Cottage food rules
Riverside County Cottage Food Laws: What to Do
The county steps and state rules to check before you sell your first bake.
On this page
What to remember
- Start with the county: submit the registration and permitting form and get the annual permit.
- Use only foods on the Approved Cottage Food List maintained by the California Department of Public Health.
- The state health department does not permit or register your operation; it maintains the approved list.
- Wash, rinse, and sanitize food contact surfaces, equipment, and utensils before each use.
- Check the Riverside County ordinance for local training, labeling, inspection, and sales rules.
If you bake from your home kitchen in Riverside County, the permit work goes through the county, not the state. The California Department of Public Health does not permit or register Cottage Food Operations. It does maintain the Approved Cottage Food List, so the first question is whether your bakes are on it. For more on the California side, read California Cottage Food Law: Class A for Home Bakers. Then come back to the county forms.
What Riverside County asks for
Riverside County’s cottage food page says operators must submit a completed Registration/Permitting form and obtain an annual permit from the county Department of Environmental Health. The county also says applicants must submit an Application/Registration to Operate a Food Facility before operating. For a residential kitchen, the county says review starts with the completed Cottage Food Operation permitting and registration form and all required attachments. Use the county’s current form, not an old copy from a friend.
State rules that still apply
California’s cottage food rules start with the food itself. Products must be non potentially hazardous and must comply with the Approved Cottage Food List maintained by the California Department of Public Health. The state health department does not permit or register Cottage Food Operations, but it does maintain that list. Under California Health and Safety Code section 114365, all food contact surfaces, equipment, and utensils used for preparing, packaging, or handling cottage food products must be washed, rinsed, and sanitized before each use. Keep that cleaning step in your routine for every bake.
Riverside County also has an ordinance regulating cottage food operations. The ordinance clarifies local requirements for training, sanitation, preparation, labeling, inspections, and permissible types of sales and operations. Read it next to the county form so your label and your setup match what the county expects.
The application path
Check the state list
Confirm your product is non potentially hazardous and on the Approved Cottage Food List maintained by the California Department of Public Health.
Get the county form
Download the current Cottage Food Operation permitting and registration form from Riverside County.
Send the food facility application
Riverside County says applicants must submit an Application/Registration to Operate a Food Facility before operating.
Attach what the form asks for
The county says the completed Cottage Food Operation permitting and registration form must come with all required attachments.
Get the annual permit
Riverside County requires an annual permit from the county Department of Environmental Health.
Set your cleaning routine
Wash, rinse, and sanitize food contact surfaces, equipment, and utensils before each use.
Read the local ordinance
The Riverside County ordinance covers training, sanitation, preparation, labeling, inspections, and permissible types of sales and operations.
Labels, training, and inspections
Labels are part of the local picture. The Riverside County ordinance clarifies local requirements for labeling, along with training, sanitation, preparation, inspections, and permissible types of sales and operations. Check the ordinance before you print a label or plan a sale. If you sell in another county or state, use how to check your state’s cottage food laws and cottage food law requirements by state so you do not carry one county’s rules into another.
The county form is the gate. The state list is the fence. Start with the list, then send the county a complete packet, then set your cleaning and labeling routine before your first sale.
Common questions
Do I need a state permit?
The California Department of Public Health does not permit or register Cottage Food Operations. It maintains the Approved Cottage Food List. Riverside County requires the county registration and annual permit.
What form do I send?
Riverside County says to submit an Application/Registration to Operate a Food Facility. For a residential kitchen, the county says to start with the completed Cottage Food Operation permitting and registration form and all required attachments.
What can I sell?
Only non potentially hazardous foods that comply with the Approved Cottage Food List maintained by the California Department of Public Health.
How do I clean my kitchen?
Wash, rinse, and sanitize all food contact surfaces, equipment, and utensils used for preparing, packaging, or handling cottage food products before each use.
Does Riverside County have extra local rules?
Yes. The county has an ordinance that clarifies local requirements for training, sanitation, preparation, labeling, inspections, and permissible types of sales and operations.
Do I need an annual permit?
Yes. Riverside County requires cottage food operators to obtain an annual permit from the county Department of Environmental Health.
Sources
This is general information, not legal advice. Check the current Riverside County form and the Approved Cottage Food List before you sell.