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

Under Yuba County Development Code §11.32.140(4), 'a cottage food operation is allowed as an accessory use to any legally established residential unit subject to the standards of this Code, which are consistent with and implement State law.' The Code expressly ties cottage food to the California Health & Safety Code §114365 et seq. (the California Homemade Food Act, AB-1616). County standards: the operation must meet the health and safety standards of H&S Code §114365 et seq.; sales are limited to cottage food products and may not exceed the gross annual sales set by the California Department of Public Health each year; only the cottage food operator, household members living in the unit, and one full-time-equivalent employee may participate; no exterior physical alteration that would change the residential character is allowed; and no sales, production, or materials storage may be located in an area generally visible from a public right-of-way. Kitchen equipment may be used as needed for registered products as long as it does not change the residential character, create safety hazards, or produce smoke or steam noticeable at an adjoining residential lot line, and venting may not be directed toward neighboring residences. If a commercial kitchen is required, the use is not a cottage food industry and is instead governed by the Code's food-preparation use classifications (§11.72.040 / §11.74). State law sets the two tiers — Class A (registration) and Class B (county health permit and inspection) — with annually CPI-adjusted gross-sales caps; Yuba County's Environmental Health Division administers Class B permits.