Iowa cottage food label requirements and permit checklist
Answer a few plain-English questions about what you make and how you want to sell it. We check it against Iowa's cottage food exemption and the Home Food Processing Establishment license, flag anything that isn't allowed, and build you a personalized checklist and a printable food label. One place, no legal jargon.
Free customized label/checklist after walk-through completion
Built from the public Iowa Code and Iowa Dept. of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL) guidance. Not legal advice and not state approval — rules can change, so verify final requirements with DIAL before selling.
Free permit walk-throughSee right away if a choice would block you from cottage food, or push you into the licensed HFPE tier.
Free checklistYour answers folded into Iowa's cottage food and HFPE requirements, ready to print or save as PDF.
Free label generationThe required Iowa disclosure statement plus name, ingredients, and allergen fields, assembled into a printable draft.
Can I sell homemade food in Iowa?
Usually yes, and often with no license at all. Iowa's cottage food exemption (Iowa Code § 137F.20) covers shelf-stable, non-refrigerated food sold directly from the producer to the consumer — in person, by mail, phone, or online — with no fee, registration, or dollar cap. Refrigerated foods, sales to other businesses for resale, or gross annual sales of $50,000+ instead need the state's $50/year Home Food Processing Establishment (HFPE) license, which also requires a food safety training course. The wizard below checks the choices that commonly change the answer.