Honey & Beekeeping Operations

Current Legal Landscape of Honey Production and Beekeeping in New Haven

A recent regulatory update through Public Act 19-18, effective February 10 2023, transferred the responsibility of regulating the production and sale of Honey and Maple Syrup from the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection to the Connecticut Department of Agriculture. Section 2 of these regulations included provisions for registration, requiring a $50.00 annual registration fee for honey and maple syrup producers who have annual gross revenues over $25,000 from product(s) sales.

Honey and maple syrup are products covered by the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act as amended by the Food, Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). and the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Risk Based Preventive Controls for Human Food rules. The FDA rules are published as Title 21, Part 117 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

Because honey and maple syrup are considered low risk foods for microbial contamination and other hazards, producers of honey and maple syrup are exempt from certain requirements of Title 21, Part 117 of the Code of Federal Regulations. In particular, producers are not required to conduct a a hazard analysis or produce a written food safety plan. In addition, most honey and maple syrup producers in Connecticut either qualify as small businesses with sales of less than 1 million dollars in food or sales of less than $500,000 in food with more than 50% of those sales being made to qualified end users. This also means that these producers do not need a hazard analysis and written food safety plan.

Effective February 10, 2023 - NEW Sec. 22-54u-2. Registration for License by Producers, Exempt Producers, Fees.

Who is not required to register?

Producers with annual gross revenues of $25,000 or less from the sale of a product or products is exempt from licensure requirements outlined in the section. Exempt producers can submit a declaration to the department through the E-License Portal. Declarations are not binding on the department for determining whether a producer is required to be licensed under this section.

Who is required to register?

Honey or maple syrup producers with annual gross revenues of more than $25,000 from the sale of a product or products must register annually for a license with the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, through the E-License Portal.

• Producers applying for an initial license or renewal of a license must pay a non-refundable license fee of $50.00.
• Licenses expire December 31 of the year they are issued, and annually every following year if they are renewed. Licenses that are not renewed within 60 days after the expiration date are considered "expired" and new applications are required. Licenses are not transferrable.
• Producers who receive these licenses must notify the department within 10 business days if any changes occur related to the information included on the application.

To find out more in regards to the State of Connecticut Regulation of Department of Agriculture Concerning Honey and Maple Syrup, read more here.

For further information or guidance, please contact the Agricultural Commodities Unit at (860) 713-2513 or email Agr.commodities@ct.gov.