State rules

Can you sell backyard eggs in Idaho?

Yes, with no license. Sell ungraded eggs at your farm, or direct to consumers anywhere in Idaho with the required no-inspection notice; flocks of 300 hens or fewer may also sell ungraded eggs to stores.

Read from 16 official sources28 passages quotedChecked October 6, 2026

At a glance

License

Not needed

Small-flock line

No number: direct to consumers

Farmers markets

With conditions

Cartons

Not stated

In plain English

Idaho needs no license for a backyard flock's eggs sold to consumers. The egg law already let a producer sell ungraded eggs directly to consumers at the place of production, and lets producers with 300 or fewer hens sell ungraded eggs from their premises to retailers if each carton says 'Ungraded' and gives the producer's name and address. Since March 20, 2026 the Idaho Direct-to-Consumer Commerce Act also lets producers sell homemade food, eggs included, to informed end consumers anywhere in Idaho (farm stand, home, market or through a named agent) without inspection or licensing, if a sign, label or card says the product is not subject to government food safety inspection or licensing, names the producer with contact information, and gives safe handling information, and the producer keeps sales records for two years. ISDA's page (which draws its line at fewer than 300 birds) asks for clean eggs in containers labeled with name, address, phone number and 'UNGRADED EGGS'. Distributors and larger flocks need a $20 license, graded and sealed cartons and 45°F storage.

A sourced reading of Idaho's rules, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) ((208) 332-8500) before you sell.

Do you need a license?

No license or registration for small direct salesNo number: direct to consumers
  • At the place of production: sell eggs produced on your premises directly to consumers, without grade designations.IDAPA 02.02.11.012.01.b; I.C. 37-1520(g)
  • Anywhere else in Idaho, direct to consumers: the sale is between you (or a designated agent named in writing) and an informed end consumer, entirely within Idaho.I.C. 37-205(2), 37-203(3)
  • Give the notice by sign, label or card: 'This product is not subject to government food safety inspection or licensing requirements. It may contain allergens.', with your name and contact information.I.C. 37-205(3)
  • Eggs are 'perishable food': keep them under conditions reasonably intended to maintain safety, and give safe storage and preparation instructions.I.C. 37-203(7)(f), 37-205(4)
  • Keep records of type and quantity sold, sale date, production date and where produced, for at least two years.I.C. 37-208
  • Selling to retailers: 300 or fewer hens, ungraded eggs produced on your premises, each carton marked 'Ungraded' with your name and address.I.C. 37-1523A(2)(f); IDAPA 02.02.11.012.01.c
  • ISDA guidance for fewer than 300 birds: eggs clean; container labeled with name, address, phone number and 'UNGRADED EGGS'.ISDA Egg Candlers & Distributors page
  • Above the line, or buying and reselling others' eggs: distributor license $20 a year, candler license $5, graded cartons with the Idaho egg seal or assessment, 45°F storage.I.C. 37-1522, 37-1523, 37-1523A; IDAPA 02.02.11.550.13, .600
The exact wording
“Idaho shell egg producers having three hundred (300) or less hens may sell ungraded shell eggs produced upon their premises to retailers”

Where you can sell

From home or the farm

Allowed

Selling your own eggs directly to consumers at the place of production needs no license or grade (IDAPA 02.02.11.012.01.b; I.C. 37-1520(g)) and is exempt from the per-dozen assessment (37-1523A(2)(d)). ISDA still asks for clean eggs and a container labeled with name, address, phone number and 'UNGRADED EGGS'.

Farmers markets

With conditions

Allowed without a license under the Direct-to-Consumer Commerce Act (eff. March 20, 2026) when you sell direct to informed end consumers within Idaho: post or attach the 'not subject to government food safety inspection or licensing' notice with your name and contact information, give handling instructions, and keep two years of sales records. The older egg rule (IDAPA 02.02.11.012.01) requires grade designations off the place of production; the Act's preemption clause appears to override this, but no agency guidance confirms it.

Stores and restaurants

With conditions

Producers with 300 or fewer hens may sell ungraded eggs from their premises to retailers in cartons marked 'Ungraded' with name and address (37-1523A(2)(f)). The Direct-to-Consumer Act does not cover wholesale, and its products may not be used as an ingredient in a food establishment, so sales to restaurants fall back on the egg law: graded, invoiced eggs (37-1525(c)) and the restaurant's own food code duties. Above 300 hens, selling to stores makes you a distributor needing a license.

Also check with: Your local public health district (food code questions for restaurant and market sales)

Cartons, labels and handling

Cartons

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

No rule on reused cartons was found. Licensed distributors use cartons showing the Idaho egg seal, grade, size, distributor name and address and 'Keep Refrigerated' (IDAPA 02.02.11.600.01); small producers label 'Ungraded' with name and address.

Refrigeration

45°F or colder where the rule applies.

“All eggs handled, stored or offered for sale by egg distributors, egg dealers and retailers must be held under refrigeration at a temperature of forty-five (45) degrees F or below.”

The label must show

  • 'Ungraded' (ISDA: 'UNGRADED EGGS')
  • Producer name and address
  • Phone number (ISDA guidance)
  • Under the Direct-to-Consumer Act: the 'not subject to government food safety inspection or licensing requirements. It may contain allergens.' notice and producer contact information
  • Safe storage and preparation instructions (Direct-to-Consumer Act)

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

Grading

Ungraded sales are allowed only in some cases.

“An Idaho producer of shell eggs may sell shell eggs produced on his premises in Idaho directly to consumers at the place of production of the eggs, without grade designations. … Idaho shell egg producers having three hundred (300) or less hens may sell ungraded shell eggs produced upon their premises to retailers”

Washing

ISDA asks that eggs sold by flocks under 300 birds be clean. Wash-water rules in IDAPA 02.02.11.550 (90°F or higher and 20°F warmer than the eggs) govern grading operations; no washing rule for small direct sellers was found.

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

What changed recently

  1. 2026-03-20 · Senate Bill 1283 (2026 Idaho Sess. Laws ch. 91) created the Idaho Direct-to-Consumer Commerce Act (I.C. 37-201 to 37-208), letting producers sell homemade food, eggs included, to informed end consumers without inspection or licensing, and amended the egg law so those sellers are not 'distributors' and owe no per-dozen assessment (I.C. 37-1520, 37-1523A). Effective on signing. Source

Common questions

Do I need a license to sell eggs from my backyard chickens in Idaho?
Yes, with no license. Sell ungraded eggs at your farm, or direct to consumers anywhere in Idaho with the required no-inspection notice; flocks of 300 hens or fewer may also sell ungraded eggs to stores. Small-flock line: no number: direct to consumers. The conditions, and the law they come from, are on this page.
Can I sell eggs at a farmers market in Idaho?
Allowed with conditions. Allowed without a license under the Direct-to-Consumer Commerce Act (eff. March 20, 2026) when you sell direct to informed end consumers within Idaho: post or attach the 'not subject to government food safety inspection or licensing' notice with your name and contact information, give handling instructions, and keep two years of sales records. The older egg rule (IDAPA 02.02.11.012.01) requires grade designations off the place of production; the Act's preemption clause appears to override this, but no agency guidance confirms it. Also check with your local public health district (food code questions for restaurant and market sales).
Can I reuse egg cartons in Idaho?
The sources we read do not say; ask the state agriculture department before reusing cartons for eggs you sell.
What has to be on the carton label in Idaho?
'Ungraded' (ISDA: 'UNGRADED EGGS'), Producer name and address, Phone number (ISDA guidance), Under the Direct-to-Consumer Act: the 'not subject to government food safety inspection or licensing requirements. It may contain allergens.' notice and producer contact information, Safe storage and preparation instructions (Direct-to-Consumer Act). The rule reads: "the eggs must be clean and the container must be labeled with the individual’s name, address, phone number, and the words “UNGRADED EGGS.”" The federal safe handling statement applies as well; our carton label maker prints all of it.
Do eggs I sell in Idaho have to be refrigerated?
Yes, at 45°F or colder. The rule reads: "All eggs handled, stored or offered for sale by egg distributors, egg dealers and retailers must be held under refrigeration at a temperature of forty-five (45) degrees F or below."
Sources
Read the 28 passages this page is built on
  • “but shall not refer to a producer when engaging in the sale of eggs or egg products to a distributor or when engaging in the sale of eggs directly to a consumer at the place of production. Distributor shall not include those operating pursuant to chapter 2, title 37 , Idaho Code.”

    I.C. § 37-1520 · read 2026-10-06

  • “am. 1982, ch. 26, sec. 1, p. 51; am. 2026, ch. 91, sec. 7, p. 510.]”

    I.C. § 37-1520 · read 2026-10-06

  • “Idaho shell egg producers having three hundred (300) or less hens may sell ungraded shell eggs produced on their premises to retailers, provided that each carton or other container of ungraded shell eggs sold shall be clearly marked "ungraded" and shall bear the name and address of the Idaho producer”

    I.C. § 37-1523A · read 2026-10-06

  • “(d) Sale to consumers at the place of production or processing;”

    I.C. § 37-1523A · read 2026-10-06

  • “No person shall act as a distributor of eggs in the state of Idaho without first obtaining a license therefor from the director for each physically separate establishment at which such business is conducted.”

    I.C. §§ 37-1522, 37-1523 · read 2026-10-06

  • “The annual license fee for each physically separate establishment of a distributor shall be twenty dollars ($20.00). The annual license fee for each egg candler shall be five dollars ($5.00).”

    legislature.idaho.gov · read 2026-10-06

  • “Each carton or other container in which eggs are being sold or offered for sale by a distributor, egg handler or dealer in the state of Idaho shall bear: (1) A legible statement of the grade and size of eggs. (2) A legible statement of the name and address of the distributor”

    I.C. §§ 37-1524, 37-1525, 37-1526 · read 2026-10-06

  • “The words "fresh," "country," "hennery," "ranch" or words of similar import shall not be deemed a substitute for official grade designation.”

    I.C. §§ 37-1524, 37-1525, 37-1526 · read 2026-10-06

  • “To require each person who sells to any retailer, or to any restaurant, hotel, boarding house, baker, or other institution or concern which purchases eggs for serving to guests or patrons thereof or for its use in preparation of any food products for human consumption, candled or graded eggs other than those of his own production sold and delivered on the premises where produced”

    legislature.idaho.gov · read 2026-10-06

  • “shall be fined not more than one hundred dollars ($100) for the first violation, and not less than one hundred dollars ($100) or more than three hundred dollars ($300) for a subsequent violation.”

    legislature.idaho.gov · read 2026-10-06

  • “Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, all shell eggs sold for human consumption in the Idaho must be designated as one (1) of the following grades”

    IDAPA 02.02.11 (Rules Governing Eggs and Egg Products), §§ 012, 550, 600 · read 2026-10-06

  • “An Idaho producer of shell eggs may sell shell eggs produced on his premises in Idaho directly to consumers at the place of production of the eggs, without grade designations.”

    IDAPA 02.02.11 (Rules Governing Eggs and Egg Products), §§ 012, 550, 600 · read 2026-10-06

  • “Idaho shell egg producers having three hundred (300) or less hens may sell ungraded shell eggs produced upon their premises to retailers, provided that each carton or other container of ungraded shell eggs sold must be clearly marked “Ungraded” and bear the name and address of the Idaho producer.”

    IDAPA 02.02.11 (Rules Governing Eggs and Egg Products), §§ 012, 550, 600 · read 2026-10-06

  • “All eggs handled, stored or offered for sale by egg distributors, egg dealers and retailers must be held under refrigeration at a temperature of forty-five (45) degrees F or below.”

    IDAPA 02.02.11 (Rules Governing Eggs and Egg Products), §§ 012, 550, 600 · read 2026-10-06

  • “If an individual has less than 300 birds, that person can sell the eggs without having to adhere to these requirements; however, the eggs must be clean and the container must be labeled with the individual’s name, address, phone number, and the words “UNGRADED EGGS.””

    Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) · read 2026-10-06

  • “Egg distributors and those who have 300 or more birds must comply with IDAPA 02.02.11 “Rules Governing Eggs and Egg Products” and Title 37, Chapter 15, Idaho Code , “Eggs and Egg Products.””

    Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) · read 2026-10-06

  • “unless that person is the producer selling the eggs at the place of production.”

    Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) · read 2026-10-06

  • “last updated: August 10, 2026”

    Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) · read 2026-10-06

  • “to encourage the expansion of agricultural sales at farm stands, ranches, farms, and producer’s homes by providing unimpeded access to food from Idaho producers.”

    legislature.idaho.gov · read 2026-10-06

  • “"Perishable food" means homemade food and drinks that require time or temperature control at a temperature of forty-one (41) degrees Fahrenheit or below for cold foods … (f) Eggs and egg products;”

    legislature.idaho.gov · read 2026-10-06

  • “"Homemade" means foods or nonalcoholic drinks that are grown, prepared, or processed at a private or leased farm, home kitchen, or other non-licensed facility.”

    legislature.idaho.gov · read 2026-10-06

  • “Transactions conducted pursuant to this chapter shall: (a) Occur between a producer or designated agent and informed end consumer; (b) Occur entirely within the state of Idaho and shall not constitute or involve interstate commerce.”

    legislature.idaho.gov · read 2026-10-06

  • “A producer or designated agent shall inform the end consumer that any homemade shelf-stable or perishable food product sold pursuant to this chapter is not subject to inspection or licensing. … State: "This product is not subject to government food safety inspection or licensing requirements. It may contain allergens."; (ii) Include the name and contact information of the producer”

    legislature.idaho.gov · read 2026-10-06

  • “Perishable food shall be produced, processed, stored, transported, and sold under conditions reasonably intended to maintain the safety and integrity of the product. (b) Perishable food products shall include information on handling instructions sufficient to inform the consumer of safe storage and preparation practices.”

    legislature.idaho.gov · read 2026-10-06

  • “Allow the use of a product made available pursuant to this chapter as an ingredient in a food establishment, as that term is defined in section 39-1602 , Idaho Code, including in public school kitchen facilities;”

    legislature.idaho.gov · read 2026-10-06

  • “maintain records of transactions that identify the type and quantity of product sold, the date of the sale, the date of production, where the homemade food product was produced, and where each ingredient was produced or acquired. … Records shall be retained by the producer or designated agent for a period of at least two (2) years from the date on the record.”

    legislature.idaho.gov · read 2026-10-06

  • “Signed by Governor on 03/20/26 Session Law Chapter 91 Effective: 03/20/2026”

    legislature.idaho.gov · read 2026-10-06

  • “Senate Bill 1283 was signed into law, effective March 20, 2026. It replaces and supersedes the cottage food rule that was defined previously in IDAPA 16.02.19. … Wholesale operations are not exempted from regulation by the Idaho Direct-to-Consumer Commerce Act.”

    healthandwelfare.idaho.gov · read 2026-10-06

What we couldn't confirm
  • Threshold mismatch: the statute and rule say 'three hundred (300) or less hens' may sell ungraded eggs to retailers; ISDA's page says 'less than 300 birds' are free of the egg rules and 'those who have 300 or more birds must comply'. A flock of exactly 300 is treated differently, and the agency counts birds, not hens. thresholdHens uses the statute's 300.
  • Off-farm direct sales (farmers' markets, deliveries): IDAPA 02.02.11.012.01 still requires grade designations except at the place of production. The 2026 Direct-to-Consumer Commerce Act (37-204 preemption; 37-1520(g) as amended) appears to override this for its sellers, but ISDA's egg page (footer dated August 10, 2026) does not mention the Act; no ISDA guidance reconciling the two was found.
  • Whether a farmers' market or its local public health district may still require a temporary food establishment license for eggs sold under the Act was not confirmed; 37-204(2) bars rules more stringent than the state requirement.
  • Restaurants: the 300-hen ungraded rule names only 'retailers'; whether small producers may sell ungraded eggs to restaurants is not stated. The Act bars its products as ingredients in food establishments.
  • IDAPA 02.02.11 sections read carry a (3-15-22) date; no later rule change found. ISDA had not published rule changes reflecting SB 1283 on the pages read.
  • Refrigeration: the 45°F rule binds distributors, dealers and retailers; no temperature is set for producers selling direct, beyond the Act's 'conditions reasonably intended to maintain the safety' (the Act's definition of perishable food refers to 41°F).

Selling across the state line?

The rules change at the border. Here's where Idaho's neighbors draw the line.

ALAKAZARCACOCTDEFLGAHIIDILINIAKSKYLAMEMDMAMIMNMSMOMTNENVNHNJNMNYNCNDOHOKORPARISCSDTNTXUTVTVAWAWVWIWY
No license for small salesDepends how you sellRegistration or licenseNot stated or rechecking

Every state, one map

Colored by the small-flock license rule. Tap a state to read it, or compare them all side by side.

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