California AB-1276 (Health and Safety Code §42270 et seq.) prohibits full-service and takeout food facilities from providing single-use utensils, straws, or condiment packets unless requested by the customer. Santa Clara County DEH enforces locally.
AB-1276, signed October 2021 and codified at Health and Safety Code §§42270–42272, bans automatic provision of single-use food accessories statewide effective June 2022. Restaurants, cafes, ghost kitchens, and online ordering platforms must ask customers whether they want utensils, straws, stirrers, condiment packets, or napkins; bundles cannot be added by default to delivery or takeout orders. The Santa Clara County Department of Environmental Health (DEH), as the local food-facility regulator under the California Retail Food Code, conducts compliance checks during routine restaurant inspections. The first violation is a written warning; second and subsequent violations within a year carry administrative fines up to $25 per day capped at $300 annually per location.
Repeated violations of AB-1276 by a Santa Clara County food facility result in administrative fines up to $25 per day, capped at $300 annually per location, with willful or systemic violations referred to the District Attorney for civil action.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Palo Alto, CA
Palo Alto Airport (PAO) enforces a voluntary curfew and noise abatement procedures, with FAA preemption limiting local authority over flight operations.
Palo Alto, CA
Palo Alto prohibits amplified music audible beyond the property line during quiet hours and requires a special event permit for outdoor amplification in publ...
Palo Alto, CA
Palo Alto enforces strict decibel limits by zone under PAMC 9.10.040: 60 dBA day / 50 dBA night in residential, scaling up to 70 dBA in manufacturing zones.
Palo Alto, CA
Palo Alto permits construction Monday-Friday 8am to 6pm and Saturday 9am to 6pm, with no work allowed on Sundays or holidays under PAMC 9.10.060.
Palo Alto, CA
Palo Alto requires encroachment permits for new driveways, regulates curb cut dimensions, and prohibits blocking sidewalks or adjacent driveways under traffi...
Palo Alto, CA
Palo Alto restricts RV, trailer, and boat storage on public streets and requires screening for large recreational vehicles on residential property under zoni...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Santa Clara County.
See how Palo Alto's utensils-on-request rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.