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

Sutter County Zoning Code Section 1500-12-010(B) defines a Cottage Food Operation as a business, pursuant to the California Health & Safety Code, where the operator resides and where approved cottage food products (from the list maintained by the California Department of Public Health) are prepared or packaged for sale. The zoning code permits cottage food operations in residential zones as a home occupation and allows one person in addition to those residing in the dwelling. For the operational rules, Sutter County defers to California's Homemade Food Act (AB 1616, codified at Health & Safety Code section 113758 and related sections). State law creates two classes: a Class A operation engages only in direct sales and self-certifies via a registration/checklist with the local enforcement agency, while a Class B operation may also sell indirectly through retailers and requires a permit and initial inspection from the local environmental health agency. Class A operations have a verifiable gross-sales cap and Class B a higher cap under state law. In unincorporated Sutter County, the local enforcement agency for cottage food registration and permitting is the Sutter County Environmental Health Division, which a prospective operator should contact for the self-certification checklist (Class A) or permit (Class B).