Cottage food rules
Cottage Food Laws in San Francisco: What Home Bakers Need
A plain guide to the San Francisco cottage food permit, the state approved foods list, and the rules to check before you sell.
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What to remember
- San Francisco requires a cottage food permit for low-risk foods you make at home and sell directly to customers or retail markets in California.
- You can only sell foods from home that are on the state’s approved cottage food list.
- The California Department of Public Health maintains the state’s approved cottage food list but does not permit or register cottage food operations.
- San Francisco County guidance says a cottage food business needs a Cottage Food Operation registration.
- AB 1616, the California Homemade Food Act, sets requirements for product sales, training, sanitation, and production.
If you are just starting, the rules can feel like they live in two places. One is the state approved foods list. The other is the local permit or registration. The short version for a San Francisco home baker is this: check the food first, then confirm the local step. For a wider view, see cottage food laws by state.
Start with the state approved foods list
The California Department of Public Health describes a cottage food operation as a home based kitchen operation where an individual is allowed to make certain foods at home and sell the food to the public. The department also says a cottage food operation can prepare and package certain non-potentially hazardous foods in a private home kitchen. San Francisco’s guide puts it plainly: you can only make food from home that you sell to others if it is on the state’s approved list of cottage foods.
The San Francisco permit or registration
San Francisco requires a cottage food permit to sell low-risk foods you make at home directly to customers or retail markets in California. San Francisco County guidance says a cottage food business needs to obtain a Cottage Food Operation registration. The city guide uses the word permit. The county guidance uses the word registration. Confirm the current term and the current step with the city before you sell. The California Department of Public Health does not permit or register cottage food operations, but it does maintain the state’s approved cottage food list. So the state list tells you what you can make. The city process is where you confirm your permission to sell.
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What the California Homemade Food Act asks of you
AB 1616, known as the California Homemade Food Act, requires cottage food operations to meet specific requirements related to product sales, training for operators and employees, sanitation, and production. The cottage food provisions are in Health and Safety Code sections 113758 and 114365, updated by AB 1144. For a home baker, that means the permit or registration is not the whole story. The law also asks you to run the operation in a certain way. Check the current requirements before you sell, and keep your process simple enough that you can follow them every week.
If you want to see how another California county frames its local step, read the San Diego guide and the Riverside County guide. Use them for comparison, then confirm San Francisco’s current process with the city. The state list and the Homemade Food Act are California rules. The local permit or registration is the part to confirm for San Francisco.
Common questions
Do I need a cottage food permit in San Francisco?
Yes. San Francisco requires a cottage food permit to sell low-risk foods you make at home directly to customers or retail markets in California. San Francisco County guidance also says a cottage food business needs a Cottage Food Operation registration. Confirm the current term and step with the city before you sell.
Can I sell any baked good from my home kitchen?
No. You can only make food from home that you sell to others if it is on the state's approved list of cottage foods. The state describes cottage foods as certain non-potentially hazardous foods prepared and packaged in a private home kitchen.
Who issues the cottage food permit, the state or the city?
The California Department of Public Health does not permit or register cottage food operations. It maintains the state's approved cottage food list. The local San Francisco permit or registration is the step to obtain. Confirm the current process with the city.
What does AB 1616 require?
AB 1616, the California Homemade Food Act, requires cottage food operations to meet specific requirements related to product sales, training for operators and employees, sanitation, and production. The cottage food provisions are in Health and Safety Code sections 113758 and 114365, updated by AB 1144.
Can I sell to retail markets?
San Francisco's guide says the cottage food permit covers low-risk foods you make at home and sell directly to customers or retail markets in California. Check the current details with the city before you plan a market.
Sources
This is general information, not legal advice. Cottage food rules can change, so confirm the current San Francisco permit or registration and the state approved foods list before you sell.