Are licenses required at Farmers Markets? (La Crosse, Dane: license, offices, kitchen)

[QwertyFarmer]

Hello All,

Just wondering if Farmers Markets are regulated by county, state, or other. Do I need any kind of license to sell produce, and is it different if I add some baked goods or canned stuff? Lookinfg forward to the season this year. Thanks for any info.

[Debbdoster]

I used to sell at the Hilldale Farmer's Market and they required a nursery License to sell plants. I know if you sell bake goods you have to have a state certified kitchen, I don't know what that entails.

[wigirl920]

You could probably check with the state, county and municipality....laws and regulations could vary depending where you are. County might be the best first stop, you could contact the local UW-Extension office. If they can't answer your question, I am sure they could readily refer you to the correct place.

ETA: Link for county UW-Extension offices - http://www.uwex.edu/ces/cty/

[7G9C4J2]

If you have a particular market in mind, try checking to see if they have an online presence where you can find out licensing and other regulations. The Dane County Farmers' Market is a good example: Dane County Farmers’ Market (http://www.dcfm.org/bevendor.asp - broken link). There is a link on that page to the Vendor Rules page, where you can open a 25-page PDF document full of regulations for the DCFM.

I suspect that you'll find something similar for most Farmers' Markets in the state, unless they're very small.

Good luck!

[QwertyFarmer]

Thank you for the input and information. I will start with my Crawford County office. I will be in La Crosse this week at the UW extension, I will try there as well. Thanks again.