Can you sell backyard eggs in Guam?
Guam's egg law excepts producers' own direct sales to consumers (reach unclear); most other sales need grades, labels, 35–45°F. A producer's own-land stand selling only their listed farm goods needs no sanitary permit.
Read from 6 official sources34 passages quotedChecked November 2, 2026
At a glance
License
Depends how you sell
Small-flock line
Producer's own-land stand selling only their own listed farm goods: no sanitary permit
Farmers markets
Not stated
Cartons
Reuse with conditions
In plain English
Guam's chicken egg law (5 GCA Chapter 66) sets grades, container labels, invoices and a 35°F to 45°F storage range for eggs marketed in Guam, but excepts producers who market their own eggs directly to a consumer (§ 66110(a)); the closing words of that exception ('and to other premises where produced only') leave unclear whether it reaches only sales where the eggs are produced. Separately, the health sanitary permit does not apply to a market, wayside stand or roadside stand used only for selling eggs and other listed farm products by the original producer on their own property (10 GCA §§ 21101, 24102(c)). Selling anywhere else, such as at a market off your land, may need a sanitary permit from the Department of Public Health and Social Services; that was not confirmed. No flock-size line was found in these rules; the only flock number is in the inspection-fee rule: producers with fewer than 2,000 layers pay no fee for the Department's optional egg inspection (§ 66104(b)).
A sourced reading of Guam's rules, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with Guam Department of Agriculture before you sell.
Do you need a license?
- Guam's chicken egg law does not cover producers marketing their own eggs directly to a consumer (5 GCA §§ 66110(a), 66101(j)). The exception's closing words, 'and to other premises where produced only', may limit it to sales where the eggs are produced; that is not settled.
- No sanitary permit is needed for a market, wayside stand or roadside stand used only for selling fresh, unprocessed produce, eggs, live poultry or other listed live animals by the original producer on their own property.10 GCA §§ 21101, 24102(c)
- Other food establishments, which include public markets and any place used for the sale or distribution of food, need a sanitary permit issued by the Director of Public Health and Social Services.10 GCA §§ 21101, 21102(d), 24101
- The egg law does not exempt anyone from other laws on food establishments.5 GCA § 66107(d)
- Producers with fewer than 2,000 layers pay no fee for the Department of Agriculture's egg inspection and certification, which it provides on request.5 GCA § 66104
- Within the egg law, a reused carton, case, crate or other container must have any labels, lettering or symbols that no longer apply removed or obliterated, and every container must be clean, unbroken and free from foreign odor (5 GCA §§ 66105(f), 66107(b)). The egg law does not cover producers marketing their own eggs directly to a consumer (§ 66110(a)); how far that exception reaches is unsettled.
- Breaking the egg law or its rules is a petty misdemeanor.5 GCA § 66113
- Separately, Guam's Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act requires fresh eggs to have a clearly designated expiration date on each package offered for retail sale; label information may be stamped on each carton of twelve (12) eggs or less instead of on each egg (10 GCA § 40120(f)(3)). That rule is outside the egg law, so the egg law's producers' exception does not itself remove it; whether it reaches a producer's own direct sales was not confirmed.
The exact wording
Where you can sell
From home or the farm
Producers marketing their own eggs directly to a consumer are excepted from Guam's chicken egg law (5 GCA § 66110(a)), and a stand on your own property used only for selling eggs and other listed farm products you produced needs no sanitary permit (10 GCA §§ 21101, 24102(c)). Guam's business license law was not read.
Farmers markets
Not established. A 'food establishment' includes a public market and any place used for the sale of food (10 GCA § 24101), and the sanitary-permit exclusion covers only stands on the producer's own property; whether a stallholder selling eggs needs a sanitary permit, and whether the egg law's exception covers market sales, was not confirmed.
Stores and restaurants
Eggs sold to a store, restaurant or other institutional consumer are not sold 'directly to a consumer' (a consumer buys eggs for their own household, not for resale), so the chicken egg law applies: the Department's grades and size-weight classes, container labels, a 35°F to 45°F storage range and an invoice with each delivery (5 GCA §§ 66101(a), 66103, 66105, 66106, 66107). The law separately excepts shippers selling to a first receiver in Guam who will grade the eggs before reselling (§ 66110(b)).
Also check with: Department of Public Health and Social Services (sanitary permits)
Cartons, labels and handling
Cartons
Reused cartons are allowed, with conditions.
“Any carton, case, crate, or other container which is reused shall upon such reuse have obliterated or removed therefrom any labels, lettering, or other symbols or representations not applicable to the contents upon such reuse.”Refrigeration
Within the egg law, anyone assembling, transporting, marketing, processing, storing or displaying eggs for marketing must keep them between 35°F and 45°F (5 GCA § 66107(a)). The egg law does not cover producers marketing their own eggs directly to a consumer (§ 66110(a); how far that reaches is unsettled). Guam's Egg Shell Law Regulations instead say 'at least 45° (degrees Fahrenheit)' with 70% to 80% relative humidity (8 GAR § 11112); which wording governs was not settled.
The label must show
- Grade and the date the eggs were graded
- Size-weight class
- The word 'eggs'
- Number of eggs
- Packer's name and address (or the distributor's, for a packer outside Guam)
- Country of origin
- Expiration date on each package of fresh eggs offered for retail sale (Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act)
- Note: the grade and grading date, size-weight class, the word 'eggs', egg count, packer's name and address, and country of origin come from the egg law (5 GCA § 66105(a)), which does not cover producers marketing their own eggs directly to a consumer (§ 66110(a); how far that exception reaches is unsettled). Under the same law, eggs not sold in labeled containers need a sign with the same information (§ 66105(b)). The expiration date comes from the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (10 GCA § 40120(f)(3)), which sits outside the egg law; whether it reaches a producer's own direct sales was not confirmed.
Grading
Ungraded sales are allowed only in some cases.
Producers marketing their own eggs directly to a consumer are excepted from the chicken egg law (5 GCA § 66110(a)), but the exception's closing words ('and to other premises where produced only') may limit it to sales where the eggs are produced. Otherwise the Department of Agriculture's standards, grades and size-weight classes apply to eggs marketed in Guam (§ 66103), apart from shippers selling to a first receiver who will grade the eggs before reselling (§ 66110(b)). Eggs below consumer Grade B may not be sold for human consumption without a Department permit (8 GAR § 11111(d)).
Washing
No egg-washing rule was found in 5 GCA Chapter 66 or 8 GAR Chapter 11.
Pricing your dozen? The egg price calculator works it out from your feed bill.
Common questions
- Can I sell eggs from my backyard chickens in Guam, and do I need a license?
- Guam's egg law excepts producers' own direct sales to consumers (reach unclear); most other sales need grades, labels, 35–45°F. A producer's own-land stand selling only their listed farm goods needs no sanitary permit. Small-flock line: producer's own-land stand selling only their own listed farm goods: no sanitary permit. The conditions, and the law they come from, are on this page.
- Can I sell eggs at a farmers market in Guam?
- Not stated in the sources we read. Not established. A 'food establishment' includes a public market and any place used for the sale of food (10 GCA § 24101), and the sanitary-permit exclusion covers only stands on the producer's own property; whether a stallholder selling eggs needs a sanitary permit, and whether the egg law's exception covers market sales, was not confirmed. Also check with the Department of Public Health and Social Services (sanitary permits).
- Can I reuse egg cartons in Guam?
- With conditions. The rule reads: "Any carton, case, crate, or other container which is reused shall upon such reuse have obliterated or removed therefrom any labels, lettering, or other symbols or representations not applicable to the contents upon such reuse."
- What has to be on the carton label in Guam?
- Grade and the date the eggs were graded. Size-weight class. The word 'eggs'. Number of eggs. Packer's name and address (or the distributor's, for a packer outside Guam). Country of origin. Expiration date on each package of fresh eggs offered for retail sale (Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act). Note: the grade and grading date, size-weight class, the word 'eggs', egg count, packer's name and address, and country of origin come from the egg law (5 GCA § 66105(a)), which does not cover producers marketing their own eggs directly to a consumer (§ 66110(a); how far that exception reaches is unsettled). Under the same law, eggs not sold in labeled containers need a sign with the same information (§ 66105(b)). The expiration date comes from the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (10 GCA § 40120(f)(3)), which sits outside the egg law; whether it reaches a producer's own direct sales was not confirmed. The rule reads: "(a) The container in which any eggs are marketed in this territory shall bear prominently on the outside portion thereof the following information:"
- Do eggs I sell in Guam have to be kept cold?
- In short: Within the egg law, anyone assembling, transporting, marketing, processing, storing or displaying eggs for marketing must keep them between 35°F and 45°F (5 GCA § 66107(a)). The egg law does not cover producers marketing their own eggs directly to a consumer (§ 66110(a); how far that reaches is unsettled). Guam's Egg Shell Law Regulations instead say 'at least 45° (degrees Fahrenheit)' with 70% to 80% relative humidity (8 GAR § 11112); which wording governs was not settled.
- 5 GCA §§ 66101–66119 · Chicken Egg Regulation: egg standards, grades, labels, invoices, storage temperature and the producers' exception
- 10 GCA §§ 21101–21102 · Sanitation: sanitary permits, and the exclusion for a producer's own-property stand
- 10 GCA §§ 24101–24102 · Food Establishment: what counts as a food establishment, and the exclusion for a producer's own-property stand
- 10 GCA §§ 40110 and 40120 · Guam Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act: misbranded food, the package-form label rule and the expiration date on fresh eggs offered for retail sale
- 10 GCA §§ 34201–34202 · Keeping Animals, Article 2: sanitary permits for animal establishments and for selling live animals
- 5 GCA §§ 61101, 61102 and 61104 · Plants and Animals, Article 1: quarantine regulations and the Director's power to confine animals
- 9 GCA §§ 70.15, 70.20 and 70.65 · Protecting Animal Welfare and Safety (PAWS) Act (Pugua's Law): minimum care and animal neglect
- 10 GCA §§ 35101–35103 · Livestock and Poultry: how many poultry may be kept and where, and coop sanitation
- 21 GCA §§ 61301, 61304 and 61305 · Zoning Law of Guam: uses permitted in the 'A' Rural and 'R1' One-Family Dwelling zones
- 8 GAR §§ 11100–11118 · Egg Shell Law Regulations: grade and origin signs, permit to sell eggs below consumer Grade B, temperature and humidity
- 9 GAR § 2115 · Animal Diseases Control: quarantine of animals and premises by the Territorial Veterinarian
- Compiler of Laws, Guam Code Annotated page · Compiler of Laws (Judiciary of Guam): Guam Code Annotated page ("Updated through" note)
- Guam Department of Agriculture · Chicken egg law (5 GCA Chapter 66) and Egg Shell Law Regulations (8 GAR Chapter 11)
Read the 34 passages this page is built on
“(a) Producers marketing eggs directly to a consumer and to other premises where produced only are excepted from the coverage of this Chapter.”
5 GCA §§ 66101–66119 · read 2026-11-02
“(j) Producer means a person who markets eggs of his own hens’ production.”
5 GCA §§ 66101–66119 · read 2026-11-02
“Except as specifically provided in § 66110, the standards of quality, grades and the size-weight classes established by the Department pursuant to this section shall apply to all eggs marketed in the territory by any person.”
5 GCA §§ 66101–66119 · read 2026-11-02
“(a) The container in which any eggs are marketed in this territory shall bear prominently on the outside portion thereof the following information:”
5 GCA §§ 66101–66119 · read 2026-11-02
“(1) The grade of the eggs and the date when the eggs were graded; (2) The size-weight class of the eggs; (3) The word eggs; (4) The numerical count of the eggs;”
5 GCA §§ 66101–66119 · read 2026-11-02
“(5) The name and address of the packer, or if the packer is not located within the territory, the name and address of the distributor; and (6) The country of origin of the eggs.”
5 GCA §§ 66101–66119 · read 2026-11-02
“(b) Eggs marketed in any manner other than in containers labeled in accordance with paragraph (a) shall be kept in full view of prospective purchasers and shall have adjacent thereto, and prominently displayed, a sign or similar device bearing the information required by paragraph (a) of this section.”
5 GCA §§ 66101–66119 · read 2026-11-02
“Any carton, case, crate, or other container which is reused shall upon such reuse have obliterated or removed therefrom any labels, lettering, or other symbols or representations not applicable to the contents upon such reuse.”
5 GCA §§ 66101–66119 · read 2026-11-02
“(a) Any person assembling, transporting, marketing, processing, storing or displaying eggs for marketing shall keep the eggs at a temperature not higher than forty-five degrees Fahrenheit (45°F) nor lower than thirty-five degrees Fahrenheit (35°F).”
5 GCA §§ 66101–66119 · read 2026-11-02
“(b) Any container, including the packaging material therein or associated therewith, shall be clean, unbroken and free from foreign odor.”
5 GCA §§ 66101–66119 · read 2026-11-02
“(d) Nothing in this Chapter or in any rules or regulations of the Department shall be construed to exempt any persons or premises from the application thereto of any laws otherwise applicable and relating to the operation of establishments or facilities for the storing, transporting, sale, distribution, preparation or serving of food.”
5 GCA §§ 66101–66119 · read 2026-11-02
“Any person marketing eggs to a retailer or institutional consumer shall furnish to such purchaser at the time of delivery of the eggs an invoice showing the date of sale, name and address of the seller, name of purchasers, quantity, country of origin, grade and size-weight class of the eggs delivered.”
5 GCA §§ 66101–66119 · read 2026-11-02
“(a) The Department shall, upon request, provide the services of a qualified eggs inspector to inspect and certify eggs produced within and imported into the territory as to specific grades, standards of quality, condition and size-weight classes required pursuant to § 66103.”
5 GCA §§ 66101–66119 · read 2026-11-02
“provided, further, that producers having less two thousand (2,000) layers in production shall not be assessed any fee for the services under this section.”
5 GCA §§ 66101–66119 · read 2026-11-02
“Any person who violates any provision of this Chapter or any rule or regulation issued pursuant thereto shall be guilty of a petty misdemeanor.”
5 GCA §§ 66101–66119 · read 2026-11-02
“(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to sell, or offer to sell or expose for sale to a consumer, any eggs other than those of his own production intended for human consumption without notifying by suitable sign or label the person purchasing or intending to purchase the same”
8 GAR §§ 11100–11118 · read 2026-11-02
“whether the same are imported from the mainland United States or foreign countries or of local production, and the exact grade or quality and size or weight and date such eggs were graded.”
8 GAR §§ 11100–11118 · read 2026-11-02
“(d) Sale of Eggs Below the Standard of Consumer Grade B. Shell eggs below the standard of consumer Grade B shall not be sold, offered for sale or advertised for sale for human consumption without first obtaining a permit from the Department of Agriculture.”
8 GAR §§ 11100–11118 · read 2026-11-02
“Any person, storing, marketing, processing and transporting shell eggs for human consumption shall keep at all times eggs at a temperature of at least 45° (degrees Fahrenheit) and a relative humidity between seventy percent (70%) and eighty percent (80%).”
8 GAR §§ 11100–11118 · read 2026-11-02
“It shall be unlawful for any person to operate or open for business: (a) any establishment or activity as defined in Chapter 23 or Chapter 24;”
10 GCA §§ 21101–21102 · read 2026-11-02
“without a valid sanitary permit for such establishment or activity (permit) issued by the Director.”
10 GCA §§ 21101–21102 · read 2026-11-02
“This Chapter shall not apply to the operation of any establishment, including any market, wayside stand, or roadside stand used exclusively for the sale of (1) fresh, unprocessed fruits, vegetables, and nuts; (2) eggs; (3) live poultry; (4) live pigs;”
10 GCA §§ 21101–21102 · read 2026-11-02
“(5) other live animals, except dogs and cats and other such animals as stipulated by the Director, by the original producer thereof in his own property; or (6) liquor or canned or bottled soft drinks.”
10 GCA §§ 21101–21102 · read 2026-11-02
“Permit issuance and approval by the Director of Public Health and Social Services does not relieve the applicant from the obligation and responsibility of obtaining all necessary and required Public Works building permits.”
10 GCA §§ 21101–21102 · read 2026-11-02
“public market, food warehouse or for the production, processing, manufacture, preparation for sale, canning, bottling, packing, packaging, storage, sale or distribution of any food.”
10 GCA §§ 24101–24102 · read 2026-11-02
“Food establishment does not include:”
10 GCA §§ 24101–24102 · read 2026-11-02
“(c) Any establishment, including any market, wayside stand or roadside stand, used exclusively for the sale of fresh, unprocessed fruits, vegetables, nuts, eggs, live poultry, live pigs or other live animals except dogs and cats, by the original producer thereof in his own property; or liquor, canned and bottled soft drinks.”
10 GCA §§ 24101–24102 · read 2026-11-02
“A food shall be deemed to be misbranded:”
10 GCA §§ 40110 and 40120 · read 2026-11-02
“(6) If in package form, unless it bears a label containing (i) the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer or distributor; (ii) an accurate statement of the net quantity of the contents in terms of weight, measure or numerical count,”
10 GCA §§ 40110 and 40120 · read 2026-11-02
“(3) Notwithstanding any provision of law, all fresh or frozen packaged meat, fresh eggs, bread, fresh milk and fresh daily products and ice cream, and such other food, drug and consumer commodity designated by the Director of the Department of Public Health and Social Services shall have a clearly designated expiration date on each package offered for retail sale.”
10 GCA §§ 40110 and 40120 · read 2026-11-02
“Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in lieu of stamping any required labels whatsoever on individual eggs, such information may instead be stamped on each egg carton if the eggs are packed in individual cartons of twelve (12) eggs or less as required by 5 GCA Chapter 66, the Chicken Egg Regulation.”
10 GCA §§ 40110 and 40120 · read 2026-11-02
“Updated through P.L. 38-143 (Oct. 13, 2026)”
Compiler of Laws, Guam Code Annotated page · read 2026-11-02
“(b) All types of shippers marketing eggs to a first receiver within the territory who will grade them into the proper grade and size-weight class before reselling are excepted from the coverage of this Chapter.”
5 GCA §§ 66101–66119 · read 2026-11-02
“(a) Consumer means any person who acquires eggs for consumption in his own household and not for resale.”
5 GCA §§ 66101–66119 · read 2026-11-02
What we couldn't confirm
- The producers' exception in 5 GCA § 66110(a) ends with the words 'and to other premises where produced only'; whether it covers direct sales to consumers away from the place where the eggs are produced (for example at a market) is not settled. The session law it comes from (P.L. 11-205) could not be compared, because the Guam Legislature's website could not be reached on November 2, 2026.
- The statute and the regulation conflict on temperature: 5 GCA § 66107(a) says eggs held for marketing must be kept between 35°F and 45°F, while 8 GAR § 11112 says 'at least 45° (degrees Fahrenheit)' with 70% to 80% relative humidity. This page shows the statute's range. Whether either rule reaches producers' direct sales to consumers away from where the eggs are produced (see the producers' exception above) was not confirmed.
- Whether a farmers' market stall selling eggs needs its own sanitary permit was not established; the Department of Public Health and Social Services' food rules (26 GAR) and Guam's business license law were not read.
- Whether the package-form label rule of the Guam Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (10 GCA § 40110(6)) applies to eggs a producer sells directly was not checked; within the egg law, the label items are those of 5 GCA § 66105(a).
- Laws were read in the Compiler of Laws' Guam Code Annotated, updated through P.L. 38-143 (October 13, 2026). Its table of sections affected by the 38th Legislature lists no change to the provisions quoted; it lists amendments to 21 GCA §§ 61304(a)(4) and 61305(a)(4), which the Compiler's October 26, 2026 zoning file includes. The Egg Shell Law Regulations (8 GAR Chapter 11) were read in the Compiler's file dated May 15, 2026, which reprints Regulation 39 from the 1975 publication with 2005 amendments. The Compiler notes that its information is current only through the Public Law or date indicated.
- Federal egg rules (USDA and FDA) were not read for this page.
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