Market Vendor permits and licenses in Georgia
The statewide credentials every market vendor needs to operate in Georgia, plus city-specific guides for the cities we cover.
This page covers only the Georgia statewide credentials for market vendors. Federal credentials that apply nationwide are on the Market Vendors overview, and each city layers its own permits on top.
The credentials below are the Georgia-wide requirements that apply to every market vendor in the state. Each city and county layers its own permits, fees, and inspections on top. To see the requirements for a specific city, choose it from the Georgia cities list below.
Georgia credential overview
| Credential | Level | Fee | Renewal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia Cottage Food Operation (no license required since HB 398) | State | $0 (the state license and its old $100 annual fee were eliminated) | None; there is no longer a license to renew |
| Fresh Produce Sales Exemption (a farmer selling their own crops) | State | $0 (statutory exemption) | None; ongoing while the produce stays whole and unaltered |
| Shell Egg Candling Certification and Small-Flock Exemption | State | $0 for the candling class and certificate; no license fee for a qualifying small flock | One-time certification; the candling certificate does not expire |
| Honey Producer Direct-Sale Exemption | State | $0 (statutory exemption) | None; ongoing while you sell under the exempt conditions |
| GDA Food Sales Establishment License | State | $100 to $300 a year, tiered by risk category (Tier 1 $100, Tier 2 $150, Tier 3 $200, Tier 4 $250, Tier 5 $300) | Annual (license year July 1 to June 30) |
| Temporary Food Service Establishment Permit (prepared or hot food) | State | Set by each county Board of Health; commonly somewhere around $25 to $150 per event by county and duration, so confirm the current figure with the county where the market is held | Per event, valid only for the listed dates; a temporary operation may run no more than 14 consecutive days under DPH rule |
| Sales and Use Tax Certificate of Registration | State | $0 (free) | None unless ownership or structure changes, but you still file returns on your assigned schedule even with no sales |
| ANSI-Accredited Food Handler Training (cottage food) | Operational | Roughly $5 to $20 through a private provider, not a government fee | Varies by provider, commonly every 2 to 3 years |
| Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) | Operational | About $35 to $200 by course and provider, not a government fee | Typically every 3 to 5 years, per the certifying body |
| GDA Commercial Scale Inspection (selling by weight) | Operational | $0 to the vendor; there is no separate per-vendor scale registration fee | Ongoing; GDA inspects commercial scales on its own schedule and on complaint |
Georgia cities
City and county rules stack on top of the statewide credentials.
Each market vendor credential in Georgia, explained
Grouped by the level of government that issues it, broadest first. Every market vendor in Georgia needs these regardless of city.
State level
7 credentials
Georgia Cottage Food Operation (no license required since HB 398)
Only for a home cook of shelf-stable food. As of July 1, 2025, House Bill 398 scrapped Georgia's cottage food license, the $100 fee, and the pre-opening home-kitchen inspection. You may make non-potentially-hazardous foods at home, breads, cookies, cakes, candies, jams and jellies, dried fruit, dry seasoning blends, popcorn, and flavored vinegars, and sell them direct to consumers, at markets, online for in-state delivery, and now wholesale to stores and restaurants too. GDA still investigates complaints and illness reports, and if you would rather not print your home address you can request a free GDA identification number for the label instead.
- Fee
- $0 (the state license and its old $100 annual fee were eliminated)
- Renewal
- None; there is no longer a license to renew
- Processing
- None; you can begin selling without an application
Fresh Produce Sales Exemption (a farmer selling their own crops)
Only for a farmer selling whole, unprocessed fruits and vegetables. GDA's Farmers Market guidance is clear that unaltered fresh produce needs no license or registration, so this is an exemption rather than a permit. The moment you process it in any way, slicing, freezing, juicing, or drying, it leaves this exemption and falls under food sales licensing instead.
- Fee
- $0 (statutory exemption)
- Renewal
- None; ongoing while the produce stays whole and unaltered
- Processing
- No application; comply and start selling
Shell Egg Candling Certification and Small-Flock Exemption
Only for a farmer selling their own shell eggs. Under the Georgia Egg Law every egg sold in the state has to be candled and graded by a certified grader first, and GDA teaches that for free with a written and hands-on exam (an out-of-state candling certificate is also accepted). A small producer who sells no more than 30 dozen per transaction from a flock of 3,000 hens or fewer, direct to the household that eats them, is exempt from the Food Sales Establishment License, but the candling and labeling rules still apply.
- Fee
- $0 for the candling class and certificate; no license fee for a qualifying small flock
- Renewal
- One-time certification; the candling certificate does not expire
- Processing
- Classes are scheduled periodically through GDA district offices
Honey Producer Direct-Sale Exemption
Only for a beekeeper retailing their own honey. Georgia does not require a Food Sales Establishment License when you process and sell honey you produced yourself directly to the household consumer, which covers farmers markets, fairs, and festivals. Step into wholesale, bulk, or selling another beekeeper's honey and the exemption ends, so a license is required.
- Fee
- $0 (statutory exemption)
- Renewal
- None; ongoing while you sell under the exempt conditions
- Processing
- No application; comply and start selling
GDA Food Sales Establishment License
The core GDA license for a packaged-food vendor working beyond the cottage rules: potentially hazardous products, anything made outside a home kitchen, volume wholesale to stores or restaurants, or processed goods that no exemption covers (most bottled sauces, certain jams by pH or water activity, roasted coffee, commercial-kitchen spice blends, jarred low-acid or acidified foods). You cannot produce under this license in a residential kitchen; a licensed commercial or shared-use kitchen is required. For acidified or canned products, GDA also wants the federal canning paperwork shown on the Market Vendors overview before it licenses you.
- Fee
- $100 to $300 a year, tiered by risk category (Tier 1 $100, Tier 2 $150, Tier 3 $200, Tier 4 $250, Tier 5 $300)
- Renewal
- Annual (license year July 1 to June 30)
- Processing
- Requires a written plan and a pre-operational inspection before the license issues; allow several weeks
Temporary Food Service Establishment Permit (prepared or hot food)
This is the one statewide requirement that is mandated by state law but issued and priced locally, and it is the thing a prepared-food vendor most needs to understand. Any vendor cooking or serving food for immediate eating at a market, fair, or event needs it, and because the county Board of Health issues it rather than a single state office, you generally file a separate application and pay a separate fee in every county you sell in, even for an identical menu. An opening-day inspection is standard before the permit is handed over.
- Issued by
- County Board of Health (Environmental Health), under DPH Rule 511-6-1 and O.C.G.A. 26-2-371 to 373
- Fee
- Set by each county Board of Health; commonly somewhere around $25 to $150 per event by county and duration, so confirm the current figure with the county where the market is held
- Renewal
- Per event, valid only for the listed dates; a temporary operation may run no more than 14 consecutive days under DPH rule
- Processing
- Apply ahead of the event, commonly 10 to 30 business days depending on the county
Sales and Use Tax Certificate of Registration
Applies to nearly every vendor type, craft sellers included, because Georgia taxes most retail sales. Unprepared food and food ingredients sold for home use are exempt from the 4 percent state rate, though many counties still apply local-option taxes to grocery food, while prepared food sold hot, combined into a single item, or sold with utensils is fully taxable at the combined state and local rate. A craft vendor's wares and a packaged-food vendor's shelf-stable jars are both taxable retail sales.
- Fee
- $0 (free)
- Renewal
- None unless ownership or structure changes, but you still file returns on your assigned schedule even with no sales
- Processing
- Usually registered within about 15 minutes online through the Georgia Tax Center
Operational level
3 credentials
ANSI-Accredited Food Handler Training (cottage food)
Only for a cottage food operator. Even after HB 398 dropped the license, the GDA cottage food rule still expects a basic ANSI-accredited food handler certificate. The deeper Certified Food Protection Manager credential is not required at the cottage level, so a short food handler course is enough here.
- Fee
- Roughly $5 to $20 through a private provider, not a government fee
- Renewal
- Varies by provider, commonly every 2 to 3 years
- Processing
- Often same day, self-paced online
Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM)
For a Food Sales Establishment licensee handling time and temperature controlled foods, and for a permitted temporary food service booth. Both GDA and the county health authorities want at least one supervisor holding this certification, while a minimal-risk operation is exempt but still has to show it knows the rules.
- Fee
- About $35 to $200 by course and provider, not a government fee
- Renewal
- Typically every 3 to 5 years, per the certifying body
- Processing
- A course plus exam, often finished in a day
GDA Commercial Scale Inspection (selling by weight)
Only for a vendor pricing goods by weight, such as produce by the pound or bulk items. There is no license to apply for, but GDA Fuel and Measures can inspect any commercial scale for accuracy, including after a short-weighing complaint. The cottage food rule separately requires cottage operators who sell by weight to use an approved, GDA-inspectable scale.
- Fee
- $0 to the vendor; there is no separate per-vendor scale registration fee
- Renewal
- Ongoing; GDA inspects commercial scales on its own schedule and on complaint
- Processing
- Not an application; GDA inspects scales already in use
Georgia-specific things to watch for
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a license to sell at a farmers market in Georgia?
It depends entirely on what you sell. A farmer selling unaltered produce or their own honey needs no license, and small-flock egg sellers are exempt from licensing (though eggs still must be candled). A home cook selling cottage foods has needed no state license since July 2025. A packaged-food producer beyond the cottage rules needs a GDA Food Sales Establishment License ($100 to $300 a year), and a hot-food vendor needs a county-issued Temporary Food Service Establishment permit.
Do you need a cottage food license in Georgia?
No, not anymore. House Bill 398 took effect July 1, 2025 and eliminated the Georgia cottage food license along with its $100 fee. You can produce approved non-potentially-hazardous foods at home and sell them without GDA licensing or a kitchen inspection, but a food handler certificate and compliant labeling are still required, and GDA still responds to complaints and illness reports.
Can you sell baked goods from home in Georgia?
Yes, as a cottage food operation. Approved shelf-stable baked goods like loaf breads, rolls, cakes, pastries, cookies, and fruit pies can be made in a home kitchen and sold direct to consumers, at markets, online within Georgia, and now wholesale to stores and restaurants, with no state license. You still need ANSI-accredited food handler training and proper labels, and refrigerated or potentially hazardous items do not qualify.
Do you need a permit to sell hot food at a Georgia farmers market?
Yes, a Temporary Food Service Establishment permit from the county Board of Health where the market is held. You apply ahead of time, commonly 10 to 30 business days out depending on the county, and a separate permit and fee are required for each county you work, since the permit is county-issued under statewide DPH rules rather than from one central office.
You just read through every credential your market vendor needs in Georgia.
Each one has a different renewal date, a different fee, and a different agency. CredentiAlert tracks all of them and reminds you before any of them lapse, so you can spend your time running your business, not managing a renewal calendar.
- Georgia Department of Agriculture, Cottage Food
- Georgia Department of Agriculture, HB 398 Cottage Food Update FAQ (PDF)
- Official Georgia Rules and Regulations, Cottage Food Rule 40-7-19
- Georgia Department of Agriculture, Farmers Market Toolkit (PDF)
- Georgia Department of Agriculture, Basic Requirements for Honey Producers
- Georgia Department of Agriculture, Egg Candling Certification
- Georgia Department of Agriculture, Food Establishment Licenses (Retailers)
- Georgia Department of Agriculture, Certified Food Protection Managers
- Georgia Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures
- Georgia Department of Public Health, Food Service (Rule 511-6-1)
- Official Georgia Rules and Regulations, Subject 511-6-1
- Georgia Department of Revenue, Register a New Business
- Georgia Department of Revenue, Sales and Use Tax Registration FAQ
Last verified 2026-06-30. Requirements change. Always confirm with the issuing department before applying.