Do You Need a License to Sell Microgreens? The Real Line
Ten trays of radish and pea shoots sit on your spare room shelf and a neighbor just offered cash for a clamshell.
So do you need a license to sell microgreens before you hand it over? Often not and I’ll show you exactly where that changes.
If you’re a home grower trying to make a first legal sale without hiring a lawyer the answer hangs on one dollar line. Some guides still print an outdated number.
Can you sell microgreens from home? Yes and the short version comes next.
Do you need a license to sell microgreens? Usually not a federal one since FDA’s Produce Safety Rule skips farms with small yearly produce sales.
Your state, county, farmers market or buyer can still ask for a microgreens business license, producer certificate or proof of safe handling.
Below you’ll see the dollar line that decides whether FDA’s rule touches you and what it means in trays per week.
You’ll also learn why microgreens food safety rules stay on when licenses fall away and which three calls settle your own state.
Why Most Home Growers Get Microgreens Licensing Wrong
Both wrong. One camp says every grower needs a stack of permits. The other says small growers can ignore the rulebook.
Treating “do you need a license to sell microgreens” as a yes or no question is the first mistake. FDA’s rule leaves out farms averaging $25,000 or less in produce sales over three years, plus produce grown for your own use.
Inflation moved that line. FDA’s adjusted table now shows $34,324 for the 2023 to 2025 average (FDA, 2026).
Under the line is not the same as rule free. A city or town may require a business license for wholesale and a buyer can ask for a safety plan or audit. Selling microgreens at farmers markets in California also takes a Certified Producer Certificate.
I think the “no license, no rules” myth does more damage than the “ten permits” myth because it sounds like permission.
Can you sell microgreens from home under the line? Yes a microgreens business license is still a local call.
Do You Need a License to Sell Microgreens? The Real Numbers, Step by Step
Start with what a tray earns. My breakdown of Missouri Extension’s 2024 budget models $32 to $60 in sales per harvested tray.
Can you sell microgreens from home at ten trays a week? Federally, yes. That is 520 trays a year or $16,640 to $31,200 in sales under the adjusted line even at the top price.
Against the old $25,000 figure though the top price already tips you over. It takes 11 to 21 trays a week to cross the adjusted line depending on price.
Trays per week needed to reach each FDA sales line (52 weeks, $32 to $60 per tray; FDA, 2024 and 2026)
| Line | Annual sales | Trays/week at $32 | Trays/week at $60 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not covered farm, original | $25,000 | 15 | 8 |
| Not covered farm, adjusted | $34,324 | 21 | 11 |
| Qualified exemption, original | $500,000 | 300 | 160 |
| Qualified exemption, adjusted | $686,476 | 413 | 220 |
Between the two lines sits a middle zone that FDA calls a qualified exemption.
Most of your sales must go to consumers or to restaurants and retail food establishments in your state or within 275 miles. You still owe a label with your farm’s name and full address plus basic records.
📝 Note: FDA plans to update these adjusted cutoffs each April so recheck $34,324 before you rely on it.
None of those lines replaces a local license. Do you need a license to sell microgreens in your county? Only your county can say.
The Food Safety Gap Nobody Tells Home Growers About
Skipping federal paperwork never skips the bacteria and microgreens food safety rules do not care about your license. Microgreens grow warm and wet and people eat them raw.
Penn State’s extension team says FDA’s rule covers produce eaten raw and microgreens fall in that group.
Greenbelt Greenhouse found out in April 2018. A Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) sampling program found Listeria in its broccoli microgreens.
The company recalled seven products from Whole Foods stores in Washington and stopped all production.
No illness had been reported. Recall anyway.
Microgreens food safety comes down to a short list of habits. Penn State’s guidance says to wash hands for 30 seconds or more and test private water for generic E. coli.
It also says to clean then sanitize trays and tools and to skip post harvest washing unless you must.
None of that costs a permit fee. I would rather spend an hour writing down my cleaning steps than argue about cottage food rules.
Selling microgreens at farmers markets puts your trays in front of strangers who eat them raw.
Even when your answer to “do you need a license to sell microgreens” is no the bacteria do not care.
How to Check Your Local Rules Without Paying a Lawyer First
Answering “do you need a license to sell microgreens” at your address takes three calls and one number.
Know your exact number first: Project a year of sales from trays per week times price per tray. The microgreens profit calculator shows revenue per tray and trays per month so multiply by twelve and compare the total to FDA’s line.
Next call your state department of agriculture and ask how it classifies microgreens. Washington treats them as a salad green not a sprout and sprout sellers there need their own state license. Same crop. Different bin.
💡 Pro Tip: Selling living trays to chefs? WSDA’s guidance is to collect a yearly written note that the kitchen will cut the greens above the soil line (WSDA, 2019).
Last, ask your city or county about a microgreens business license. Then ask the market manager what vendors must show before you pay a booth fee.
Selling microgreens at farmers markets comes with a list of its own so get it in writing.
📖 Further Reading: Where to Sell Microgreens: Market vs Restaurant Sales
Key Takeaways
- FDA’s Produce Safety Rule skips farms averaging under $34,324 in yearly produce sales so most home growers owe no federal filing.
- Roughly 11 to 21 trays a week crosses that line depending on your price per tray.
- A microgreens business license, market permit or buyer requirement comes from your city, county or state not FDA.
- Microgreens food safety habits apply to every tray and Greenbelt Greenhouse recalled seven products over one Listeria result.
- Can you sell microgreens from home? Yes under the federal line but selling microgreens at farmers markets means checking the market’s own list.
So do you need a license to sell microgreens? Probably not from FDA and probably yes from someone closer to home.
Know your number, keep microgreens food safety habits tight and ask before the first sale because FDA resets the line every April.
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