What has to be on a maple syrup label in Ohio?

Name of the product ("maple syrup") Name and address of the business (ODA: the street address may be omitted if the business is listed in the local phone directory) Ingredients in descending order by weight, as required by ORC 3715.023(A)(3). Include “maple syrup” for plain syrup unless ODA confirms a specific exception for your label. Net contents: ORC 3715.023(A)(4) requires net weight and volume. Confirm the declaration and units with ODA before printing; its older fact sheet describes volume alone. A grade only if the syrup has been tested, styled "U.S. Grade A ___" with the full grade name ODA: a label is required even on syrup you give away or trade

Ohio · selling rules

Selling maple syrup in Ohio

Yes — if you collect at least 75% of the sap you boil from trees yourself, Ohio exempts you from licensing, registration and mandatory inspection. Every container still needs a proper label, and grading is optional in Ohio — but if you print a grade, you have to test the syrup first.

Ohio highlighted on a map of the maple belt, with its forecast town (Chardon) marked — Ohio in the maple beltDots: Chardon

License / registration?It depends

Home kitchen OK?Yes

Last checked

October 14, 2026

Some points to confirm with the agency

Before you sell: what to confirm

Before printing labels, ask ODA to resolve the difference between ORC 3715.023 (ingredients, net weight and volume) and its 2019 fact sheet (an ingredient-list exception for plain syrup and volume only). The statute’s requirements are the starting point. Also ask ODA for current lead action levels; the older fact sheet’s numeric table should not be treated as a current rule. The 75% self-collected-sap exemption does not remove the adulteration or labeling requirements.

Licenses & registration

A processor of tree syrup who boils sap when at least 75% of it is collected directly from trees by that processor isn't a "food processing establishment" under Ohio law (ORC 3715.021), and the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) says such a producer "is exempt from licensing, registration and mandatory inspection." If more than 25% of your sap comes from someone else, or you buy syrup to repack, the exemption no longer covers you — check with ODA which license applies to your operation. ODA offers voluntary inspections on request (1-800-282-1955, ext. 4366).

Official pageOhio Department of Agriculture, Division of Food Safety — Maple Syrup fact sheet (no license for exempt producers; voluntary inspection available)

Where you can make it

Exempt producers aren't a food processing establishment, so ODA's facility standards for processing plants don't apply and there's no inspection requirement. You still must not sell adulterated or misbranded syrup (ORC 3715.25), and packaging must meet Ohio's maple packaging rules (OAC 901:3-45-04).

Grade & density

Golden

75% or more

Amber

50–74.9%

Dark

25–49.9%

Very Dark

under 25%

Ohio's maple grades are voluntary (ORC 3715.24). If you choose to show a grade, it must be written "U.S. Grade ___" using the full grade name — U.S. Grade A Golden (Delicate), Amber (Rich), Dark (Robust) or Very Dark (Strong) — and the syrup must be tested first with a spectrophotometer or a comparable commercial color kit (OAC 901:3-45-01, -03). Maple syrup must be at least 66 °Brix at 68 °F (ORC 3715.24); Grade A syrup can be no more than 68.9% solids.

Syrup grades explained · check your density

What goes on the label

Name of the product ("maple syrup")
Name and address of the business (ODA: the street address may be omitted if the business is listed in the local phone directory)
Ingredients in descending order by weight, as required by ORC 3715.023(A)(3). Include “maple syrup” for plain syrup unless ODA confirms a specific exception for your label.
Net contents: ORC 3715.023(A)(4) requires net weight and volume. Confirm the declaration and units with ODA before printing; its older fact sheet describes volume alone.
A grade only if the syrup has been tested, styled "U.S. Grade A ___" with the full grade name
ODA: a label is required even on syrup you give away or trade

Where you can sell

ODA says the label rules apply whether you sell from home, at a market or elsewhere. Properly labeled syrup from an exempt producer is an acceptable product for licensed retail food stores and restaurants to sell or cook with (ORC 3715.023), so you can sell to stores. Off-site sales (markets, stores, shipping) need both US and metric net contents. Ohio's exemption doesn't address shipping out of state; see the national notes for federal requirements.

Food-safety requirements

Packaging must be food-grade, clean and dry when filled, rust-free, air-tight and filled to at least 90% of capacity; reusable canning jars must be washed and sanitized, and closures can't be reused (OAC 901:3-45-04). Bulk drums and barrels must be food-grade, cleaned and sanitized, and can't be used if they ever held lead, lead-based paint or other hazardous material, are rusted, or have lead solder on a food-contact surface (OAC 901:3-45-05).

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).

Ohio

More for Ohio sugarmakers

Elsewhere

Other states & provinces

Getting ready for the season? When to tap in Ohio

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