Business Licenses and Permits

One of the most difficult aspects to starting a commercial food business is finding space to prepare food items to sell.  In most states you can not operate a food business from your home, so unless you have the money to buy your own space the next best thing is renting time at a commercial kitchen.  Commercial kitchen renters in California have run into varying health permit regulations which differ from county to county. 

Counties and cities are trying to ease the burden for those who use commercial kitchens.  Some counties, such as Orange County are looking to create a new category for kitchen renters to make the registration process more streamlined.  The City of Long Beach already has such a program which allows renters to have their own health permit.

As kitchen rental becomes a more popular business model it will be crucial for local health departments to adapt and follow the lead of Orange County and Long Beach.  By making the permitting process streamlined and easy to understand counties and cities can help foster small business growth.

Amy Lee, Business License Research Analyst, Corporation Service Company

Tags: California, health permit