Selling maple syrup in Michigan
Yes — small producers can sell their own Michigan maple syrup without a license as long as gross sales stay at or under $50,000 a year ($75,000 if you sell at $250 or more per unit). Exempt syrup must carry a "not inspected by MDARD" statement, and your sugarhouse still has to meet the Michigan Food Law's sanitation and building standards.
September 25, 2026
Some points to confirm with the agency
Under the Michigan Food Law, a producer's own maple syrup processing facility and retail outlet are both exempt from a food establishment license if gross sales don't exceed the cottage food limit — currently $50,000 a year, or $75,000 if you sell at $250 or more per unit (MCL 289.4105(1)(e) and 289.4102(5)). Above that, you need a food establishment license from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD). If your processing facility is licensed, a producer-run retail outlet selling your own prepackaged Michigan syrup needs no additional license. Reselling syrup you didn't make requires a retail food establishment license. MDARD suggests calling 800-292-3939 to confirm you qualify.
Official pageMichigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development — Maple Syrup and Honey (license needed only above the sales limit)Maple syrup has its own exemption rather than falling under Michigan's cottage food (home kitchen) law, and MDARD says exempt syrup "must be produced in a facility that meets basic processing requirements" of the Food Law — sanitation, building construction and design, and employee hygiene. Neither the statute nor MDARD's maple page says whether a home kitchen can meet those requirements for syrup, so check with MDARD before boiling or bottling for sale in your house. Some maple-based products can be made under the Cottage Food Law.
We found no Michigan statute or MDARD guidance that requires a grade on maple syrup labels, and MDARD's sample label shows none — so grading follows the voluntary USDA standards. The federal FDA standard still applies: at least 66% soluble solids.
Check your density with the hydrometer calculator →- Name and address of the producer
- Name of the product (e.g. "Pure Michigan Maple Syrup" on MDARD's sample label)
- Ingredients ("Maple Syrup")
- Net volume (MDARD's sample shows both fl oz and mL)
- Allergen labeling as required by federal rules, and nutrition labeling only if you make a nutrition claim
- License-exempt producers only: a statement that the syrup was made in a facility not inspected by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (the matching cottage food statement must be at least 11-point type)
License-exempt producers can sell from the farm, at farmers markets, and wholesale — including to grocery stores and other retailers who resell it — as long as the syrup is labeled correctly (MDARD). Anyone reselling syrup they didn't produce needs a retail food establishment license. Michigan's rules for exempt maple producers don't address shipping across state lines; see the national notes for federal requirements.
Exempt producers don't need a license but remain subject to inspection by MDARD, and must still meet all Michigan Food Law requirements, including sanitation, building construction and design, processing requirements and employee hygiene (MDARD).
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 (effective March 2, 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.
Official sources
- MCL 289.4105 — Food Law of 2000: license exemptions — Michigan Legislature
- MCL 289.4102 — Cottage food operations (sales limit and label) — Michigan Legislature
- Maple Syrup and Honey — Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
- Food Establishment License Exemptions — Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
- Farmers Markets FAQ — Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
- 21 CFR 168.140 — Maple sirup (standard of identity) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration (eCFR)
- 21 CFR 101.3 — Identity labeling of food in packaged form — U.S. Food and Drug Administration (eCFR)
- 21 CFR 101.5 — Food; name and place of business of manufacturer, packer, or distributor — U.S. Food and Drug Administration (via Cornell LII)
- 21 CFR 101.7 — Declaration of net quantity of contents — U.S. Food and Drug Administration (eCFR)
- 21 CFR 101.9 — Nutrition labeling of food (exemptions in paragraph (j)) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration (via Cornell LII)
- United States Standards for Grades of Maple Syrup (effective March 2, 2015) — USDA Agricultural Marketing Service
- Questions and Answers Regarding Food Facility Registration (Seventh Edition): Guidance for Industry — U.S. Food and Drug Administration
This page summarizes public rules as we read them on September 25, 2026. It isn't legal advice, and rules change — confirm with the agency before you sell.
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