Can I sell eggs in Arkansas?

Do I need a license to sell eggs in Arkansas?

The sources don't say it the same way. Arkansas's egg law lets a retailer sell eggs bought directly from a producer who owns fewer than 700 hens, ungraded, if the eggs are washed and clean, packed and marked "ungraded" with the producer's name and address, in cartons with old markings obliterated, and kept at 45°F or colder. The Department of Agriculture's egg page repeats that path as its requirements to sell country eggs, and names no permit or fee for it.

The same page lists the Egg Handler Permit as "required for individuals or businesses handling eggs for sale in Arkansas." The statute's permit is for operating a shell egg processing plant and egg candling room, and the rule collects its $60 annual fee and 6 cents a case from the processor, packer or wholesaler. Nothing read for this page says whether a producer under 700 hens needs it. Ask the department's Egg and Poultry Section before your first sale.

Source: Act 598 of 2023 (Ark. Code § 20-58-203), 2 CAR § 157-101, Arkansas Department of Agriculture, Egg Programs, Act 703 of 2025 (§ 20-58-209) and 2 CAR § 157-104.

How many eggs can I sell without a license in Arkansas?

Arkansas's line is hens, not dozens: the ungraded path is for a producer who owns fewer than 700 hens. Act 598 of 2023 raised it from 200, so an older guide that says 200 is out of date. The sources set no weekly or monthly limit on dozens.

Federal egg-safety rules start at 3,000 laying hens, for a farm that does not sell all its eggs straight to consumers.

Source: Act 598 of 2023, 2 CAR § 157-101 and 21 CFR 118.1.

Can I sell eggs at a farmers market in Arkansas?

The Department of Agriculture says its small-flock rule applies at flea markets, farmers markets and fruit stands. The joint Health and Agriculture vendor guide says a producer who owns fewer than 700 hens may sell ungraded eggs at farmers markets under the same conditions. The cold has to be "an operable refrigeration unit which will maintain 45°F or below." Ice, dry ice and other non-powered containers are "not acceptable."

The guide says a vendor may need a Department of Health permit depending on what it sells, and tells you to ask the local health unit. It doesn't say whether an egg-only stall needs one. The Food Freedom Act on homemade food never mentions eggs, and it leaves out raw animal food. Ask the local health unit before your first market.

Source: Arkansas Department of Agriculture, Egg Programs, Farmers' Market Vendor Guide (2025) and Act 1040 of 2021.

Can I sell eggs to a restaurant, a store or someone who resells them in Arkansas?

A store, yes, under the conditions. The law is written as what a retailer may sell: eggs bought directly from a producer who owns fewer than 700 hens, ungraded and packed as above. The store produces an invoice showing where the eggs came from, and the department's page says the store keeps it two years, with the date and the number of eggs. Each carton at retail also shows a USDA plant number, an Arkansas "ARK" permit number, or the packer's name and full address.

Restaurants are unclear. The law counts a restaurant as a consumer, a restaurant using eggs below Grade A posts a placard or says so on the menu, and one that knowingly uses eggs below Grade B is in violation. No source says whether a restaurant may buy a small flock's ungraded eggs. Ask the department. Selling for resale is beyond what this directory is built for.

Source: Act 598 of 2023, 2 CAR § 157-101, Egg Programs, Act 115 of 1993 (§ 20-58-202) and Act 700 of 1997 (§ 20-58-207).

Do I need to grade or label my eggs in Arkansas?

A small flock's eggs are packed and marked "ungraded", with the producer's name and address. A used carton may be reused only with every brand marking and other identification obliterated. The department's pending amendment changes "obliterated" to "removed." Eggs packed for resale to a consumer are labeled "Keep refrigerated at or below 45 degrees Fahrenheit"; the sources don't say whether that line goes on eggs a producer sells straight to the eater.

The law keeps "fresh" for eggs that meet Grade A or higher, so ungraded eggs aren't sold as "fresh."

Federal rules put the "Safe Handling Instructions" statement on every carton of shell eggs, in a box, on the top, a side panel, or inside the lid. If it is inside the lid, "Keep Refrigerated" goes on the outside.

Source: Act 598 of 2023, 2 CAR § 157-101, the proposed 2 CAR Pt. 157 amendment, 2 CAR § 157-103, Act 703 of 2025 and 21 CFR 101.17(h).

Do eggs have to be refrigerated to sell in Arkansas, and at what temperature?

Yes. A small flock's ungraded eggs are "refrigerated and maintained at a temperature of forty-five degrees Fahrenheit (45° F) or below." At a market or a stand that means a powered refrigerator, not ice. Anyone delivering eggs to a consumer holds them at 45°F or colder on the way, and delivers them "dry and not saturated in melted ice water."

Federal rules hold shell eggs at a retail establishment at 45°F or colder. A retail establishment is a place that provides food directly to consumers.

Source: Act 598 of 2023, 2 CAR § 157-103, Farmers' Market Vendor Guide (2025) and 21 CFR 115.50.

Can I sell duck, quail or other eggs in Arkansas?

The egg law isn't limited to chickens. As enacted in 1993, "eggs" means "the product of the domesticated chicken hen and any other eggs offered for sale for human consumption." The small-flock line is written in hens, and the sources don't say how ducks or quail count against it. Ask the Department of Agriculture.

Source: Act 115 of 1993 (§ 20-58-202) and Act 598 of 2023.

Do I have to wash or candle eggs to sell them in Arkansas?

A small flock's eggs are "washed and clean." The sources give no washing method for a small flock. The department's 1987 sanitation sheet for grading and packing plants says only potable water is used to wash eggs.

The ungraded path asks for neither grading nor candling. Candling is part of what a packer does, and eggs that haven't been graded and sized aren't described as if they had. No one sells eggs unfit for human food, whatever the size of the flock.

Source: Act 598 of 2023, Sanitation Requirements for Non-Official Shell Egg Plants, Act 115 of 1993, Act 703 of 2025 and Act 700 of 1997.