exactly what counts. The definition covers any building, room, basement, vehicle, cellar, or enclosed area used for handling food for purposes of Indiana's food-establishment statute, IC 16-42-5, but the same section lists categories the term does not include. Alongside a dwelling where occupants cook only for themselves or guests and private gatherings where people bring and eat their own food, the list carves out 'an individual vendor that meets the requirements of IC § 16-42-5.3 (Home Based Food Vendor).'

Because that carve-out sits inside the definition of 'food establishment' itself, a Hamilton County resident selling cottage food who genuinely meets the state's Home Based Vendor law never triggers Section 16-20-7-2's permit requirement, the associated Schedule C fee in Section 16-20-1-27, or the county health department's inspection and enforcement powers under Chapter 7. The county's own text does not restate the state law's ingredient, labeling, or sales-venue requirements; it simply defers to whatever IC 16-42-5.3 already requires, so a seller who wants the specifics of what a Home Based Food Vendor can prepare or where it can be sold needs to consult that state chapter directly rather than the county code.