What has to be on the carton label in Ohio?

name and address of the operation, numerical count, date packed, 'ungraded' or 'unclassified', 'mixed size', safe handling statement (outside of carton or inside the lid). The rule reads: "The name and address of the operation An accurate statement of the quantity of the contents in terms of numerical count (12, one dozen, etc.) The date the shell eggs were packed into the egg carton Labeled "ungraded" or "unclassified" Labeled "mixed size"" The federal safe handling statement applies as well; our carton label maker prints all of it.

State rules

Can you sell backyard eggs in Ohio?

Yes. With 500 or fewer birds you don't register with the state. Sell from the farm or to stores and restaurants; a farmers' market also needs a local health license.

Read from 12 official sources22 passages quotedChecked October 6, 2026

License

Depends how you sell

Small-flock line

500 birds or fewer

Farmers markets

License needed

Cartons

Reuse allowed

In plain English

Ohio draws its line at 500 birds. A small egg producer with 500 or fewer birds no longer registers with the Ohio Department of Agriculture (since October 1, 2025) and is an approved source: properly labeled eggs may be sold from the farm, a registered farm market or farm product auction you run, and to retailers, restaurants or at a farmers' market, where you also need a license from the local health department. Every carton needs the operation's name and address, the count, the pack date, 'ungraded' or 'unclassified', 'mixed size' and the safe handling statement, and eggs are held at 45°F or below. Past 500 birds, egg grading and packing operations register with ODA as food processing establishments.

A sourced reading of Ohio's rules, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) before you sell.

Do you need a license?

Depends on how and how much you sell500 birds or fewer

500 or fewer birds maintained annually.ORC 3717.22(B)(8); 3715.021(A)(2)
Eggs offered directly to the consumer from the location where they are produced, or at a registered farm product auction (3717.22(B)(8)); a registered producer-operated farm market may also sell raw eggs produced under (B)(8).OAC 901:3-6-01(B)(5)(f)
Egg marketing law (ORC 925.01–925.13) exemption for any size: 'Producers selling only shell eggs of their own hens' production on the premises where produced or selling directly to hatcheries'.925.10
At a registered farm market or auction eggs must be clean, sound and kept at 45°F or less; auction eggs may be held in a cooler with bagged ice or gel packs.OAC 901:3-6-02(B), 901:3-6-03(A)(3)
Outside the exemption: containers labeled with packer/distributor name and address, numerical count, processing date, and grade and size — or 'ungraded'/'unclassified' and optionally 'mixed size' if averaging 21 oz/dozen (925.021); bulk lots placarded in ½-inch letters (925.022); ads state grade/size or 'ungraded' (925.023); 45°F with a thermometer in use (925.03); six months of processing-date records.925.04
Egg grading/packing operations above the small-producer line register with ODA as a food processing establishment: $50 per year for 0–4,999 sq ft, due January 31 (OAC 901:3-21-01); off-farm retail sales take a retail food establishment license from the local health district (ORC ch. 3717) unless another exemption fits.

The exact wording

“A person who annually maintains five hundred or fewer birds, on the condition that the person offers the eggs from those birds directly to the consumer from the location where the eggs are produced or at a farm product auction to which division (B)(11) of this section applies”

Where you can sell

From home or the farm

With conditions

No license or registration when 500 or fewer birds and eggs are sold direct to consumers at the production location (3717.22(B)(8); 3715.021(A)). Producers of any size selling only their own hens' eggs on the premises are outside the egg marketing law (925.10). Registered farm product auctions are an allowed second outlet.

Farmers markets

License needed

ODA: small egg producers are an approved source for farmers' markets, but 'must also license with their local health department to sell eggs at a farmer's market.' Carton labeling and 45°F handling apply.

Stores and restaurants

With conditions

ODA calls a small egg producer (500 or fewer birds) 'an approved source to sell your eggs to a retailer, restaurant', with properly labeled cartons; the egg-marketing labeling, 45°F and records rules (ORC 925.021, 925.03, 925.04) apply off the farm. Larger operations register as food processing establishments.

Also check with: Your local health department (license to sell at farmers' markets)

Cartons, labels and handling

Cartons

Reused cartons are allowed.

“Cartons may be reused however all non-pertinent information must be defaced from the carton (i.e. original processor’s name/address, any graded information, dates, etc.)”

Refrigeration

45°F or colder where the rule applies.

“Each producer and processor shall maintain shell eggs in refrigeration at an ambient temperature that does not exceed forty-five degrees Fahrenheit.”

The label must show

name and address of the operation
numerical count
date packed
'ungraded' or 'unclassified'
'mixed size'
safe handling statement (outside of carton or inside the lid)

The carton label maker prints these lines with the federal safe handling statement.

Grading

Ungraded eggs may be sold under the small-producer rules.

Ohio does not require grading: containers of eggs 'which have not been graded for quality … Shall be labeled "ungraded" or "unclassified"' and may be labeled 'mixed size' if they average 21 oz or more per dozen (925.021(A)(4)); bulk lots and advertisements carry the same 'ungraded' statement (925.022, 925.023). USDA standards, grades and weight classes are adopted for eggs that are graded (925.02).

Washing

No washing rule in the sources fetched; OAC 901:3-6-02(B) requires eggs at farm markets/auctions to be 'clean, sound'.

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

What changed recently

2025-10-01 · House Bill 96 amended ORC 3715.021 to exclude 'small egg producers' (500 or fewer birds) from food-processing-establishment registration; ODA's Letter of Opinion 2025-01 treats them as an approved source from October 1, 2025. Source
2024-07-11 · OAC chapter 901:3-6 (Farm Markets and Auctions) re-adopted effective July 11, 2024, keeping raw eggs from 500-or-fewer-bird producers on the list of foods a registered farm market or farm product auction may sell and the 45°F / clean-and-sound requirement. Source
2021-09-30 · ORC 3717.22 (retail food establishment exclusions and exemptions, including the (B)(8) 500-bird egg exemption) last amended by HB 110, effective Sept. 30, 2021. Source

Common questions

Do I need a license to sell eggs from my backyard chickens in Ohio?: Yes. With 500 or fewer birds you don't register with the state. Sell from the farm or to stores and restaurants; a farmers' market also needs a local health license. Small-flock line: 500 birds or fewer. The conditions, and the law they come from, are on this page.
Can I sell eggs at a farmers market in Ohio?: Needs a license or isn't exempt. ODA: small egg producers are an approved source for farmers' markets, but 'must also license with their local health department to sell eggs at a farmer's market.' Carton labeling and 45°F handling apply. Also check with your local health department (license to sell at farmers' markets).
Can I reuse egg cartons in Ohio?: Yes. The rule reads: "Cartons may be reused however all non-pertinent information must be defaced from the carton (i.e. original processor’s name/address, any graded information, dates, etc.)"
What has to be on the carton label in Ohio?: name and address of the operation, numerical count, date packed, 'ungraded' or 'unclassified', 'mixed size', safe handling statement (outside of carton or inside the lid). The rule reads: "The name and address of the operation An accurate statement of the quantity of the contents in terms of numerical count (12, one dozen, etc.) The date the shell eggs were packed into the egg carton Labeled "ungraded" or "unclassified" Labeled "mixed size"" The federal safe handling statement applies as well; our carton label maker prints all of it.
Do eggs I sell in Ohio have to be refrigerated?: Yes, at 45°F or colder. The rule reads: "Each producer and processor shall maintain shell eggs in refrigeration at an ambient temperature that does not exceed forty-five degrees Fahrenheit."

Sources

Ohio Rev. Code § 925.01 · Definitions — 'producer' is a person maintaining annually more than 500 birds
Ohio Rev. Code § 925.10 · Producers selling only their own hens' eggs on the premises where produced are exempt from §§ 925.01–925.13
Ohio Rev. Code § 925.021 · Egg container labels (name/address, count, processing date, grade and size or 'ungraded')
Ohio Rev. Code § 925.022 · Bulk lot placards
Ohio Rev. Code § 925.023 · Advertising eggs — grade and size or 'ungraded'
Ohio Rev. Code § 925.03 · Refrigeration at 45°F; thermometer required
Ohio Rev. Code § 925.04 · Records of processing date kept six months
Ohio Rev. Code § 3715.021 · Food processing establishments; 'small egg producer' (500 or fewer birds) excluded (eff. Sept. 30, 2025)
Ohio Rev. Code § 3717.22(B)(8) · 500-or-fewer-bird egg sellers exempt from retail food establishment licensing when selling direct to consumers at the production site or a registered farm product auction
Ohio Adm. Code 901:3-6-01, -02, -03 · Farm Markets and Auctions — raw eggs from § 3717.22(B)(8) producers may be sold at registered farm markets/auctions; eggs clean, sound, 45°F or less (eff. July 11, 2024)
Ohio Adm. Code 901:3-21-01 · Food processing establishment registration and fees ($50/yr for 0–4,999 sq ft)
Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) · Division of Food Safety: small egg production

Read the 22 passages this page is built on

“(8) A person who annually maintains five hundred or fewer birds, on the condition that the person offers the eggs from those birds directly to the consumer from the location where the eggs are produced or at a farm product auction to which division (B)(11) of this section applies;”
Ohio Rev. Code § 3717.22(B)(8) · read 2026-10-05
“A "food processing establishment" does not include a cottage food production operation; a small egg producer; … (2) "Small egg producer" means any person that is engaged in the operation of egg production and annually maintains five hundred or fewer birds.”
Ohio Rev. Code § 3715.021 · read 2026-10-05
“Effective: September 30, 2025 Latest Legislation: House Bill 96 - 136th General Assembly”
Ohio Rev. Code § 3715.021 · read 2026-10-05
“"Producer" means any person engaged in the operation of egg production who maintains annually more than five hundred birds.”
Ohio Rev. Code § 925.01 · read 2026-10-05
“Producers selling only shell eggs of their own hens' production on the premises where produced or selling directly to hatcheries are exempted from sections 925.01 to 925.13 of the Revised Code.”
Ohio Rev. Code § 925.10 · read 2026-10-05
“(A) No person shall sell, offer for sale, or expose for sale shell eggs in a container which is not labeled with: (1) The name and address of the packer or distributor; (2) An accurate statement of the quantity of the contents in terms of numerical count; (3) The date the shell eggs were processed; … (a) Shall be labeled "ungraded" or "unclassified";”
Ohio Rev. Code § 925.021 · read 2026-10-05
“No person shall sell, offer for sale, or expose for sale shell eggs from a bulk lot which is not plainly marked with a placard having letters no less than one-half inch high designating the correct grade and size or weight class of the bulk lot … (A) Shall be plainly marked with a placard … which states "ungraded" or "unclassified"”
Ohio Rev. Code § 925.022 · read 2026-10-05
“No person shall advertise shell eggs in any manner … unless such advertisement includes the correct grade and size or weight class of the shell eggs so advertised … provided that such advertisement of shell eggs which have not been graded for quality … (1) Shall state "ungraded" or "unclassified"”
Ohio Rev. Code § 925.023 · read 2026-10-06
“(A) Each producer and processor shall maintain shell eggs in refrigeration at an ambient temperature that does not exceed forty-five degrees Fahrenheit. … (C) The owner or operator of a premises where shell eggs are required to be maintained in refrigeration shall have in use at all times a thermometer, graduated in degrees Fahrenheit, that clearly indicates the ambient temperature at which the shell eggs are being maintained.”
Ohio Rev. Code § 925.03 · read 2026-10-05
“Each producer and processor shall keep records of the date of processing of the shell eggs distributed, sold, or offered for sale by him. Each producer and processor shall maintain such records for not less than six months after the shell eggs are packaged”
Ohio Rev. Code § 925.04 · read 2026-10-05
“"Registered farm market" means a producer operated facility where only the following food items may be offered for sale: … (f) Raw eggs, raw poultry, and raw nonamenable meat on the condition that those products were produced in accordance with divisions (B)(8) to (B)(10) of section 3717.22 of the Revised Code.”
Ohio Adm. Code 901:3-6-01, -02, -03 · read 2026-10-05
“"Farmers' market" means a location where producers congregate to offer food items for sale.”
Ohio Adm. Code 901:3-6-01, -02, -03 · read 2026-10-05
“(2) A person at a farmers market that offers for sale only one or more of the following: (a) Fresh unprocessed fruits or vegetables; (b) Products of a cottage food production operation; (c) Tree syrup, sorghum, honey, apple syrup, or apple butter …; (d) Wine as authorized under section 4303.2010 of the Revised Code; (e) Commercially prepackaged food that is not potentially hazardous”
Ohio Rev. Code § 3717.22(B)(8) · read 2026-10-05
“(B) Eggs shall be clean, sound and maintained in an ambient air temperature of forty-five degrees Fahrenheit or less.”
Ohio Adm. Code 901:3-6-01, -02, -03 · read 2026-10-05
“(3) At a farm product auction eggs may be held for auction in a cooler with adequate amounts of bagged ice or gel packs.”
Ohio Adm. Code 901:3-6-01, -02, -03 · read 2026-10-05
“Size in square feet Annual fee 0- 4,999 $50 5,000- 9,999 $75 10,000- 49,999 $125 50,000- 99,999 $175 100,000 and up $300”
Ohio Adm. Code 901:3-21-01 · read 2026-10-05
“(3) A business or that portion of a business that is regulated by the federal government or the department of agriculture as a food manufacturing or food processing business, including a business or that portion of a business regulated by the department of agriculture under Chapter 911., 913., 915., 917., 918., or 925. of the Revised Code.”
Ohio Rev. Code § 3717.22(B)(8) · read 2026-10-05
“Effective October 1, 2025, small egg producers are no longer required to register with the Ohio Department of Agriculture and are considered an approved source for retail sale.”
Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) · read 2026-10-06
“Properly labeled eggs may be sold from your farm, from a registered farm market that you own/operate or a registered farm product auction. You are also considered an approved source to sell your eggs to a retailer, restaurant or at a farmer’s market.”
Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) · read 2026-10-06
“NOTE: A small egg producer must also license with their local health department to sell eggs at a farmer’s market.”
Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) · read 2026-10-06
“Cartons may be reused however all non-pertinent information must be defaced from the carton (i.e. original processor’s name/address, any graded information, dates, etc.)”
Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) · read 2026-10-06
“The name and address of the operation An accurate statement of the quantity of the contents in terms of numerical count (12, one dozen, etc.) The date the shell eggs were packed into the egg carton Labeled "ungraded" or "unclassified" Labeled "mixed size"”
Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) · read 2026-10-06

What we couldn't confirm

The farmers'-market conclusion (license needed) is an inference from the statutory exemption lists and the OAC 901:3-6 definitions; no ODA or health-district guidance confirming it was fetched.
Ohio egg administrative rules under ORC 925.06 (if any, e.g. grade tolerances) were not located; OAC 901:3-9 and 901:3-11 do not exist.
Penalty for ch. 925 egg violations: 925.99 as read covers other sections of ch. 925; the applicable egg penalty (likely 925.99 earlier divisions or 3715.99) was not confirmed.
Whether the 500-bird count includes all poultry species ('birds') or only laying hens is not defined in the sections read.

Other states

Legal in your state? Then keep the books.

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