Vendor Licenses & Permits
We know there are a lot of rules, regulations, and licenses that apply to vending at a farmers market. Knowing who to go to with questions is half the battle! On this page you’ll learn how to contact the three agencies that regulate most products found at a farmers market.
At a glance:
The Oregon Department Of Agriculture (ODA) issues licenses for dairy, meat, seafood, and nursery vendors, processed food vendors, bakeries, and scales used at market.
County environmental health departments issue licenses used by ready-to-eat food booths and mobile food units, as well as food handler cards.
The Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC) issues licenses for alcohol vendors.
Farms, Orchards, and Ranches
To produce:
The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) manages production licensing for farms, orchards, and ranches. Use this list at the ODA to find licensing applications. If you’re not sure which license you need, OFMA recommends asking an ODA licensing specialist for help.
To sell:
Under Oregon law, a producer selling agricultural products they grew is exempt from needing an ODA license, including for some packaged and processed foods. All sales must be directly to the end retail consumer. The menu to the right links to more information on exemptions.
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Farms are allowed to sell the following agricultural products directly to customers without a license from the Oregon Department of Agriculture:
- Fruits, vegetables, edible flowers, and herbs that are fresh, cured, or dried as part of routine post-harvest handling
- Dried or cured fruits, vegetables, edible flowers, herbs or blends of herbs, and herbal tea for which drying or curing is not part of routine post-harvest handling
- Olive oil
- Shelled and unshelled nuts
- Shell eggs
- Honey with no additives
- Uncooked whole, hulled, crushed or ground grain, legumes, and seeds
- Uncooked, parched, or roasted grains
- Popcorn, nuts, peppers and corn on the cob that are roasted by the farm direct marketer at the place of purchase after purchase and not sold for immediate consumption
- Maple tree and walnut tree syrup
Although farms are exempt from licensing when selling the above items, there are rules they need to follow. Learn more about the laws and required labeling with this info sheet and FAQ from the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
To learn more, ask an ODA licensing specialist for help.
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Oregon’s Farm Direct Marketing Law allows farmers to turn what they grow into low-risk, value-added products like jams and pickles, and sell them directly to consumers without acquiring a processing license from the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
Some products qualify for the licensing exemption, and some don't. These resources help explain the difference:
- Oregon State University Extension's flowchart of exempt and non-exempt products.
- Oregon Department of Agriculture's guide for selling exempted products.
To learn more, ask an ODA licensing specialist for help.
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Eggs are exempt from state licensing under Oregon’s Farm Direct Marketing Law for agricultural products. However, there are specific labeling and handling requirements in order to meet the farm-direct licensing exemption and remain legal. For more information, read Oregon State University Extension's resource guide for selling eggs.
To learn more, ask an ODA licensing specialist for help.
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Oregon law exempts a poultry business from ODA licensing for slaughter and direct sale of no more than 1,000 domesticated poultry per year raised by the poultry business.
This fact sheet from the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) shares basic information about the exemption. And here's a quick guide to labeling requirements from Oregon State University Extension.
To learn more, ask an ODA licensing specialist for help.
Processed and Packaged Foods
If your activity is making a food product and offering it for sale, then you must be licensed. For most farmers market vendors, what is needed is either a bakery license or a food processing establishment license from the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA). Talk with an ODA licensing specialist to learn more.
In some instances, some products can be made in a home kitchen under a special license, or may even be exempt from needing a license. The menu to the right links to more information on special cases.
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One of the requirements to make and sell food to the public is that it be made in a licensed kitchen. Typically makers rent space in a commissary kitchen. However, some types of food qualify to be made in a home kitchen. Anyone who would like to sell food that is made in their home kitchen must meet special requirements and must get a domestic kitchen license for either a bakery or as a food processor.
Go to the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) to obtain a home kitchen license, or ask an ODA licensing specialist for more information.
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Oregon law allows people to produce certain baked goods and confectionary items in their home kitchens and sell them directly to consumers without having to obtain a food processing license or undergo a home kitchen inspection from the Oregon Department of Agriculture. To find out if a product is exempt from licensing, ask an ODA licensing specialist.
To learn more:
Read this info sheet and FAQ from the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
Ready-to-Eat Foods
Ready-to-eat foods are those that are prepared onsite and sold with the intention of being eaten at the farmers market. County environmental health departments manage licensing of both food booths and mobile food carts or trucks. Businesses will need a separate license for each farmers market location they are a vendor at.
More information about these licenses is in the menu at right.
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Businesses selling ready-to-eat food from a food booth need to obtain what's called a temporary restaurant license (TRL). A separate license is needed for each event. TRLs are issued by county environmental health departments from the county where the event takes place.
The Oregon Health Authority has an operations guide that explains temporary restaurant licenses in depth.
For more information, contact the county where the food booth will be located. Here is list of public health departments by county, which can be used to look up contact info for the county's department of environmental health, which has oversight of TRLs. However, sometimes the easiest way to find contact info is to search online for "temporary restaurant license" along with the name of the relevant county.
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A mobile food unit is any vehicle that is self-propelled, or can be pulled or pushed down a sidewalk, street, highway or waterway. Food may be prepared or processed on this vehicle, and the vehicle is used to sell and dispense food.
The Oregon Health Authority has an operations guide that explains mobile food unit licenses in depth.
For more information, contact the county where the food cart will be located. Here is list of public health departments by county, which can be used to look up contact info for the county's department of environmental health, which has oversight of mobile food unit licensing.
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The State of Oregon requires every commercial food worker involved in public food handling and preparation to get a certified food handlers card. The food handlers card is valid for 3 years.
The Oregon Health Authority maintains a list of approved providers for obtaining a card.
Wine, Beer, and Spirits
Alcoholic beverages are regulated by the Oregon Liquor & Cannabis Commission (OLCC). An annual license is needed to sell alcohol at a farmers market in factory-sealed containers to consumers for consumption offsite. To be able to offer tastings to consumers, a special event license is needed as well.
If the goal is sales by the glass, vendors and the market will need to work together and more closely with the OLCC to create a regulated space to limit access to alcohol by those under age 21.
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All alcohol businesses need to have an annual license which gives them permission to operate a business making, selling and/or serving alcohol. There are different specific annual licenses depending on the type of business (beer, winery, distillery, etc.). Visit the OLCC’s website for a list of the types of annual liquor licenses to determine which license is needed and learn how to apply.
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Once a business has an annual license, they can apply for one of the special event licenses to be able to sell at a farmers market and offer samples:
Beer, wine, and cider vendors need a Special Event Winery (SEW) or Special Event Grower (SEG) license.
Spirits have their own version of the SEW/SEG license, called a Special Event Distillery (SED) license.
SEWs, SEGs, and SEDs cover only five dates at a time, and are good for one location only, so a vendor will need to obtain licenses multiple times a season depending on how many farmers markets they participate in and how many dates they do. The license application needs to be submitted to the OLCC office for the location the farmers market is in, so the vendor may need to work with different OLCC offices as well.
Every special event license application needs to be approved by the city or county government the farmers market is located in before it can be submitted to the OLCC and the license granted. The government office or personnel that handles this is different depending on the individual city or county. Vendors should call or email the city or county general info to track this down, or check with similar vendors they are friends with for a tip!
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OLCC service permits are needed by anyone working at a farmers market selling alcohol.