Redwood City, CA Single-Use Items: Utensils-On-Request (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcement start date
- October 24, 2023
- Applies to
- Dine-in, takeout, delivery food facilities
- Bundled utensils
- Prohibited outright (Sec. 13.402(d))
- Delivery app default
- No utensils/condiments unless requested
- Compliance plan deadline
- 14 calendar days of City request
Summary
Redwood City Code section 13.402 bars restaurants and other food facilities from handing out disposable utensils, straws or packaged condiments unless a customer specifically asks for them, for dine-in, takeout and delivery orders alike. Bundled utensil packs are banned outright: each fork, knife or spoon must be individually requested.
(a)Except as provided in Subsections (b) and (c), food facilities, for on-premise dining and off-premise dining (e.g., takeout food delivery service, catering off-site, etc.), shall not provide any disposable food service ware accessories or standard condiment in disposable packaging to a consumer unless the specific type of disposable food service ware accessory (including different types of utensils) or specific type of standard condiment is requested by the consumer...(d)...Food facilities cannot distribute disposable utensils that are bundled or packaged together. Each type of utensil (e.g., fork, spoon, knife, etc.) must be specifically requested by the consumer in order for a food facility to provide the item(s).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Zoning Code: Supplement 29 | City Code: Supplement 61 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
402 applies to every food facility serving prepared food on-premise or off-premise, including takeout and third-party delivery. 401 to include forks, knives, spoons, sporks, chopsticks and tongs, or any standard condiment in disposable packaging (ketchup, soy sauce, salt, sugar and similar items) unless the customer requests that specific item. Subsection (b) lets drive-through staff proactively ask whether a customer wants a given accessory if it's needed to eat or transport the food safely, and subsection (c) extends that same drive-through-style prompt to walk-up counters inside a public-use airport.
) must be separately requested. Facilities may still offer unwrapped utensils and condiments through refillable, one-item-at-a-time self-service dispensers under subsections (e) and (f). Delivery platforms have their own duties: subsection (g) requires the default setting on ordering apps to be 'no utensils or condiments' unless the customer opts in, and subsections (h) and (i) require the platform and the restaurant to let customers proactively itemize exactly which accessories or condiments they want.
Violations & Fines
Enforcement runs through the County: section 13.407 authorizes the City Manager or designee and the County of San Mateo to issue citations and assess administrative fines, with a violation treated as an infraction under Chapter 1.40 of the San Mateo County Code of Ordinances. A cited facility can be required to submit a compliance plan with corrective steps within fourteen calendar days of the City's request. Enforcement began October 24, 2023.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Redwood City restaurant just hand me a fork with my order?
Can I still get a bundled utensil pack with napkins, fork and salt?
Does the rule apply to delivery apps like DoorDash?
What happens if a restaurant keeps violating the rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Redwood City
California rules heatmap·Compare Redwood City to another location·View the California single-use items overview
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