Chardon Family Market Application

Rules & Regulations

1. Vendors with assigned spaces may hold those for the entire market season, as designated by seniority.
2. Vendors are encouraged to carry product liability insurance.
3. Vendors may not smoke at their booths during regular market hours.
4. Geauga County health Inspections may take place at any given time through market season.
5. Vendors must comply with all laws, ordinances and regulations of the State of Ohio and the City of Chardon.
6. Vendors are required to obtain a vendor’s license to sell products on which sales tax is collected.
7. Booth fees are due one week prior to the market date. Failure to pay fees will result in loss of space. Contact the market manager if there is a problem with any payment option. Any revised payment option must be approved.
8. Vendors are to park in an area specified by management. Must be off site from square parking. Space available for vendors is east of our market, next to Park Elementary. Vendors parked on the square will be forced to move – no exceptions. Market customers have parking priority over vendors, and space is limited due to other surrounding businesses.
9. Vendors must list all products they wish to sell during market season.
10. All food vendors must have a tent, which is to be tied down securely by weights. Vendors selling food products must be covered to protect from contamination by dust, dirt, insects, rain, etc.
11. Vendors are responsible for their own set up and take down of their booth space.
12. Each vendor shall display a sign stating the producer’s name and location and have prices well displayed.
13. Price wars between vendors are prohibited.
14. The market does not offer exclusive rights to any one vendor. Customers enjoy having choices.
15. No produce from outside of the State of Ohio may be sold.
16. Growers (defined as any person or organization who raises their own products on their own land) selling products labeled organic must have appropriate State of Ohio certification.
17. Sales per pound must have an approved and stamped scale by the Geauga County Weights and Measures Department.
18. Selling of dairy products, eggs, meats, canned foods and other processed or potentially hazardous materials must meet legal requirements.
19. A vendor who sells meat or meat products in which meat is the sole or primary ingredient must raise the animal from which the meat comes.
20. Meat products must be sold as packaged by the State approved processing facility.
21. Prepared food vendors must maintain clean, inspected equipment.
22. Vendors offering raw food products to be cooked for sale must use clean, sanitized utensils.
23. Foods shall not be displayed or stored on the ground, and any food that is unsafe shall be discarded.
24. Food contact surfaces of equipment used in the preparation display must be clean and sanitary.
25. Gloves must be worn when handling food. Hands must be washed to prevent contamination of food, especially after using the toilet or handling raw meat/poultry.
26. Prepared food vendors must have two compartments, or three compartment sinks for proper wash, rinse and bacterial treatments. Any other methods must be approved by the Geauga County health inspector.
27. All perishable foods must be stored at proper temperatures: cold foods to be maintained at 41 °F or below and hot foods must be maintained at 135 °F or above.
28. Cottage Food Production is defined as being made in a person’s home and includes produced food items that are not potentially hazardous such as bakery products, jams, jellies, candy, and fruit butter.
29. All cottage foods must be labeled correctly with a statement of identity, name of product. net weight of product, ingredient list in order of predominance by weight, vendor name and address of where the product is made. In 10-point text: “This Product is Home Produced”.
30. Cottage Food Production does not include low acid food (beans, cucumbers, cabbage, and pudding), cheesecakes, pumpkin pies, custard pies, cream pies, etc. Vendors cannot sell home canned salsa, vegetables, and applesauce.
31. No home party companies will be permitted.
32. Vendors must make handcrafted items. Secondhand or flea market type products are not allowed unless revised or modified from the original state.
33. Vendors or customers who suspect that another producer is violating any market rules should report to the market manager. Vendors shall not address any violation or issue themselves.
34. Vendors are expected to conduct themselves courteously. Arguments, harassment, name-calling, profane language and fighting in the market area will not be tolerated.

Violation of any of the above rules may cause forfeiture of the right to continue as a market participant. The market manager will give verbal notice of a violation to the vendor. The vendor is then expected to correct the violation immediately or face expulsion from the market.