Mendocino County, CA Home Business: Cottage Food Operations (2026)

Home-based food businesses in Mendocino County operate under California's Homemade Food Act (the cottage food law, Health and Safety Code Sections 113758 and 114365 et seq., enacted by AB 1616), which the County administers through its Environmental Health Division (Consumer Protection program). State law establishes two classes of cottage food operations. A Class A CFO may engage only in direct sales to consumers (for example at the home, farmers markets, events, or online for local pickup) and must register with the local environmental health agency and submit a self-certification checklist; no home-kitchen inspection is required for Class A. A Class B CFO may make both direct and indirect sales (such as to local retail food stores) and must obtain a permit, pass a home-kitchen inspection, and renew annually. Under state law, any person who prepares or packages cottage food products must complete an accredited food processor (food handler) course within three months of registering and renew it periodically. Only non-potentially-hazardous "approved" foods (such as baked goods, jams, and dried items) may be made, products must carry compliant labels, and the operation is subject to the statewide annual gross-sales cap set by Health and Safety Code Section 113758. Applications and questions go to Mendocino County Environmental Health in Ukiah or Fort Bragg.