Selling Eggs

​Depending on the type of egg sales conducted, an Illinois Egg License may be required for a person or business that traffics in eggs in Illinois. Qualifying egg producers, grading stations, distributors, jobbers & brokers are required to obtain an Illinois Egg License as defined in the Illinois Egg & Egg Products Act.

(410 ILCS 615/8) (from Ch. 56 1/2, par. 55-8)Sec. 8.
Any person or business who buys, sells, trades, or traffics in eggs in this State and is a broker, distributor, handler, packer, producer, or producer-dealer, as defined in this Act, must be licensed in this State. A limited or full license must be purchased annually. No person or business shall buy, sell, trade, or traffic in eggs in this State without having obtained a license as provided in Section 9, except the following:

(a) a producer who obtains eggs from his own flock, regardless of the size of the flock, and sells them as nest run eggs, either to household consumers on the premises where the flock is located, or to a holder of an Illinois Egg License;
(b) hatcheries which purchase eggs to be used exclusively for hatching purposes;
(c) institutional consumers where all eggs purchased are served in the establishment;
(d) manufacturers of food products who use all eggs purchased in their products such as bakeries, confectioneries, and ice cream manufacturers, etc.;
(e) agents employed and carried on the payroll on a salary basis by licensed dealers or distributors;
(f) a consumer buying eggs for his own consumption;
(g) a retailer who buys eggs from licensed distributors or from licensed handlers only and sells eggs only at retail.

(410 ILCS 615/3.13) (from Ch. 56 1/2, par. 55-3.13)
Sec. 3.13. "Eggs" means the shell eggs of the domesticated chicken, turkey, duck, goose, or guinea. (Source: P.A. 79-678.)

• Producers: (Eggs Sold Only From Your Flock on Your Premises):
  • If you are an egg producer, you may sell nest-run eggs from your own flock to household consumers. However, these sales are limited to direct sales to household consumers for their own personal use; the shell eggs shall only be sold on the premises where the flock is located. The consumer must pick up the eggs from the same location where the poultry are located. This type of shell egg sale is EXEMPT and does not require an Illinois Egg License. Producer egg sales to licensed grading stations also do not require an egg license.

• Producers (Limited License):
  
  • If you are an egg producer, and you wish to sell eggs from your own flock off the premises where the flock is located, you are required to obtain an Illinois Egg License. A Limited Producer-Dealer egg license is required for producers selling graded eggs produced by their own flock. Wholesale and retail sales of eggs must meet all requirements found in the Illinois Egg & Egg Products Act.

• Producers (Full License):
  
  • If you are an egg producer, and you wish to sell eggs from your own flock plus eggs from other than your own production, off the premises where your flock is located, you are required to obtain a Full Producer-Dealer egg license. Wholesale and retail sales of eggs must meet all requirements found in the Illinois Egg & Egg Products Act.

• Grading Stations:
  
• A Full license is required for a grading station. These locations candle and grade nest run eggs from various producers.

• Additional Classifications:
  
• Distributors and jobber or brokers who traffic in eggs in Illinois all require a Full egg license.

• Contact Information: 
  

Illinois Department of Agriculture Egg Inspection Program,
Division of Food Safety & Animal Protection,
P.O. Box 19281,
Springfield, IL 62794-9281,
Phone: 217-524-1550 or agr.eggs@illinois.gov