Can you sell backyard eggs in British Columbia?
Yes. With 99 hens or fewer you need no BC Egg permit and may sell ungraded eggs to consumers from your farm or home; 100 to 399 hens need a $250 Small Lot permit. Stores and restaurants need graded eggs.
Read from 10 official sources28 passages quotedChecked October 7, 2026
At a glance
Licence
Depends how you sell
Small-flock line
99 hens or fewer; 100-399 permit
Farmers markets
With conditions
Cartons
Reuse with conditions
In plain English
Two rules decide it. First, supply management: BC Egg's Consolidated Order lets anyone keep up to 99 layers (female chickens 19 weeks or older) with no permit, licence or quota; 100 to 399 layers need an annual Small Lot permit ($250), and 400 or more need quota. Second, grading: the Egg Grading and Standards Regulation requires hen eggs to be graded at a registered egg station before they are distributed in BC, but it does not apply to eggs a producer distributes from the producer's farm or residence to a consumer (someone buying for personal use, not resale). So a backyard keeper may sell ungraded eggs from their own flock directly to the people who will eat them. BC Egg and the BCCDC market guideline also allow ungraded eggs at farmers' markets, while the Ministry of Agriculture reads the exemption as sales at the farm or residence. Stores, restaurants and food banks need graded eggs. BC Egg's conditions for ungraded eggs: clean, uncracked, kept at 4°C, cartons marked "Ungraded" in letters at least 2 cm high with the farm name and packing date.
A sourced reading of British Columbia's rules, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with British Columbia Egg Marketing Board (BC Egg) ((604) 556-3348) before you sell.
Do you need a licence?
- Up to 99 layers (female chickens 19 weeks or older), counted together across facilities kept with others or on contiguous land: no BC Egg permit or licence.BCEMB Consolidated Order, Part II s. 3(1)
- Ungraded eggs are outside the grading regulation only when a producer distributes them from the producer's farm or residence to a consumer, a person buying for personal use and not for resale.B.C. Reg. 306/2016, ss. 1-2
- Sell only eggs produced on your own farm.B.C. Reg. 306/2016, s. 1, definition of producer
- Otherwise hen eggs must be graded and marked before distribution; ungraded eggs may go only to BC Egg, a registered egg station or a registered processed egg station.B.C. Reg. 306/2016, ss. 3-4
- 100 to 399 layers: Small Lot permit; be 19 or older; neither you nor your spouse holds layer quota; produce organic, heritage-breed, free-range or free-run eggs; sell ungraded eggs only directly to the end consumer at the farm gate or farmers' markets.BCEMB Consolidated Order, Part II s. 3(2)
- Small Lot permit fee $250, renewed yearly; Small Lot producers may not sell to food stores or food service operations, or to a registered egg station.BC Egg Small Lot Permit Application, September 2026
- BC Egg's terms for selling ungraded eggs: produced on your own farm; clean with no visible cracks or leaks; kept at 4°C until they leave your possession; clean cartons marked "Ungraded" in letters at least two centimetres high; labelled with the farm or producer name and packing date.BC Egg, Selling Ungraded Eggs
- Farmers' markets: shells sound and clean, eggs held at an internal 4°C in transport and on display, clean crates showing the farm or producer name and packing or sale date.BCCDC Guideline for the Sale of Foods at Temporary Food Markets, Appendix III, 2020
- 400 or more layers: layer quota from BC Egg is required.BC Egg, Small Lot Farms page
The exact wording
Where you can sell
From home or the farm
Eggs from your own flock distributed from your farm or residence to a consumer are outside the Egg Grading and Standards Regulation (B.C. Reg. 306/2016, s. 2). Up to 99 layers need no BC Egg permit; 100 to 399 need a Small Lot permit. BC Egg asks for clean, uncracked eggs kept at 4°C in cartons marked "Ungraded".
Farmers markets
BC Egg, its Consolidated Order (for Small Lot producers) and the BCCDC temporary food market guideline all allow ungraded eggs at farmers' markets, with eggs held at 4°C and crates labelled with the farm name and date. The Ministry of Agriculture reads the regulation's exemption as covering sales at the producer's farm or residence and calls grading best practice beyond the farm gate. Check with your health authority and market manager first.
Stores and restaurants
Ungraded eggs may be sold only to the end user. Eggs for stores, restaurants, food banks or community dinners must be graded at a registered egg grading station (BC Egg; B.C. Reg. 306/2016, ss. 3-4), and food premises must buy from approved sources (B.C. Reg. 210/99, s. 11).
Also check with: Your regional health authority (farmers' market sales)
Cartons, labels and handling
Cartons
Reused cartons are allowed, with conditions.
“Be packed in clean cartons that are marked as “Ungraded” in letters at least two centimetres high. … Any labeling on the trays from another egg grader or farm should be completely removed or covered”
Refrigeration
4°C or colder where the rule applies.
“Kept at 4 degrees Celsius until they leave the producer’s possession.”
The label must show
- "Ungraded" in letters at least two centimetres high (BC Egg)
- Name of the farm or producer
- Packaging date (at markets: packaging or sale date on the crate)
Grading
Ungraded sales are allowed only in some cases.
“This regulation does not apply to a domestic egg that is distributed by a producer, from the producer's farm or residence, to a consumer. … Eggs sold to restaurants and stores or donated to food banks and community dinners must be graded by a Registered Shell Egg Grading Station.”
Washing
No washing rule in the regulation. The Ministry of Agriculture's good agricultural practice says to clean eggs as soon as they are collected, with potable water about 10 degrees warmer than the egg, never letting them sit in water, then dry them and store them below 4°C.
Federal rules apply on top of British Columbia's: Canada's federal egg rules. Pricing your dozen? The egg price calculator works it out from your feed bill.
Common questions
- Do I need a licence to sell eggs from my backyard chickens in British Columbia?
- Yes. With 99 hens or fewer you need no BC Egg permit and may sell ungraded eggs to consumers from your farm or home; 100 to 399 hens need a $250 Small Lot permit. Stores and restaurants need graded eggs. Small-flock line: 99 hens or fewer; 100-399 permit. The conditions, and the law they come from, are on this page.
- Can I sell eggs at a farmers market in British Columbia?
- Allowed with conditions. BC Egg, its Consolidated Order (for Small Lot producers) and the BCCDC temporary food market guideline all allow ungraded eggs at farmers' markets, with eggs held at 4°C and crates labelled with the farm name and date. The Ministry of Agriculture reads the regulation's exemption as covering sales at the producer's farm or residence and calls grading best practice beyond the farm gate. Check with your health authority and market manager first. Also check with your regional health authority (farmers' market sales).
- Can I reuse egg cartons in British Columbia?
- With conditions. The rule reads: "Be packed in clean cartons that are marked as “Ungraded” in letters at least two centimetres high. … Any labeling on the trays from another egg grader or farm should be completely removed or covered"
- What has to be on the carton label in British Columbia?
- "Ungraded" in letters at least two centimetres high (BC Egg), Name of the farm or producer, Packaging date (at markets: packaging or sale date on the crate). The rule reads: "Be packed in clean cartons that are marked as “Ungraded” in letters at least two centimetres high. … Be labeled with the name of the farm/producer and the packaging date."
- Do eggs I sell in British Columbia have to be kept cold?
- Yes, at 4°C or colder. The rule reads: "Kept at 4 degrees Celsius until they leave the producer’s possession."
- Food and Agricultural Products Classification Act, SBC 2016, c. 1, s. 6 · Where a grading program applies, no transport or distribution of ungraded food except as the regulations permit; no reuse of containers still bearing another food's mark (current to September 22, 2026)
- Egg Grading and Standards Regulation, B.C. Reg. 306/2016, ss. 1-4 · Grading program for hen eggs; does not apply to eggs a producer distributes from the producer's farm or residence to a consumer; where ungraded eggs may go (current to September 29, 2026; last amended by B.C. Reg. 76/2022)
- BC Egg Marketing Board Consolidated Order (December 31, 2023, updated October 1, 2026), Part II s. 3 · No permit or licence up to 99 layers; Small Lot permit for 100 to 399 layers with sales conditions
- Food Premises Regulation, B.C. Reg. 210/99, s. 11 · Food premises (stores, restaurants) must obtain food from approved sources
- British Columbia Egg Marketing Board (BC Egg) · Small Lot Program and backyard flocks
Read the 28 passages this page is built on
“This regulation does not apply to a domestic egg that is distributed by a producer, from the producer's farm or residence, to a consumer.”
Egg Grading and Standards Regulation, B.C. Reg. 306/2016, ss. 1-4 · read 2026-10-07
“"consumer" means a person who buys eggs for personal use and not for resale; … "producer" means an operator who transports or distributes domestic eggs produced only on the operator's own farm;”
Egg Grading and Standards Regulation, B.C. Reg. 306/2016, ss. 1-4 · read 2026-10-07
“A person must not take an action prohibited under section 6 of the Act with respect to a domestic hen egg unless the egg has been graded, processed and marked in accordance with the Egg Regulations (Canada).”
Egg Grading and Standards Regulation, B.C. Reg. 306/2016, ss. 1-4 · read 2026-10-07
“a domestic hen egg that has not been graded and marked at a registered egg station may be transported or distributed (a) by a producer to the British Columbia Egg Marketing Board, a registered egg station or a registered processed egg station,”
Egg Grading and Standards Regulation, B.C. Reg. 306/2016, ss. 1-4 · read 2026-10-07
“This consolidation is current to September 29, 2026. … [Last amended March 30, 2022 by B.C. Reg. 76/2022]”
Egg Grading and Standards Regulation, B.C. Reg. 306/2016, ss. 1-4 · read 2026-10-07
“If a grading program has been established or adopted under the regulations in relation to a type of food, a person must not do any of the following in respect of that type of food: (a) except as permitted under the regulations, transport or distribute in British Columbia food that (i) has not been graded in accordance with the regulations”
Food and Agricultural Products Classification Act, SBC 2016, c. 1, s. 6 · read 2026-10-07
“possess food held in a container that previously held food and continues to have attached to or included in it all or part of a mark that applied to the previously held food.”
Food and Agricultural Products Classification Act, SBC 2016, c. 1, s. 6 · read 2026-10-07
“A Producer who keeps or maintains not more than ninety-nine (99) Layers in aggregate, whether in a single facility, or in concert with another Person or Persons, or in facilities that are contiguous to, or a part of, each other do not require a permit … or licence.”
BC Egg Marketing Board Consolidated Order (December 31, 2023, updated October 1, 2026), Part II s. 3 · read 2026-10-07
“A Producer who keeps or maintains not more than three-hundred and ninety-nine (399) and not less than one-hundred (100) Layers in aggregate … (d) markets their ungraded eggs directly to the end consumer at the farm gate or farmers markets, or markets their eggs that have been graded by a Registered Shell Egg Station directly to the end consumer;”
BC Egg Marketing Board Consolidated Order (December 31, 2023, updated October 1, 2026), Part II s. 3 · read 2026-10-07
“(a) is at least nineteen years of age; (b) is not a holder of Layer Quota and whose Spouse is not a holder of Layer Quota; (c) produces organic eggs, heritage breed eggs, free range eggs or free run eggs,”
BC Egg Marketing Board Consolidated Order (December 31, 2023, updated October 1, 2026), Part II s. 3 · read 2026-10-07
““Layer” means laying hens and layers and any class of female chicken hatched for the purpose of egg production, that is at least nineteen (19) weeks of age.”
BC Egg Marketing Board Consolidated Order (December 31, 2023, updated October 1, 2026), Part II s. 3 · read 2026-10-07
“The Consolidated Order of December 31, 2023 is a consolidation of Orders made by the British Columbia Egg Marketing Board as of December 31, 2023. Parts of the Consolidated Order may have been amended or repealed after that date”
BC Egg Marketing Board Consolidated Order (December 31, 2023, updated October 1, 2026), Part II s. 3 · read 2026-10-07
“Telephone: (604) 556-3348.”
BC Egg Marketing Board Consolidated Order (December 31, 2023, updated October 1, 2026), Part II s. 3 · read 2026-10-07
“No quota or registration is required for Backyard Flock Producers as long as the number of hens does not exceed 99.”
British Columbia Egg Marketing Board (BC Egg) · read 2026-10-07
“Registered Producers: Farmers with 400+ quota hens … To become a registered producer, you must be issued quota from the BC Egg Marketing Board.”
British Columbia Egg Marketing Board (BC Egg) · read 2026-10-07
“Farmers may only sell ungraded eggs directly to end users (those who will actually be eating the eggs) through farm gate sales at the farmer’s premise or at farmers markets.”
British Columbia Egg Marketing Board (BC Egg) · read 2026-10-07
“Be produced on the farmer’s own farm. Be clean without any visible cracks or leaks. Kept at 4 degrees Celsius until they leave the producer’s possession. Be packed in clean cartons that are marked as “Ungraded” in letters at least two centimetres high. Be labeled with the name of the farm/producer and the packaging date.”
British Columbia Egg Marketing Board (BC Egg) · read 2026-10-07
“It is illegal to sell ungraded eggs to anyone who is not the end user of the eggs. Eggs sold to restaurants and stores or donated to food banks and community dinners must be graded by a Registered Shell Egg Grading Station.”
British Columbia Egg Marketing Board (BC Egg) · read 2026-10-07
“Small Lot Producers are not permitted to sell eggs to food retail establishments or food service operations. … The Small Lot Producer application fee is $250 with an annual renewal fee of $250.”
British Columbia Egg Marketing Board (BC Egg) · read 2026-10-07
“The Egg Grading and Standards Regulation does not apply to eggs that are produced on the producer’s own farm and are distributed directly to consumers at the producer’s farm or residence”
www2.gov.bc.ca · read 2026-10-07
“Last updated on August 1, 2024”
www2.gov.bc.ca · read 2026-10-07
“Clean the eggs as soon as you collect them. … Wash eggs with potable water 10 degrees warmer than the egg. … Dry and cool eggs quickly after washing, store in a refrigerator at less than 4°C”
www2.gov.bc.ca · read 2026-10-07
“For eggs sold beyond the farm gate or farm residency, it is a best industry practice to have them go through a grading facility certified by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).”
www2.gov.bc.ca · read 2026-10-07
“Any labeling on the trays from another egg grader or farm should be completely removed or covered”
www2.gov.bc.ca · read 2026-10-07
“Shell eggs may be sold at temporary food markets subject to the following: … Shells are sound and not cracked/leaking … Shells are clean and free of any fecal material or feathers … Eggs are maintained at an internal temperature of 4°C during transportation and storage/display at the market.”
bccdc.ca · read 2026-10-07
“The minimum information on crates should indicate the name of farm/producer and the packaging or sale date.”
bccdc.ca · read 2026-10-07
“Vendors of higher risk foods must contact their local Health Authority and submit an application before commencement of sales”
bccdc.ca · read 2026-10-07
“Every operator of food premises must ensure that all food on the premises is obtained from”
Food Premises Regulation, B.C. Reg. 210/99, s. 11 · read 2026-10-07
What we couldn't confirm
- Farmers' market conflict: B.C. Reg. 306/2016 s. 2 exempts eggs distributed 'from the producer's farm or residence, to a consumer'. The Ministry of Agriculture's GAP page (updated 2024-08-01) restates this as distribution 'at the producer's farm or residence', and its 2019 factsheet calls grading 'best industry practice' beyond the farm gate. BC Egg's pages, its Consolidated Order (for Small Lot producers) and the BCCDC market guideline (2020) allow ungraded eggs at farmers' markets. No court or ministry ruling on the wording was found; the market verdict follows BC Egg and BCCDC and the conflict is shown in the note.
- BC Egg's ungraded-egg conditions (4°C, 'Ungraded' in 2 cm letters, farm name and packing date) were not found in any current BC regulation; the Egg Grading and Standards Regulation simply does not apply to farm-gate eggs, and the repealed Shell Egg Grading Regulation (B.C. Reg. 105/78, repealed effective January 1, 2017) did not contain them either. They rest on BC Egg's pages and permit form.
- B.C. Reg. 306/2016 still adopts the grading program 'under the Egg Regulations (Canada)', which the federal Safe Food for Canadians Regulations replaced in January 2019; the Ministry's GAP page refers to the SFCR instead. Not amended since B.C. Reg. 76/2022.
- The BC Egg Consolidated Order PDF says it is not the official version (official copy from the board); text read from the October 1, 2026 posting. Amending Orders 001-006 (2024-2026) cover quota exchange, leases, licences, operational standards and grading-station relationships; none touching Part II s. 3 (permits) was found, but Amending Order 005 (operational standards, May 2026) was not read in full.
- Whether a shell-egg vendor at a farmers' market must apply to the health authority is not stated: the BCCDC guideline requires applications for 'higher risk foods' and lists shell eggs under raw foods of animal origin in Appendix III without saying so. Local health authority rules were not researched.
- Duck, goose and other non-chicken eggs: the grading program applies only to domestic hen eggs (B.C. Reg. 306/2016 s. 3(1)(b)); the board's layer count covers female chickens only. Rules for other species were not researched.
- Natural Products Marketing (BC) Act and the British Columbia Egg Marketing Scheme, 1967 (the board's authority) were not read.
- No 2023-2026 amendment to B.C. Reg. 306/2016 or to the Food and Agricultural Products Classification Act affecting eggs was found. The Food Premises Regulation was amended by B.C. Reg. 183/2025 (s. 2, application); its effect on egg sellers was not checked.
Elsewhere in Canada
- Alberta300 hens or fewerLicence: depends
- Manitoba300 laying hens or fewerLicence: depends
- New Brunswick199 hens or fewerNo licence
- Newfoundland and LabradorFewer than 100 layersLicence: depends
- Northwest TerritoriesNo small-flock exemptionLicence or permit
- Nova Scotia200 laying hens or fewerLicence: depends
- NunavutNone: health permit to sellLicence or permit
- Ontario100 laying hens or fewerNo licence
- Prince Edward IslandUnder 300 hens, may be exemptLicence: not stated
- QuebecUnder 100 laying hensLicence: depends
- SaskatchewanFewer than 300 hensLicence: depends
- YukonNo number: own flock, ungradedLicence: depends
Legal where you live? Then keep the books.
PoultryPal's sales ledger tracks customers, dozens and payments next to your feed costs, so you know your margin and not just your egg count. Premium includes financial tracking and the sales ledger. Free to download on iOS and Android.
