Guide · Selling from home
Can I sell jams & jellies from home in Indiana?
Informational only, not legal advice.
Yes, with limits — Indiana allows some jams & jellies but prohibits others.
"With limits" means Indiana's allowed list and its prohibited list both name jams & jellies items. Check which list your product is on.
What Indiana's food lists say about jams & jellies
On the allowed list
- Pies with high acid fruits or fillings, and pecan pies; pastries and doughnuts filled with commercially prepared jam or homemade high acid fruit jam
- Jams, jellies, preserves, and high acid fruit curds made with recipes using only acidic fruits, sugar, and pectin
Source: Indiana Department of Health — Indiana Home-Based Vendor Handbook (Summer 2025) · Verified Oct 21, 2026
On the prohibited list
- Low-acid or low-sugar jams, jellies, and preserves (e.g., pepper jelly, fig preserves, or those made with peppers, tomatoes, or mint)
Source: Indiana Department of Health — Indiana Home-Based Vendor Handbook (Summer 2025) · Verified Oct 21, 2026
How Indiana reads its lists
The statute has no list of allowed foods: a home-based vendor may prepare and sell only food that is not a time temperature control for safety food (Ind. Code § 16-42-5.3-4(2), as amended by P.L.151-2024). The examples are from IDOH's handbook, which says its list "is neither complete nor all-inclusive"; for an unlisted product, contact the local health department or Purdue University Extension FEMI. Some products need pH or water activity testing.
Source: Indiana Department of Health — Indiana Home-Based Vendor Handbook (Summer 2025) · Verified Oct 21, 2026
IDOH's handbook lists these as TCS foods or as products not considered HBV products, and says the list is not all-inclusive. Its FAQ answers "No" to pickled or acidified foods, fermented food, from-scratch barbecue or hot sauce, supplements, and homemade vanilla extract. Pet food is regulated by the Office of Indiana State Chemist; meat and meat fillings by the Board of Animal Health.
Source: Indiana Department of Health — Indiana Home-Based Vendor Handbook (Summer 2025) · Verified Oct 21, 2026
Selling jams & jellies in Indiana: permit, cost, and where to sell
Do I need a permit to sell jams & jellies from home in Indiana?
Indiana does not require a state-issued permit for cottage food.
Source: Ind. Code ch. 16-42-5.3 (Home Based Food Products), Indiana Code 2026, §§ 16-42-5.3-3, 16-42-5.3-12 · Verified Oct 21, 2026
The program is run by the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH), Division of Food Protection; enforced by local health departments.
Source: Indiana Department of Health — Indiana Home-Based Vendor Handbook (Summer 2025) · Verified Oct 21, 2026
How much does a Indiana cottage food license cost?
Indiana does not charge a state cottage food license fee.
Source: Indiana Department of Health — Indiana Home-Based Vendor Handbook (Summer 2025), FAQ · Verified Oct 21, 2026
Is there a limit on how much I can sell in Indiana?
Indiana sets no overall annual sales cap for cottage food.
Source: Indiana Department of Health — Farm and Homestead Food Sales memorandum to local health departments (May 26, 2026) · Verified Oct 21, 2026
Where can I sell jams & jellies in Indiana?
In person: Yes; farmers markets: Yes; online orders within Indiana: Yes; shipping to other states: No; delivery within Indiana: Yes; sales to stores or for resale: No.
Source: Ind. Code ch. 16-42-5.3 (Home Based Food Products), Indiana Code 2026, §§ 16-42-5.3-4, 16-42-5.3-6 · Verified Oct 21, 2026
Food must be sold in person, by telephone, or through the Internet, and delivered to the end consumer in person, by mail, or by a third party carrier. A home-based vendor may not ship or deliver to an end consumer outside Indiana. Products may not be resold: no sales to a warehouse, retail food establishment, wholesaler, or anyone who will distribute them further. IDOH lists farmers markets, events, and roadside stands as HBV sale locations; a farmers market cannot require a food license but may ask for the food handler certificate, and event organizers may bar HBV goods. IDOH says the producer must make in-person sales themselves (products cannot be sold on their behalf) and may sell from another business only while physically present. Shipped or delivered food must be in a tamper-evident sealed package, and the vendor must keep each customer's shipping or delivery address for at least one year.
Source: Ind. Code ch. 16-42-5.3 (Home Based Food Products), Indiana Code 2026, §§ 16-42-5.3-4, 16-42-5.3-6 · Verified Oct 21, 2026
Do I need training or a kitchen inspection in Indiana?
Indiana requires food safety training.
Source: Ind. Code ch. 16-42-5.3 (Home Based Food Products), Indiana Code 2026, § 16-42-5.3-7 · Verified Oct 21, 2026
Indiana does not require a home kitchen inspection.
Source: Indiana Department of Health — Indiana Home-Based Vendor Handbook (Summer 2025) · Verified Oct 21, 2026
Labeling jams & jellies in Indiana
Indiana's cited labeling rules list 8 requirements. The full list is in the Indiana labeling guide.
Source: Ind. Code ch. 16-42-5.3 (Home Based Food Products), Indiana Code 2026, § 16-42-5.3-5 · Verified Oct 21, 2026
Other foods in Indiana
- Selling baked goods in Indiana · Yes, with limits
- Selling candy & confections in Indiana · Yes
- Selling honey in Indiana · Yes
- Selling pickles & fermented foods in Indiana · No
- Selling dried goods & mixes in Indiana · Yes, with limits
- Selling coffee & tea in Indiana · Yes, with limits