LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors gave final approval May 21 to an ordinance establishing a permitting process for people who operate food sale businesses out of their home kitchens, and approved a subsidy program for eligible applicants.
In 2019, the California Health and Safety Code was amended to authorize “Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations,” or MEHKO, which allow people to operate a “mini-restaurant” and sell food they prepare in their homes.
The Board of Supervisors on May 14 gave tentative approval to the ordinance regulating the businesses. With the final approval Tuesday, it requires operators of such businesses to pay an application fee of $597, along with an annual health permit fee of $347, covering the costs of annual inspections and enforcement actions. The ordinance also sets a cap on gross annual sales of $100,000, with meals limited to 30 per day or 90 per week.
The board also approved a $600,000 subsidy program that will offer up to 1,000 eligible applicants a one-time 100 percent subsidy on the initial application fee of $597. The eligibility will be limited to new applicant MEHKOs with annual net revenues less than $50,000.
The county Department of Public Health identified $1.2 million in one-time American Rescue Plan funding to support the subsidy and a Department of Economic Opportunity outreach campaign.
The ordinance will affect businesses across the county, except for those in Long Beach, Pasadena and Vernon, which are overseen by those cities’ individual health departments.
Under the ordinance, a MEHKO can also be approved to serve as a commissary for up to two food carts, or Compact Mobile Food Operations. In such cases, the kitchens will be limited to 80 meals per day and no more than 200 meals per week. The gross sales for a MEHKO operating as a commissary will be $150,000.
Health officials said the ordinance was developed in consultation with jurisdictions including Imperial, Riverside, San Diego, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, along with the COOK Alliance, an advocacy organization working to legitimize and support home cooking businesses.
The ordinance is expected to take effect in November, with enforcement beginning in January next year.
