How to sell at a farmers market: application, permits and booth

How to sell at a farmers market, step by step

Selling at a farmers market starts with paperwork done before your first market day. The market manager wants to know what you sell, that you made or grew it, and that you hold the permits and insurance the market and your state require.

This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules vary by state, county and city, so check with the agencies where the market is held.

1. Find markets near you that accept your kind of product, and note their application deadlines.
2. Read each market's vendor rules: what it allows, booth fees, attendance and insurance.
3. Register for a seller's permit or sales tax account if your state requires one for your products.
4. Get the food permits your product needs, or confirm your state's cottage food law covers it.
5. Buy general and product liability insurance if the market asks for a certificate.
6. Send the vendor application with photos, permits and fees, then plan your booth and payments.

How to become a vendor at a farmers market: finding one

The USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service keeps a national directory of farmers markets. It lists markets that feature two or more farm vendors selling agricultural products directly to customers at a common, recurrent physical location, with details such as market locations, directions, operating times, product offerings and accepted forms of payment.

That definition matters for makers. Some markets are producer-only and keep most of their space for farmers. Others accept crafts, baked goods and prepared food, sometimes in a set share of booths. Read the market's rules or ask the manager before you apply, and visit on a market day to see who already sells there.

The farmers market vendor application

Each market writes its own application. Most ask for similar information. Check each market's deadline, since some review applications before the season opens.

1. Describe what you sell

   List each product, how you make or grow it, and where. Producer-only markets may ask you to show that you made or grew everything on your table.

2. Attach photos

   Send clear photos of your products and, if you have one, your booth. Managers use them to judge quality and how your table will look next to others.

3. Add your permits

   Include your seller's permit number, food permits or cottage food registration, and any license the market lists. Send them with the application so the manager can review it in full.

4. Add proof of insurance

   If the market asks for proof of insurance, it may want a certificate of liability insurance that names the market or its sponsor as an additional insured.

5. Pay the fees

   Markets can charge an application fee, a booth fee per market day or season, or a share of sales. The vendor rules list them. Build these into your prices.

6. Sign the vendor agreement

   The agreement covers setup times, attendance, booth size, tent weights and the rain policy. Keep a copy at the booth.

How markets select farmers market vendors

Each market sets its own rules for choosing vendors, and no national rule governs it. Ask the manager how applications are reviewed. The points below are things a manager can look at, so cover them in your application.

• Fit with the market's rules, such as producer-only or local-only limits.
• How your products fit next to the vendors the market already has.
• Quality, shown in the photos and sometimes in samples.
• Complete paperwork: permits and insurance in place when you apply.
• Attendance: which market days or how much of the season you can commit to.
• Whether returning vendors keep their booths, which affects how much space is open.

If you are not accepted, ask whether the market keeps a waiting list or runs day stalls for new vendors.

Farmers market vendor permits and licenses

Do you need a license to sell at a farmers market? Usually you need at least one, and which ones depends on what you sell and where. The SBA says requirements and fees vary based on your business activities, location and government rules, and that you may also need licenses from your county or city.

The table shows the paperwork farmers market vendor requirements most often cover, with California as a worked example of how one state handles each part.

Sales tax at a farmers market

Sales tax depends on the product. Whether an item is taxable depends on the product and the state. In California, the CDTFA says you need a permit if you are selling, even temporarily, new or handcrafted items. It also says that if you only sell cold food that is not hot prepared, your sales are generally nontaxable and you will not be required to obtain a seller's permit.

A seller's permit means you collect tax at the booth and file returns on the schedule the state gives you. Keep a record of each market day's sales, split into taxable and non-taxable items, so the return is easy to fill in.

Insurance for a farmers market booth

Markets ask for insurance because a falling tent or a reaction to a food product can lead to a claim. The SBA describes two kinds that fit a market vendor. General liability insurance protects against financial loss as the result of bodily injury, property damage, medical expenses, libel, slander, defending lawsuits, and settlement bonds or judgments. Product liability insurance is for businesses that manufacture, wholesale, distribute, and retail a product, and it protects against financial loss as a result of a defective product that causes injury or bodily harm.

Ask an insurer for a policy that includes events, and request a certificate naming the market as an additional insured.

Food rules for farmers market vendors

Food is where the rules differ most. Baked goods, jams and other foods made at home may be covered by a state cottage food law, which can limit what you make, how you label it and where you sell it. Food cooked or served at the booth, and free samples, may need a temporary food permit from the county health department.

Los Angeles County shows how this works at the county level. Its Environmental Health division describes a temporary food facility as a food facility approved by the local enforcement agency to operate at a fixed location for the duration of the approved community event or swap meet. It says food vendors at a community event that operates in conjunction with a Certified Farmers' Market must obtain a temporary food facility (TFF) permit. Home food makers can still need one: the county notes that Class A and B cottage food operations may sell at community events, and additional TFF permits may be required.

Check three places before you apply: your state's cottage food rules, the county health department where the market is held, and the market's own rules for food vendors.

Setting up a farmers market booth

Check the market's rules for booth size and setup first. Then plan for these items.

• A tent with weights on each leg, if the market requires them.
• A table with a cloth to the ground, so stock under the table stays out of sight.
• A sign with your business name and clear prices on every item.
• Your seller's permit and food permits on display where your state asks for it.
• A card reader or phone payments as well as cash and change.
• A way to collect emails or point shoppers to where they can buy between market days.

Card fees on one farmers market sale

If you take cards, the chart shows what two card readers keep from one $20 in-person sale at their published rates.

Where Nation fits

Questions about selling at a farmers market