Raw and bottled honey, comb, and hive products sold direct from Iowa apiaries
Honey is shelf-stable and fits Iowa's cottage food exemption cleanly, with no license required for direct sale to consumers.
Include your name and contact information, the common name ("raw honey," "clover honey," etc.), and the exemption statement; honey itself has no major allergen, but flag one if you've blended in nuts or another allergen.
If you want to use the state's "Choose Iowa" branding on your label, apicultural products carrying that logo must be 100% of Iowa origin — plain cottage food sales don't require the logo at all.
| Item | Rule | Regulator |
|---|---|---|
| Raw/bottled honey, comb honey | Cottage food eligible; no license | Iowa Code 137F.20 |
| Beeswax, pollen, propolis | Cottage food eligible; no license | Iowa Code 137F.20 |
| Labeling | Name/contact, common name, exemption statement | Iowa Code 137F.20(2) |
| "Choose Iowa" logo use | Requires 100% Iowa-origin honey | Iowa Admin. Code 21-52 |
| Honey blended with perishable ingredients | May exit cottage food eligibility | DIAL |
Selling the honey itself doesn't require a state food license under cottage food; if you have questions about apiary registration for pest-management purposes, that's a separate conversation with IDALS's entomology program, not a food-sales requirement.
Yes — descriptive, truthful labeling about your honey's floral source or your farm's location doesn't require using or qualifying for the state's official Choose Iowa marketing program.
No sales cap under Iowa's cottage food law.
No — fermented honey wine (mead) is an alcoholic beverage and needs licensing through the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division, not the food cottage food exemption.