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

Selling homemade non-potentially-hazardous foods (such as baked goods, jams, granola, candies, and dried foods) from a home kitchen in unincorporated Santa Barbara County is governed by California's Cottage Food law (Homemade Food Act, AB-1616), codified at Health & Safety Code 113758, and administered locally by the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department's Environmental Health Services Division. State law defines a cottage food operation as a home enterprise with no more than one full-time-equivalent employee (not counting family or household members) operating within the registered or permitted area of the operator's private home. Class A operations engage only in direct sales to consumers and must register online with County Environmental Health and submit a self-certification checklist; under state law a Class A operation may not exceed $75,000 in verifiable gross annual sales. Class B operations may make both direct and indirect (third-party retail) sales, require an annual County health permit, and must pass a preopening inspection of the home kitchen before approval; the County's Class B application (form EHS 16-85, P/E 1685) carries a fee (listed at $342 on the form) and requires advance scheduling of at least two full business days for the inspection. State law caps Class B sales at $150,000 in verifiable gross annual sales. Only foods on the California-approved cottage food list may be made.