Thousand Oaks, CA Single-Use Items: Utensils-On-Request (2026)
Key Facts
- Effective date
- February 10, 2023 (Ord. 1708-NS)
- Penalty
- $25/day fine, capped at $300/year, starting on the 3rd violation
- Exempt facilities
- Health care, residential care, and public/private school cafeterias
- Drive-through rule
- Staff may still ask if the customer wants foodware
- Covered items
- Utensils, chopsticks, straws, stirrers, condiment cups/packets
Summary
Thousand Oaks food facilities and any third-party delivery platforms they use may not automatically hand out single-use utensils, straws, stirrers, chopsticks, or condiment packets with prepared food: a customer has to ask for them, whether dining in or ordering delivery. Items also can't be bundled so a customer is forced to take ones they didn't request. Health care facilities, residential care facilities, and school cafeterias are exempt.
Except as provided in subdivisions (c) and (d), a food facility, for on-premises dining or when using a third-party food delivery platform, shall not provide any single-use foodware accessory or standard condiment packaged for single use to a consumer unless the single-use foodware accessory or standard condiment is requested by the consumer.
(b) Single-use foodware accessories and standard condiments packaged for single use provided by food facilities for use by consumers shall not be bundled or packaged in a manner that prohibits a consumer from taking only the type of single-use foodware accessory or standard condiment desired without also having to take a different type of single-use foodware accessory or standard condiment.
(c) A food facility may ask a drive-through consumer if the consumer wants a single-use foodware accessory if the single-use foodware accessory is necessary for the consumer to consume ready-to-eat food, or to prevent spills of or safely transport ready-to-eat food.
(d) A third-party food delivery platform shall provide consumers with the option to request single-use foodware accessories or standard condiments from a food facility serving ready-to-eat food.
(e) If a food facility uses any third-party delivery platform for ready- to-eat food, the food facility shall customize its menu with a list of available single-use foodware accessories and standard condiments, and only
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-78: 2026 S-78 Supplement contains: Current city legislation passed through March 31, 2026).
Full Breakdown
The rule covers forks, knives, spoons, sporks, chopsticks, straws, stirrers, splash sticks, cocktail sticks, and standard condiments like ketchup, mustard, and soy sauce packets. Drive-through operators may still proactively ask a customer whether they want foodware if it's needed to eat or safely transport the food. Delivery orders through third-party platforms must let the customer affirmatively select which accessories they want; if nothing is selected, none are provided. Food facilities remain free to offer unwrapped items through refillable self-service, one-at-a-time dispensers.
Violations & Fines
The first and second violations of the chapter result only in a written notice of violation. A third or subsequent violation is an infraction punishable by a $25 fine for each day the violation continues, capped at $300 per year, under Sec. 6-7.104.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a restaurant automatically put plastic forks in every delivery bag?
What's the fine for handing out unrequested plastic utensils?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Thousand Oaks
California rules heatmap·Compare Thousand Oaks to another location·View the California single-use items overview
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Utensils-On-Request in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Ventura County handle utensils-on-request.