Buena Park, CA Home Business: Cottage Food Operations (2026)

Buena Park has no special cottage food ordinance, so the California Homemade Food Act governs. Under that law (codified at Health & Safety Code Section 113758 and related sections, originally AB-1616 in 2012 and expanded by AB-1144), a city or county must classify a cottage food operation as a permitted use of residential property for zoning purposes, or at minimum grant a nondiscretionary (ministerial) permit to use a residence as a CFO. This means Buena Park cannot zone out a qualifying home baker. State law distinguishes Class A operations (direct sales only - to the consumer, at farmers' markets, bake sales) from Class B operations (direct and indirect sales, including to retailers); Class A has no routine inspection while Class B requires an initial and annual inspection. State gross-sales caps apply (Class A and Class B limits, adjusted for inflation). Food handler training and proper labeling are required by state law. Registration or permitting of the CFO itself runs through the county environmental health agency (in Orange County, the OC Health Care Agency), not the City Planning counter. From the City's side, the home-based CFO still needs a Buena Park business license/home occupation permit and must operate within the Title 19 home occupation limits (no external evidence, family employment, no traffic). Because state law preempts discretionary zoning here, the City's role is largely ministerial - this is an honest case where Buena Park defers to California state law.