Cottage Food Laws in Riverside County: What to Know

On this page

1. The permit you need before you sell
2. What your kitchen has to look like on bake day
3. Labels, inspections, and training
4. Where to look next

If you bake in your own kitchen in Riverside County and sell what comes out of the oven, the county treats that as a food operation rather than a hobby. The rules below are the ones that decide whether you can take orders this month or whether something needs fixing first. If you are still working out whether a home food business is for you, start with cottage food laws by state to see how California compares.

The permit you need before you sell

Riverside County requires cottage food operators to submit a completed Registration/Permitting form and obtain an annual permit from the Department of Environmental Health. The permit is yearly, so it belongs on your calendar the same way your other renewals do. It is the first thing a customer never asks about and the first thing the county does.

There is a second door into a home food business in Riverside County. The county also takes applications for a Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation permit, which sits alongside the Cottage Food Operation permit as a separate option. They are not the same permit, so read both before you fill in a form.

1. 1

   Fill in the Registration/Permitting form

   Cottage food operators in Riverside County submit a completed Registration/Permitting form as part of applying.

2. 2

   Get your annual permit

   The permit comes from the Riverside County Department of Environmental Health and is renewed each year.

3. 3

   Or look at the MHKO permit

   The county also accepts applications for a Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation permit if that path suits your business better.

4. 4

   Check your products against the state list

   Cottage food products must be non-potentially hazardous and must comply with the Approved Cottage Food List maintained by the California Department of Public Health.

5. 5

   Set up your kitchen for sanitation

   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.

6. 6

   Clear the kitchen while you work

   No cottage food preparation, packaging, or handling may happen at the same time as family meal preparation, dishwashing, or clothes washing.

What your kitchen has to look like on bake day

California Health and Safety Code section 114365 requires that all food contact surfaces, equipment, and utensils used for preparing, packaging, or handling cottage food products be washed, rinsed, and sanitized before each use. In a home kitchen that means the bench scraper, the mixer bowl, the cooling racks, the sheet pans, and the counter you roll dough on.

The same section says no cottage food preparation, packaging, or handling may occur in the home kitchen at the same time as other domestic activities such as family meal preparation, dishwashing, or clothes washing. In practice, your bake day is a separate shift from dinner. Plan your orders around that instead of squeezing a batch in between homework and the evening dishes.

Labels, inspections, and training

A Riverside County ordinance was adopted to clarify local requirements relating to training, sanitation, preparation, labeling, inspections, and permissible types of sales and operations for a Cottage Food Operation. Those are the areas a county reviewer looks at, so they are worth reading once before your first sale rather than after.

Where to look next

County rules differ in the details even inside the same state, so it helps to see how other places handle the same questions. Read cottage food laws in Los Angeles if you sell into the city as well as the county, and cottage food laws in Placer County for a northern California comparison on permits and kitchen use.

Common questions

Do I need a permit to sell baked goods from my home in Riverside County?

Yes. Riverside County requires cottage food operators to submit a completed Registration/Permitting form and obtain an annual permit from the Department of Environmental Health.

What is the difference between the two permits I can apply for?

The county accepts applications for either a Cottage Food Operation permit or a Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation permit. They are separate permits, so read both before you choose.

Can I bake for my family while I make product for customers?

No. Under Health and Safety Code section 114365, no cottage food preparation, packaging, or handling may occur in the home kitchen at the same time as family meal preparation, dishwashing, or clothes washing.

Do I have to take a food handler course?

According to the California Homemade Food Act and the Riverside County Environmental Health Department, cottage food operators are not required to undergo specific training or obtain a certificate. Confirm current requirements with the county when you apply.

Which foods am I allowed to sell?

Cottage food products must be non-potentially hazardous and must comply with the Approved Cottage Food List maintained by the California Department of Public Health.

Sources

1. Riverside County Environmental Health: Cottage Food Operations
2. Riverside County Environmental Health: Home Based Kitchens
3. California Health and Safety Code section 114365
4. Health and Safety Code section 114365 (FindLaw)
5. CDPH: Cottage Food Operation Requirements
6. Riverside County Ordinance on Cottage Food Operations
7. Cottage Food Laws in Riverside, California

This is general information about Riverside County and California cottage food rules, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm the current requirements with the Riverside County Department of Environmental Health before you sell.