Cottage Foods Sandie got her Class B permit from San Diego Environmental Health on Friday. There are a few delays you can avoid and ways to streamline your process if you want to make it easier on yourself. For instance . . .
- Confirm that the zoning of your location will permit a home-based business. The Department of Environmental Health may send you away to check before allowing you to file your permit application. For more information on how to contact your local planning department, read our post on being “in the zone” HERE. Be sure the planning department understands that it will be a cottage food business and you won’t be doing renovations, posting signs, etc. Some localities have Home Occupancy applications for home businesses. If so, your planning department will ask similar questions. Check out what forms you will need for your local business license.
- You will need the Assessor’s parcel number for your residence which can be found HERE by typing in your address as indicated.
- Your food product MUST be one of the foods on the CA state CA CFO foods list
- You will need to know your public water and sewer district. (If you have well water and want a Class A permit, they will recommend that you have the well water tested to make sure it is not contaminated with bacteria. If you want a Class B permit, and you have a well OR use a private septic system, it must be inspected by Land and Water Quality Division (858-565-5173) prior to operating.
- You will need a sample label. See the Environmental Health Department’s Cottage Food San Diego CFO Registration Form for specific information required on the label. Cottage Foods Sandie recommends you take a packaged, labeled sample of your product for them to see, as well as a copy of the label for them to keep.
- Fill out the right forms. For a Class A permit, carefully read, answer, and sign the Self-Inspection Checklist. If you want a Class B permit, carefully read, and answer the first half of Public Health Permit Application-San Diego. Skip the “Food Facilities” and other sections and sign and date it at the bottom.
- Have cash, check, or money order made out to San Diego County for either $142 (Class A) or $284 (Class B). The office does not accept debit or credit cards at this time.
- Take your forms to the San Diego Department of Environmental Health located at 5500 Overland Dr., Suite 170, San Diego, CA 91923. At this time, the San Marcos office is not yet processing Cottage Food Operation permits.
Finding the office of San Diego Department of Environmental Health:
The office building at 5500 Overland Dr. is easy enough to find (sitting at the corner of Overland Dr. and Farnham St.) but the office itself is a bit more obscure. It is best reached by parking in the lot on Overland Dr. You then walk around the building past the credit union down Farnham St. to the first sidewalk on your left. (This is the “back” of the 5500 building.) Walk down the sidewalk between the two buildings (with your back to Farnham St.) Near the end of the 5500 building on your left will be a set of double glass doors. The San Diego Department of Environmental Health office is on the first floor immediately on your right.
You can also call the Specialist on Duty at 858-505-6900 to ask questions and make sure you have everything you need before you arrive.
Any problems or unanticipated questions? Let me know!
Sandie
14 comments
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Katrina
January 21, 2013 at 9:23 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
We sell pre-packaged Maple products from Vermont at local Farmers Markets in San Diego, Maple syrups, maple candy, maple seasonings. We sample the products on plastic spoons. We are required to store our products at a certified commissary . Would this bill allow us to store it at home?
Cottagefoods
January 21, 2013 at 10:58 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
I believe not. AB1616 was specifically created for nonpotentially hazardous foods made in home kitchens in CA. The permits allow you to store your sellable product in your home, but only if it’s made there.
Selina
February 19, 2013 at 12:17 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Im having no luck finding the accesors parcel number for my residence. I live in an apartment. Any suggestions???
Cottagefoods
February 22, 2013 at 1:23 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Click on this LINK and type in your street address, choose street type (avenue, lane, drive, etc.)from drop down menu, input zipcode. That should take you to a page and give you the Assessor’s Parcel Number in the first box.
Selina
February 25, 2013 at 4:11 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
I did that and I get a “No Records Found”. I live in an apartment, would that make a difference? I would like to go and get a permit tomorrow, so and other suggestions on how to get the parcel number sinceIm kinda in a hurry here?
THank you!!
Cottagefoods
February 25, 2013 at 7:21 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Please confidentially email your address and I will see if I can find it for you! Email me at sandie@sdcottagefoods.com
Sara
May 10, 2013 at 2:02 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
I was getting the same “no response found” message and I live in a house.
Cottagefoods
May 12, 2013 at 4:23 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Try typing just the number and street then zipcode. If you still have issues, email the address to us and we will respond directly
Bea
February 22, 2013 at 12:51 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
HI! Are we supposed to apply for our business license first in our county, and then for the Cottage Foods permit? I’m kind of confused but I will keep looking through your website for info.
Thanks!
Bea
Cottagefoods
February 22, 2013 at 1:18 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
I believe either way is fine, but personally I got the Cottage Food permit first because without that, there is no business. San Diego County Dept. Environmental Health Services will want you to confirm that there are no zoning restrictions on your residence. (You could get the permit and it could be revoked if there were some strange zoning prohibiton, so it would waste your money.) Cottage Food Sandie suggests getting the Class A or B permit first, but after you have examined your zoning and local business license regulations. Let us know if you need help finding that info!
Linda
March 30, 2013 at 3:58 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
I was looking at the flow chart and noticed, for the first time, that a weights and measures permit is required. What is that and how is it obtained? Thank-you!!
Cottagefoods
March 30, 2013 at 6:45 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Officially, you should have your scale registered and “sealed” (marked with an inspection seal) by the county department of weights and measures. This registration seems to apply most stringently to point-of-sale scales and meters where you are paying by weight or volume but technically applies to any item, including food, sold other than by count. In San Diego, the registration fee is a little over $100 annually. With all the commercial scales, balances, and meters needing calibration and registration CFOs have not yet been really targeted for compliance, though legally you are required to comply. More information is available here and at the county website here.
Jenny
April 29, 2013 at 1:03 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Hello,
How do I determine my sewer district (under the “wastewater disposal” section on page 2 of the Cottage Food Operation Registration form)?
Cottagefoods
April 29, 2013 at 1:11 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Are you on a public water system? The easiest way is to either use this site http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/dpw/watersheds/watershedpdf/wastewater_agencies.pdf or look to see who bills you for your water.