Step 1 of 5
Where will you run the business?
Rules change by county and city, so we start here.
Regulatory OS · Food permits
Tell us what you want to sell and where. Regulatory OS identifies the exact permit — Cottage Food, home kitchen (MEHKO), food truck or event booth — lists every requirement with its official source, and drafts your forms, labels and operating procedures. Then you track the application to approval. Discovery is free.
Fees, rules and agency steps on this page were checked against official sources on .
Step 1 of 5
Rules change by county and city, so we start here.
| You want to… | Permit | Apply to | Agency fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bake or make shelf-stable food, sell directly | Cottage Food — Class A | County health dept. | $190 (Alameda); $172 (SF) |
| Also sell through shops, cafés or restaurants | Cottage Food — Class B | County health dept. | $450 (Alameda); $599 (SF) |
| Cook and sell meals from home | MEHKO | County health dept. (where opted in) | $696 (Alameda); not yet in SF |
| Sell from a truck, cart or stand | Mobile Food Facility | County health dept. | Varies |
| Sell at an event or market booth | Temporary Food Facility | County health dept. | $143–$333 per event (Alameda) |
| Agency | What it issues | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Alameda County Environmental Health | Food health permits: cottage food, home kitchen (MEHKO), event booths, food trucks and carts, restaurants | Alameda County except Berkeley (includes Oakland) |
| City of Berkeley Environmental Health | Food health permits in Berkeley | Berkeley |
| City of Oakland Planning & Building | Zoning Clearance, needed even for a home-based business | Oakland |
| City of Oakland Business Tax Office | Business Tax Certificate | Oakland |
| SF Department of Public Health — Environmental Health | Food health permits, including cottage food | San Francisco |
| SF Treasurer & Tax Collector | Business registration | San Francisco |
| SF Board of Supervisors | Would authorize home kitchen (MEHKO) permits — File 261052 is pending | San Francisco |
| California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) | Seller's permit (free) if you sell anything taxable | Statewide |
| California Department of Public Health (CDPH) | Statewide cottage food and MEHKO rules and the approved food list; it does not issue cottage food permits | Statewide |
Oakland food businesses get their health permit from Alameda County Environmental Health: a cottage food registration or permit, a home kitchen (MEHKO) permit, an event booth permit, a food truck or cart permit, or a restaurant permit. The City of Oakland also needs a Zoning Clearance, even for a home-based business, and then a Business Tax Certificate. If you sell anything taxable, such as hot prepared food, you also need a free seller's permit from the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA).
Register the business with the SF Treasurer & Tax Collector within 30 days of starting. Your health permit comes from the SF Department of Public Health (Environmental Health): a cottage food permit to sell approved shelf-stable food from home, or a health permit for a restaurant, bakery, catering facility or food truck, which SF says to apply for at least 1 month before you open. Add a free CDTFA seller's permit if you sell anything taxable. Home kitchen (MEHKO) permits for cooked meals are not available in San Francisco yet.
For shelf-stable foods like bread, cookies and jam, a Cottage Food Operation registration (Class A, direct sales, $88,878 limit in 2026) or permit (Class B, also through shops, $177,756 limit in 2026). For cooked meals, a Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation (MEHKO) permit, available only where your city or county has opted in. Alameda County has; San Francisco has not yet.
First check that your food is allowed: cottage food must be on the state's approved list, and cooked meals need a MEHKO permit where one exists. In Oakland, the city's own checklist puts the Zoning Clearance first, then the Business Tax Certificate, then the Alameda County health permit. In San Francisco, register the business first, because the health department asks for a copy with a cottage food application. Take the food handler course early: Alameda and San Francisco list the card with a cottage food application, and state rules allow up to 3 months after you register.
Neither Alameda County nor San Francisco publishes a set review time for cottage food applications. The times they do publish: Oakland's Zoning Clearance takes from the same day to 10 business days (the city calls this general guidance), and Oakland's business registration fee is due within 30 days of starting. San Francisco expects your first cottage food inspection within 45 days of approval. For an Alameda MEHKO, an inspector contacts you within 5 business days to confirm the county received your application and fee. Alameda event booth applications are due at least 30 working days before the event.
Alameda County Environmental Health issues food health permits everywhere in the county except Berkeley, which has its own environmental health department. In San Francisco it is the Department of Public Health (Environmental Health). Cities handle the business side: Oakland's Zoning Clearance and Business Tax Certificate, and San Francisco's business registration with the Treasurer & Tax Collector. CDTFA issues seller's permits. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) sets the statewide cottage food and MEHKO rules and keeps the approved food list, but does not issue cottage food permits.
Alameda County publishes $190 for a Class A cottage food registration, $450 for a Class B permit, $696 for a MEHKO permit, and $143 to $333 for an event booth permit. City business licenses and training are extra.
San Francisco charges $172 a year for Class A and $599 for Class B (April 2026 to March 2027), rising to $189 and $659 on Apr 1, 2027.
San Francisco has not yet authorized home kitchen (MEHKO) permits. File 261052, the ordinance that would allow them, was introduced on Sept 22, 2026. As of Nov 2, 2026 it was still pending in the Board of Supervisors' Budget and Finance Committee, with a hearing scheduled for Nov 4, 2026. Until an ordinance passes, there is no MEHKO application to file in SF.
Only if some of what you sell is taxable. Most sales of food for people to eat are not taxed in California, but hot prepared food is. The seller's permit comes from CDTFA and is free, though CDTFA may ask for a security deposit.
Regulatory OS is JustiGuide's food permit assistant. Describe what you want to sell and where; it identifies the permit, lists every requirement with its official source, drafts your forms, labels and operating procedures, and tracks the application through agency review. Discovery is free.
Finding your permit and its requirements is free. Paid plans cover one application: Prepare $49 (get your paperwork drafted), Complete $129 (one application, start to finish), Assisted $249 (a person checks your packet). Agency fees are separate and paid to the agency.
No. It prepares your packet and tells you exactly where and how to submit it. You submit through the agency's official channel and pay agency fees directly. Agencies make every permit decision.
Alameda County (with Oakland city steps) and San Francisco, plus the statewide California rules. More counties are coming.
Finding your permit is free. Paid plans cover one application: a one-time payment, no subscription. Agency fees are separate and paid to the agency.
Last checked against official sources on . Regulatory OS explains official requirements and prepares applications; it is not a government agency and does not give legal advice. Agencies make all permit decisions.