California's Homemade Food Act (AB 1616, codified at Health & Safety Code §§113758, 114365) authorizes home production of non-potentially-hazardous foods; Sonoma County Department of Health Services issues Class A registrations and Class B permits, and the City of Sonoma cannot prohibit a compliant cottage food operation but applies its home-occupation standards.
California's Homemade Food Act (AB 1616, 2012; amended by AB 1144) at Cal. Health & Safety Code §113758 et seq. defines a Cottage Food Operation (CFO) as a home-based business producing only foods on the CDPH-approved low-risk list (baked goods without cream/meat fillings, jams/jellies, granola, candies, dried pasta, roasted coffee, popcorn, etc.). Operators must complete an approved food-processor training course, obtain a Sonoma County Department of Health Services CFO registration (Class A — direct sales only) or permit (Class B — direct + indirect/wholesale), and stay within the statutory gross-annual-sales cap of $75,000 for Class A and $150,000 for Class B (Health & Safety Code §113758(b); adjusted annually for inflation per California CPI). Health & Safety Code §114365 preempts local zoning prohibitions: 'A cottage food operation … shall be deemed not to be a commercial use,' is 'permitted in all residential zoning districts,' and a city or county 'shall not prohibit a cottage food operation' in a residential zone. The City of Sonoma may, however, apply its standard home-occupation rules under SMC §19.50.040 (no signage beyond a 1 sq ft name plate, no non-resident employees, traffic limits, confinement to the dwelling). Cottage food operations on septic in Sonoma County must additionally meet septic compliance criteria from Permit Sonoma (no cesspools, no obvious failure, plot plan, and operational-permit monitoring records where applicable).
Operating a CFO without the County Health registration/permit, exceeding the gross-annual-sales cap, or producing non-approved foods is enforced by Sonoma County Environmental Health under Cal. Health & Safety Code §114387 — penalties include permit revocation, embargo of products, and civil penalties up to $1,000 per violation. City-level home-occupation violations (signage, employees, traffic) follow SMC §19.50.040 + Ch. 1.28 administrative citation ($100 / $200 / $500).
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