Province rules

Can you sell backyard eggs in Ontario?

On the farm, yes. With 100 laying hens or fewer you need no quota, and you may sell ungraded eggs only at your own farm to people buying for their own use. Markets and stores need graded eggs.

Read from 8 official sources31 passages quotedChecked October 7, 2026

At a glance

Licence

Not needed

Small-flock line

100 laying hens or fewer

Farmers markets

Licence needed

Cartons

Not stated

In plain English

Ontario's line is drawn by Egg Farmers of Ontario (EFO), the egg marketing board: you may keep up to 100 laying hens (hens over 19 weeks old) without quota, if you own or rent the land, nobody else keeps hens there, and you are in good standing with EFO. More than 100 hens needs quota (a few pre-1983 flocks of up to 500 are grandfathered). Provincial law then decides where the eggs may go. Ungraded eggs may be sold only on the premises where they were produced, directly to consumers buying for their own household, and they must be clean and not leaking. Anywhere else (farmers' markets, stores, restaurants) eggs must be graded, packed, marked and labelled at a federally licensed egg-grading station, or you sell them ungraded to a licensed egg dealer or grading station. Farm-gate ads don't need to state a grade. EFO's regulations deem every producer licensed without an application, but they also say eggs marketed must be reported to EFO with licence fees and levies paid; how that applies to a 100-hen farm-gate seller is not spelled out. Since July 1, 2026, selling ungraded eggs contrary to the rule carries a $300 set fine.

A sourced reading of Ontario's rules, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA) before you sell.

Do you need a licence?

No licence or registration for small direct sales100 laying hens or fewer
  • Keep no more than 100 fowl (domestic hens more than 19 weeks of age) without quota.EFO General Regulations § 2.17; § 1.1(33)
  • Be an owner or tenant of the land where the hens are kept; no other fowl may be kept by anyone on the same land; be in good standing with EFO.EFO General Regulations § 2.17
  • Sell ungraded eggs only on the premises where they were produced, directly to a consumer buying for their own or their household's use and not for resale.O. Reg. 171/10, s. 5(1)-(2)
  • The eggs must be clean and not leaking.O. Reg. 171/10, s. 5(1)(b)
  • Off the farm, eggs must be graded, packed, marked and labelled at an egg-grading station under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations.O. Reg. 171/10, s. 4(1)
  • Ungraded eggs may also be sold to a licensed egg dealer or an egg-grading station.O. Reg. 171/10, s. 5(3); EFO General Regulations § 2.8
  • Ship, transport or deliver eggs only to facilitate a sale the regulation allows, or between your own farm premises.O. Reg. 171/10, s. 9(1)-(2)
  • Do not pack, mark or label eggs so a buyer would think they were graded.O. Reg. 171/10, s. 4(4)
  • Do not sell inedible eggs or eggs from a slaughtered hen.O. Reg. 171/10, s. 8(1)
  • Farm-gate advertising need not state a grade, but no ad may be untrue, deceptive or misleading about quality or size.O. Reg. 171/10, s. 10
  • EFO's regulations bar marketing eggs that were not reported to EFO or on which licence fees (2.60 cents a dozen) and levies were not remitted.EFO General Regulations § 2.11, § 2.35
The exact wording
“An exempt producer may possess up to a maximum of 100 fowl without a quota, provided: … (ii) no other fowl are possessed by anyone on the same lands and premises; and (iii) the person is in Good Standing with the Board.”

Where you can sell

From home or the farm

With conditions

Allowed for ungraded eggs from your own flock, sold on the premises where they were produced to consumers for their household's use, if the eggs are clean and not leaking (O. Reg. 171/10, s. 5). OMAFA suggests talking to your local public health unit about running a food premises on a farm.

Farmers markets

Licence needed

Ungraded eggs can't be sold away from the farm where they were laid. Eggs at a market must be graded, packed, marked and labelled at a federally licensed egg-grading station (O. Reg. 171/10, s. 4(1)); OMAFA says the retail grading rule includes farmers' markets.

Stores and restaurants

Licence needed

Food premises may not store, serve or sell ungraded eggs (O. Reg. 493/17, s. 47(1)), and eggs sold anywhere other than at the farm gate must come from an egg-grading station (O. Reg. 171/10, s. 4(1)). A producer may sell ungraded eggs only to a licensed egg dealer or a grading station (s. 5(3)).

Also check with: Egg Farmers of Ontario (quota exemption); your local public health unit (food premises on a farm)

Cartons, labels and handling

Cartons

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

Refrigeration

Not stated in the sources we read.

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.

“A producer may sell, distribute or offer for sale to a consumer ungraded eggs that are produced on premises owned or operated by the producer if, (a) the eggs are sold, distributed or offered for sale on the premises; and (b) the eggs are clean and not leaking.”

Washing

No washing rule for farm-gate eggs in the provincial sources read; ungraded eggs sold at the farm must be clean and not leaking (O. Reg. 171/10, s. 5(1)(b)).

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

What changed recently

  1. 2026-07-01 · New Ontario Court of Justice set fines for O. Reg. 171/10 offences took effect: $300 for selling, distributing or offering ungraded eggs contrary to s. 4(1), and $400 for packing, marking or labelling eggs to look graded or for shipping or delivering eggs for an unauthorized sale. The previous-fine column lists every item as new. Source

Common questions

Do I need a licence to sell eggs from my backyard chickens in Ontario?
On the farm, yes. With 100 laying hens or fewer you need no quota, and you may sell ungraded eggs only at your own farm to people buying for their own use. Markets and stores need graded eggs. Small-flock line: 100 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 Ontario?
Needs a license or isn't exempt. Ungraded eggs can't be sold away from the farm where they were laid. Eggs at a market must be graded, packed, marked and labelled at a federally licensed egg-grading station (O. Reg. 171/10, s. 4(1)); OMAFA says the retail grading rule includes farmers' markets. Also check with Egg Farmers of Ontario (quota exemption); your local public health unit (food premises on a farm).
Can I reuse egg cartons in Ontario?
The sources we read do not say; ask Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA) before reusing cartons for eggs you sell.
What has to be on the carton label in Ontario?
The sources we read do not list label items for small producers.
Sources
Read the 31 passages this page is built on
What we couldn't confirm
  • The 100-hen quota exemption rests on Egg Farmers of Ontario's own General Regulations (cover: 'Amended December 2021') and Policy Book (revised February 3, 2026), not on an e-Laws regulation; the R.R.O. 1990 Regs. 407-409 under the Farm Products Marketing Act delegate quota powers to EFO but state no number.
  • Whether a hen keeper under 100 birds must apply to EFO for exempt status is not stated plainly: 'exempt producer' is defined as a producer 'exempted by the Board', while the Policy Book says a person need not hold quota if 'exempted by EFO because' they keep up to 100 fowl. No registration form for exempt producers was found.
  • EFO's regulations say eggs marketed by any producer must be reported and licence fees (2.60 cents a dozen) and levies remitted (ss. 2.11, 2.35, 2.41), and the Policy Book repeats that producers remit fees 'on all eggs sold'; whether EFO collects this from 100-hen farm-gate sellers is not stated. Exempt producers are excused only from the quota-based annual fee (s. 2.37).
  • OMAFA's page says O. Reg. 493/17 requires graded hen eggs at retail including farmers' markets, but s. 2(2)(c) of O. Reg. 493/17 says the regulation does not apply to farmers' market food vendors. The farmers' market verdict here rests on O. Reg. 171/10, s. 4(1) and 5(1), which allow ungraded eggs only on the producer's premises.
  • No provincial rule on carton reuse, carton labels, refrigeration temperature or washing for farm-gate eggs was found. The 4°C rule in O. Reg. 493/17, s. 47(3) covers only eggs from birds other than domestic hens. Federal rules (Safe Food for Canadians Regulations) are covered in the Canada federal record.
  • O. Reg. 171/10 and the EFO quota rules cover domestic hen eggs only; duck, quail and other eggs fall outside them.
  • O. Reg. 171/10 is shown on e-Laws as current, consolidated from January 1, 2021 (last amendment O. Reg. 718/20, which swapped federal Egg Regulations references for the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations). O. Reg. 493/17 is current from January 1, 2025 (last amendment 497/24, a building-code reference). No 2023-2026 amendment to either touches eggs.
  • Local public health unit rules and 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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