St. Joseph County, IN Home Business: Cottage Food Operations (2026)
Key Facts
- License
- Not required
- Health inspection
- None for qualifying foods
- Statute
- IC 16-42-5.3-4
- Sales channel
- Direct to end consumer
- Label
- Home-kitchen disclosure required
Summary
Indiana's Home Based Vendor Law lets you make and sell approved non-hazardous foods from a St. Joseph County home with no license or health permit. Under IC 16-42-5.3-4 the food must be produced at your primary residence and sold directly to the end consumer.
A home based vendor shall prepare and sell only a food product that is: (1) made, grown, or raised by an individual at the individual's primary residence, including any permanent structure that is on the same property as the residence;
Full Breakdown
The Indiana Home Based Vendor Law, IC 16-42-5.3, overrides local food-establishment permitting for qualifying home-prepared foods and applies statewide, including in unincorporated St. Joseph County and its cities. IC 16-42-5.3-4 requires the product to be made at the vendor's primary residence, to not be a time/temperature-control-for-safety food, to be prepared with proper sanitary procedures, and to be sold in person, by phone, or online and delivered directly to the end consumer. Items such as breads, cookies, candies, jams, and dried herbs qualify; foods needing refrigeration for safety do not. Each product must carry a label with the vendor's name, address, and a statement that it was made in a home kitchen not inspected by the state health department.
Violations & Fines
Selling time/temperature-control foods, reselling through a store, or omitting the required home-kitchen label strips Home Based Vendor protection and subjects the seller to full retail food-establishment permitting and inspection by the St. Joseph County Department of Health.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to sell baked goods from home?
What can I sell as a home based vendor?
Sources & Official References
- [1]Indiana Code
Other rules in St. Joseph County
Compare St. Joseph County to another location·View the Indiana home business overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.