InsURANCE, LIAbILITY,
& LICENSING
This webpage from the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems acts as a landing page for a ton of information about legal risks that market managers might face and what tools managers can employ to mitigate and manage these risks. 2024.
Directors' and Officers' Insurance
This brief document from the Farmers Market Coalition explains why farmers market managers might want to consider insuring themselves and their management team. 2013.
NCFMN members receive discounts on Directors’ and Officers’ Insurance because of their association with the Farmers Market Coalition!
CASE STUDY: Capital City Farmers Market
This case study describes how the Capital City Farmers Market in Montpelier, VT, was able to significantly reduce the negative financial and legal impact of a trip & fall lawsuit because it was incorporated and insured. 2024.
Frequently Asked Questions About Insurance and Liability
This guide from the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems answers frequently asked questions about insurance and liability for farmers markets. Topics include COVID-19 and submitting claims. 2021.
This checklist will help market managers avoid legal risks by clearly documenting all of the steps they take to ensure a safe environment for customers, vendors, and staff. 2018.
Annual Legal Check-up for Markets
Use this checklist to make sure that your market is up-to-date on legal risks and to ensure that you have a detailed record to draw on if you ever run into legal trouble. 2018.
This form can be used to document an incident and prevent it from happening again. 2018.
Implement SNAP/EBT: Understand the Legal Issues
This website acts as a landing page for all farmers market inquiries about SNAP and EBT, with information about eligibility, payment, accounting, enforcement, and incentives. The information is roughly the same as the above resource from RAFI, but the formatting may be more accessible within this resource from the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems. 2024.
Volunteers at Farmers Markets: Managing Legal Risks
This guide from the Farmers Market Legal Toolkit provides market managers with information about the difference between employees and volunteers, the legal risks associated with using volunteers, and the legal risks volunteers might face. 2024.
Governance as a Risk Management Tool
This webpage from the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems shows how choosing the right governance structure can help market managers mitigate risks down the road. 2024.
This brief guide from RAFI-USA provides basic information about documenting disaster losses. 2017.
The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act of 1996 protects people making good-faith donations of food in their community from some legal implications. 2020.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance at Markets
This article provides a quick overview and basic examples of what farmers market managers can do to make their markets more accessible to people with disabilities. 2024.
Make sure your market is in compliance with the ADA with this checklist from the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems. 2021.