Selling honey from your own hives: what each state allows
If you keep bees, you probably know the moment. You pull a good super, spin it out, and suddenly there are forty jars of honey on your counter and only so many friends to give them to. So, can you sell it?
In a lot of states, yes, and it's simpler than you'd think. But I want to start with something I noticed in Coop's own numbers, because it's the reason I wrote this post.
Buyers are looking. Sellers are scarce.
In the last week of September, buyers on Coop searched for "honey" 32 times, and 31 times the week before. That puts honey right behind eggs, meat, beef and chicken, and last week it even edged out sourdough.
Now look at the other side. Across all 107 metro areas where Coop has sellers, there are 49 honey listings from 36 sellers. That's it. For comparison, eggs have 694 listings from 581 sellers.
| Listings on Coop | Sellers | Cities with enough for their own page | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eggs | 694 | 581 | 57 |
| Sourdough | 1,846 | 715 | 65 |
| Honey | 49 | 36 | 0 |
Not one city has enough honey sellers yet for us to build a "local honey near me" page for it. The busiest spots have two honey sellers apiece (St. Louis and Atlanta among them). And some of our biggest seller cities, Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Denver and Tampa, have zero honey listings right now.
The one that stands out to me is San Antonio. It had more honey searches on Coop last week than any other city, and there isn't a single jar listed there. If you have hives anywhere near San Antonio, that's an open door!
What six states say about selling honey
Honey is one of those foods that most cottage food laws were written with in mind, since it's shelf stable and doesn't need a fridge. But "most" isn't "all," and the details vary. Here's what our state guides found.
| State | Is honey covered? | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | Yes, under the cottage food law | Since September 2025 Texas allows most home foods, and honey isn't on the list of exceptions. You need a food handler course and one exact sentence on the label, and the cap is $150,000 a year. Online orders are fine, but you deliver them yourself (no shipping) |
| Florida | Yes, honey is on the list | No permit needed, up to $250,000 a year. You can sell in person, online or by mail. Every jar needs a label with a specific statement in at least 10 point type |
| Colorado | Yes, the statute names honey | You need a food safety course first, and the label needs the state's disclaimer. Today the cap is $10,000 net per product. From January 1, 2027 it becomes $150,000 total, and you'll register with the state each year |
| Oklahoma | Yes, the Health Department names honey as an example | No license. The cap is under $75,000 today and rises to $250,000 on November 1, 2026, when the label sentence changes too. Shelf-stable foods like honey can be shipped |
| Missouri | Not under the cottage food law | Missouri's law covers baked goods, jam or jelly, and dried herbs. Honey isn't on that list, so ask the Department of Health and Senior Services how it treats your honey before you sell |
| Arizona | Check with ADHS | Arizona allows most home foods once you register (free) and have a food handler card. Our guide doesn't single out honey, so confirm with ADHS when you register |
Each guide links the actual statutes and agency pages, so you can read the source yourself.
One small Oklahoma wrinkle I liked finding: the Health Department's memo lists the honey's weight as a label item, but the law itself doesn't require it. Our guide's advice is to follow the statute. (I'd still put the weight on the jar. Buyers like knowing what they're getting!)
The label is most of the work
Once honey is allowed in your state, the label is where most of the real requirements live. Most of the states above want some version of your name and contact info, the product name, and a sentence telling the buyer it was made in a home kitchen that isn't inspected. Several want the exact wording, word for word.
We wrote a whole post on this, cottage food labels by state, with a template you can copy. If you're on Coop+, the Label maker prints a sheet of labels for you and puts the same details on your listing.
A few things that make honey easier to sell
- Sell it by the jar size you actually have. Honey comes in 8 ounce jars, pint jars, quart jars and sometimes comb. On Coop you can price a listing by size, so one listing covers all of them.
- Say where it's from. "Local" is the whole reason people search for honey near them. A line about where your hives sit (the neighborhood, not your address) and what's blooming does a lot of the selling for you.
- Keep it local. Texas wants you delivering online orders yourself, and Colorado sales go straight to the buyer. Coop is built for exactly that. Buyers pick up from you or you deliver, so you're already on the right side of those rules.
- Restock with a nudge. Honey sells in seasons. On Coop+, when the fall harvest comes in, you can tell everyone who saved your listing that it's back.
Put your honey where people are looking
If you've got jars on the counter and you live in a state that allows it, I'd love to see them on Coop. Opening a storefront is free and takes a few minutes, and your first listing takes a few more. In most of the country, you'd be one of the only honey sellers a buyer nearby can find.
Cole Coleman, founder of Coop
This is general information, not legal advice. Laws change, so confirm with your state's health or agriculture department before you sell.