Selling maple syrup in Connecticut
Last checked
October 5, 2026
Confirmed in the official rules
Licenses & registration
Since 2019 maple syrup has been regulated by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture (DoAg) rather than Consumer Protection (CGS § 22-54u). Under DoAg's honey and maple syrup regulation, effective February 10, 2023, a producer with annual gross revenues of more than $25,000 from syrup (or honey) registers each year for a license; the fee is $50 and licenses expire December 31 (Regs. Conn. State Agencies § 22-54u-2). Producers at $25,000 or less are exempt from licensing and may file an optional declaration through the state's E-License portal. The regulation covers syrup manufactured in Connecticut. DoAg says honey and maple syrup products with added ingredients, and other fruit or tree-sap syrups, stayed with the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) — contact DCP for those. Maple syrup was removed from Connecticut's cottage food law in 2019, so a cottage food license isn't the route for plain syrup.
Official pageConnecticut Department of Agriculture — Honey & Maple Syrup Regulations (license through the E-License portal if over $25,000; optional declaration if exempt)Where you can make it
Two rules meet here. An older statute still on the books says maple syrup may be prepared and sold on a "residential farm" — a farm that is the owner's primary residence — in a room used as living quarters, exempt from inspection by any state or local agency, as long as each container sold on the farm says "Not prepared in a government-inspected kitchen" in ten-point type (CGS § 21a-24b). The 2023 regulation adds that a producer required to be licensed (over $25,000) who produces, processes, packs or holds syrup in a private residence must use a room separate from living quarters with a separate outside entrance (§ 22-54u-3(b)). The regulation sets no facility requirement for exempt producers, and DoAg's inspection power excludes private residences.
Grade & density
Golden
75% or more
Amber
50–74.9%
Dark
25–49.9%
Very Dark
under 25%
Grading is voluntary: the regulation says a producer "may include" a statement that the syrup meets a USDA grade and color standard, such as "U.S. Grade-A Amber" (§ 22-54u-3(d)). We found no Connecticut density (°Brix) rule in the 2023 regulation or the statutes we read, so the federal floor applies — at least 66% soluble solids (see the national notes). Because misbranded syrup can't be sold, a grade you print has to be accurate.
What goes on the label
- The common or usual name of the product ("maple syrup")
- A declaration of responsibility: the name of the producer, manufacturer or packer and their business address (the address may be omitted if it can be found in a telephone directory or by an internet search)
- Net contents in both English and metric units (the regulation's example: "½ Gallon (1.89 L)")
- A statement on whether the product needs refrigeration to maintain safety or quality, such as "Keep Refrigerated after Opening", as appropriate
- A USDA grade and color statement is optional
- If the syrup is prepared in living quarters on a residential farm and sold on that farm under CGS § 21a-24b: "Not prepared in a government-inspected kitchen" in ten-point type
Where you can sell
The regulation doesn't limit where syrup can be sold — it applies to anyone who manufactures maple syrup in Connecticut, wherever they sell it. At a certified farmers' market, a farmer's kiosk is treated as an extension of the farm and maple syrup is a listed "farm product"; a farmer must still hold any license required to sell the product, and state and local health rules aren't superseded (CGS § 22-6r). Food establishments may buy farm products at a farmers' market if they get an invoice showing the source and date. DCP's January 2019 handout said the residential-farm exemption allowed up to 50% wholesale within Connecticut; that predates the transfer to DoAg and the 2023 regulation has no wholesale limit, so confirm with DoAg if most of your sales are wholesale. Connecticut's rule doesn't address shipping out of state; see the national notes for federal requirements.
Food-safety requirements
No producer may sell, offer, provide or exchange adulterated or misbranded syrup in Connecticut (§ 22-54u-4). Licensed producers (over $25,000) must harvest, produce, process, pack and hold syrup in line with the federal good manufacturing practice rule, 21 CFR Part 117 (§ 22-54u-3(a)). DoAg may inspect any lot, location, equipment or building used to produce, process, pack or hold syrup — but not a private residence — and take samples; producers who aren't required to be licensed are exempt from routine inspection unless their product is the subject of a complaint (§ 22-54u-5).
Across the US
There's no federal license to sell maple syrup in the US — whether you need a license, where you can boil and where you can sell are decided by your state. Federal rules still set the floor for every jar: the FDA defines what "maple syrup" is and what a food label must say, and USDA publishes grade standards that are voluntary at the federal level.
- FDA standard of identity: "maple syrup" (or "maple sirup") is made by concentrating and heat-treating maple sap and must contain at least 66% soluble solids by weight (21 CFR 168.140).
- Every packaged food label needs the product's name on the front panel (21 CFR 101.3), the net quantity of contents in fluid measure (21 CFR 101.7), and the name and place of business of the maker, packer or distributor, including city, state and ZIP code (21 CFR 101.5).
- Nutrition Facts panels are often not required for small producers: direct-to-consumer sellers with $50,000 or less a year in food sales to consumers (or $500,000 or less in total sales to consumers) are exempt if the label makes no nutrition claims (21 CFR 101.9(j)(1)). A separate low-volume exemption covers firms with fewer than 100 full-time-equivalent employees selling fewer than 100,000 units, and firms under 10 employees selling under 10,000 units don't have to file a notice (21 CFR 101.9(j)(18)).
- USDA's grade standards (2015) are voluntary at the federal level: Grade A comes in four color/taste classes — Golden (Delicate), Amber (Rich), Dark (Robust) and Very Dark (Strong) — at 66–68.9% solids (°Brix). Processing Grade must be packed in containers of 5 gallons or larger and can't go into retail-size containers. Some states make grade labeling mandatory under state law (in this guide: Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and Wisconsin for licensed processors), while others leave it voluntary — see your state's page.
- FDA facility registration: FDA treats boiling sap into syrup as "manufacturing/processing", so a dedicated sugarhouse generally has to register with FDA unless an exemption applies — for example, it's a retail food establishment, meaning its direct-to-consumer food sales are worth more than its sales to all other buyers (sales at roadside stands, farmers markets, CSAs, fairs and by mail or online from a farm or farm-operated business all count as direct), or the syrup is made in your home or in an outbuilding that's still used the way a normal home building would be (FDA facility-registration Q&A, 7th ed., 2018).
- Licenses, home-kitchen rules and sugarhouse inspections are state matters, and federal rules apply on top of them — USDA's grade standards say they don't excuse failure to comply with state law. Rules move: Illinois, for example, requires a state permit for every wholesale food operation from July 1, 2026 (see the Illinois page).
Elsewhere
Other states & provinces
- Maine
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- New Hampshire
- New York
- Ohio
- Ontario
- Pennsylvania
- Vermont
- Wisconsin
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts
- Missouri
- West Virginia
- New Brunswick
- Nova Scotia
- Quebec
Getting ready for the season? When to tap in Connecticut
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