Los Angeles County Launches Program to Permit At-Home Commercial Kitchens

Rigoberto Morales sells chicharrones (fried pork cracklings) in the Pinata District in Downtown Los Angeles on March 23, 2019. Morales came to the United States in 1980 from Michoacan, Mexico, now he is now a U.S. citizen. Agustin Paullier/AFP via Getty Images

Cooks and bakers living in most of the cities in Los Angeles County can now apply for a permit to start their own home professional food preparation operations, the county’s public health department announced on Oct. 7.

The new program, called the Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation (MEHKO), will launch on Nov. 1.

“MEHKOs represent an important economic vehicle for entrepreneurial county residents—especially women, immigrants, and communities of color—to create new opportunities in the formal economy,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis, in a statement issued on Monday.

“The MEHKO program is a groundbreaking step towards allowing home-based kitchens to operate legally and safely, enabling countless individuals to turn their culinary passions into thriving businesses.”

Los Angeles County has about 10,000 sidewalk vendors selling food on the streets, according to county officials.

In February, county supervisors adopted a Sidewalk Vending Ordinance for unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Solis announced on Feb. 6 that the program provides a pathway for entrepreneurs and small businesses to legalize their businesses.

The law, which went into effect Aug. 1, requires vendors to get a registration certificate, pay an annual fee of $100, and meet the county’s rules and regulations related to distancing, hours, and waste disposal.

The California Health and Safety Code established the MEHKO program in 2019 to enable people to operate small-scale restaurants in their homes.

In May 2024, the county’s Board of Supervisors authorized the creation of the MEHKO program.

The county’s public health department will issue permits for the MEHKO program, except in the cities of Pasadena, Long Beach, and Vernon, which have their own health departments.

The businesses will have to comply with health and safety regulations, Solis said.

County Supervisor Holly Mitchell agreed, saying the program will create a pathway for unregulated chefs to be permitted.

The program will help thousands of sidewalk vendors and home cooks benefit from the local economy, Mitchell said.

Chef Ton buys a basket of shrimp from one of the vendors at a local market. Officials estimate 10,000 vendors sell food on the streets of Los Angeles County. Cody Long/Los Angeles Times/TNS

“Sidewalk vendors and home cooks are part of the cultural and culinary fabric of our neighborhoods—many times being a primary source of affordable and quality food for residents while providing an opportunity for families to earn a steady income,” Mitchell said in a statement on Monday.

Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said the program will strive to empower food business owners, giving them the skills and tools they need to increase food safety practices when serving the public.

The department’s environmental health division will be tasked with authorizing permits and conducting annual inspections, and complaint-based investigations.

The home kitchen operations will have to meet several requirements, according to the public health department.

The operation can employ no more than one full-time employee, not including family or household members. However, it can employ several workers, as long as their combined hours do not exceed 40 each week.

A street vendor sells a snow cone to customers in MacArthur Park in Los Angeles on May 21, 2020. Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images

The operator also needs to get a Certified Food Protection Manager certificate after passing the food safety exam from an approved and accredited organization. This has to be submitted along with the operation’s application.

Anyone involved in the operation must get a Food Handler Card certificate from an approved California provider and submit it with the application or within 30 days of being hired by the operator.

Food needs to be prepared, cooked and served or delivered on the same day it is made, according to the health department.

The home kitchen operation will be limited in the number of meals it can sell. Each operation can only sell 30 meals per day, or 90 per week, with a total maximum gross revenue of $100,000 a year.

Reselling food to other food facilities will not be allowed. And, the operation cannot use a third-party delivery app, such as Uber Eats, Grubhub, DoorDash, or other apps not specified in the California Health and Safety Code.

The at-home operations cannot serve alcohol or food that contains alcohol without a license from the California Department of Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) program.

The operations will not be authorized to run catering businesses.

A street vendor pushes her cart in MacArthur Park in Los Angeles on May 21, 2020. Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images

The health department will launch the program at an event on Nov. 1 at 5050 Commerce Drive in Baldwin Park. At the event, anyone interested in applying for the permit can review applications and documents, pay starting fees or apply for a fee subsidy, and schedule an inspection.

The county is offering operators a one-time subsidy on a first-come, first-served basis for up to 1,000 permittees. The subsidy will waive the initial application review fee of $597 and will be available through June 30, 2026, or until the funds are exhausted.

According to the county’s ordinance, the public health department expects to issue permits for 1,000 MEHKOs within the first year.

Enforcement of the permit requirements will begin Jan. 1, 2025.