Province rules

Can you sell backyard eggs in Nova Scotia?

Yes. Up to 200 laying hens needs no egg licence, and you may sell your own ungraded eggs to consumers. A farmers' market stall needs a public market vendor permit; stores and restaurants need graded eggs.

Read from 5 official sources30 passages quotedChecked October 7, 2026

At a glance

Licence

Depends how you sell

Small-flock line

200 laying hens or fewer

Farmers markets

Licence needed

Cartons

Not stated

In plain English

Nova Scotia sets its small-flock line in the Egg Farmers of Nova Scotia (EFNS) Egg Regulations: you need no producer licence if you produce eggs using 200 or fewer layers (hens 19 weeks or older) in a year, counting a spouse's or partner's birds, kept in a facility you own or lease, with no more than 200 unlicensed layers on one parcel of land. The same regulations say unlicensed producers must send EFNS quarterly grading and marketing reports on dates the board sets, and EFNS's Levy Order puts a levy on every producer ($0.4805 a dozen since April 19, 2026), paid straight to the board on eggs not sold through a grading station. Provincial grading rules don't apply when you sell, transport or deliver eggs from a farm you own to a consumer, so ungraded eggs can go to people buying for their own household. At a farmers' market, Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change treats farm-fresh eggs as a Schedule A food: you need a Public Market Vendors Permit for each market and a trained food handler at the booth, and the eggs must go only to the final consumer, clean, washed, crack free and kept at 4°C or colder. Stores and restaurants need graded eggs.

A sourced reading of Nova Scotia's rules, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change (food safety) before you sell.

Do you need a licence?

Depends on how and how much you sell200 laying hens or fewer
  • Produce eggs using 200 or fewer layers (hens 19 weeks or older) in a year; a spouse's, common-law spouse's or registered partner's production counts as yours.N.S. Reg. 325/2022, s. 5(1)-(2)
  • Keep layers only in a facility you own or lease; no parcel of land may carry more than 200 unlicensed layers a year, or mix licensed and unlicensed production.N.S. Reg. 325/2022, s. 5(3)-(5)
  • Submit quarterly grading and marketing reports to Egg Farmers of Nova Scotia on the dates the board sets by written notice; the board may inspect and count your layers.N.S. Reg. 325/2022, ss. 54, 57
  • A levy of $0.4805 per dozen of eggs marketed is imposed on every producer, paid directly to the board when eggs are sold to anyone other than a grading station.N.S. Reg. 170/2006, s. 3
  • Ungraded eggs from a farm you own may be sold, transported or delivered to a consumer buying for their own household, not for resale.N.S. Reg. 58/94, § 2, § 3(5)
  • Any other ungraded eggs may go only to a registered egg station.N.S. Reg. 58/94, § 5
  • Don't sell eggs marked with a grade such as 'Canada A' without a certificate of registration.N.S. Reg. 58/94, § 8(1)
  • At a public market, hold a Public Market Vendors Permit for each market (two days a week each), apply at least two weeks ahead, and have a vendor with food safety training at the booth.NS Environment and Climate Change, Public Markets Guidelines, 2023
  • Sell uninspected eggs only to the final consumer; they must be clean, washed and crack free, and cold foods are kept at 4°C or colder.NS Environment and Climate Change, Public Markets Guidelines, 2023
The exact wording
“Despite Section 20 of the Plan, a person is exempted from the requirement to hold a licence to produce eggs if they produce eggs using 200 or fewer layers in a year.”

Where you can sell

From home or the farm

With conditions

Selling eggs from a farm you own to consumers is outside the grading regulations (N.S. Reg. 58/94, s. 3(5)). EFNS reporting and levy rules still apply. Whether a farm-gate egg stand needs a food establishment permit is not stated in the sources read.

Farmers markets

Licence needed

Farm-fresh eggs are a Schedule A food, so you need a Public Market Vendors Permit for each market (two days a week each) and a vendor with food safety training at the booth. Sell only to the final consumer; eggs clean, washed, crack free and kept at 4°C or colder.

Stores and restaurants

Licence needed

Ungraded eggs may otherwise go only to a registered egg station (N.S. Reg. 58/94, s. 5), food establishments must use food from an inspected source (N.S. Reg. 206/2005, s. 30), and a market permit doesn't cover selling to stores.

Also check with: Your local Public Health Officer, Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change (market vendor permit); Egg Farmers of Nova Scotia (reports and levy)

Cartons, labels and handling

Cartons

The sources we read don't set a carton rule.

Refrigeration

4°C or colder where the rule applies.

“Food must be stored, transported, and maintained at proper temperatures: … Cold foods must be kept at 4°C (40°F) or colder”

The label must show

The sources we read don't list label items for small producers.

Grading

Ungraded sales are allowed only in some cases.

“The provisions of these regulations shall not apply to a producer who sells, transports or delivers to a consumer, eggs produced on a farm owned by the producer.”

Washing

Nova Scotia's public market guidelines say uninspected eggs must be clean, washed and crack free. No washing rule for farm-gate sales was found.

Federal rules apply on top of Nova Scotia's: Canada's federal egg rules. Pricing your dozen? The egg price calculator works it out from your feed bill.

What changed recently

  1. 2026-04-19 · The Egg Farmers of Nova Scotia Levy Order was amended (N.S. Reg. 89/2026); the levy on every producer now stands at $0.4805 per dozen of eggs marketed. The rate in s. 3(1) also changed in 2023 and twice in 2025. Source

Common questions

Do I need a licence to sell eggs from my backyard chickens in Nova Scotia?
Yes. Up to 200 laying hens needs no egg licence, and you may sell your own ungraded eggs to consumers. A farmers' market stall needs a public market vendor permit; stores and restaurants need graded eggs. Small-flock line: 200 laying hens or fewer. The conditions, and the law they come from, are on this page.
Can I sell eggs at a farmers market in Nova Scotia?
Needs a license or isn't exempt. Farm-fresh eggs are a Schedule A food, so you need a Public Market Vendors Permit for each market (two days a week each) and a vendor with food safety training at the booth. Sell only to the final consumer; eggs clean, washed, crack free and kept at 4°C or colder. Also check with your local Public Health Officer, Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change (market vendor permit); Egg Farmers of Nova Scotia (reports and levy).
Can I reuse egg cartons in Nova Scotia?
The sources we read do not say; ask Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change (food safety) before reusing cartons for eggs you sell.
What has to be on the carton label in Nova Scotia?
The sources we read do not list label items for small producers.
Do eggs I sell in Nova Scotia have to be kept cold?
Yes, at 4°C or colder. The rule reads: "Food must be stored, transported, and maintained at proper temperatures: … Cold foods must be kept at 4°C (40°F) or colder"
Sources
Read the 30 passages this page is built on
What we couldn't confirm
  • The 200-layer exemption is in N.S. Reg. 325/2022 (effective December 13, 2022); s. 5 has not been amended since. Earlier the line was 100 hens (secondary reports only; the old regulations were not read).
  • Section 54(1) of the EFNS Egg Regulations says 'an unlicensed person producing eggs under Section 4' must submit quarterly reports, while s. 54(2) refers to unlicensed persons under Section 5 (the exemption); the record reads both as meaning small unlicensed producers. Whether EFNS actually sends report notices to backyard keepers, or collects the per-dozen levy from them, is not stated.
  • The Levy Order defines 'producer' as any person engaged in the production of eggs, with no small-flock exception; the levy rate changes often (N.S. Reg. 89/2026 is the latest).
  • The grading regulations (N.S. Reg. 58/94, last amended 1997) refer to the federal Egg Regulations under the Canada Agricultural Products Act, which the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations replaced in 2019. Their s. 3(5) exemption covers eggs from 'a farm owned by the producer'; producers who rent their land are not mentioned.
  • The market permit rules come from Environment and Climate Change guidelines (February 2023), which say their wording may differ from the regulations; the permit fee and application forms (Appendix 1) were not checked.
  • No source says whether selling eggs at the farm gate needs a food establishment permit under the Food Safety Regulations; the produce-stand exemption (s. 3(1)(b)) does not mention eggs.
  • No provincial rule on carton reuse or labels for ungraded eggs sold to consumers was found. Federal rules are in the Canada federal record.
  • Municipal by-laws on keeping hens were not checked.

Elsewhere in Canada

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No licence for small salesDepends how you sellRegistration or licenceNot stated or not checked

All of Canada

Coloured by the small-flock licence rule, with the rules that apply everywhere in Canada.

Canada overview →

Legal where you live? Then keep the books.

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