Catering and home-based food establishments

Catering food businesses need a food service permit to
prepare and serve food to private parties and events.

It is required that a catering business be operated from an approved commissary kitchen. The commissary is an essential part of a caterer's operation and must have facilities for supply storage, equipment cleaning, food preparation and other food service-related activities. Many catering operations lease space at an existing approved commercial kitchen facility rather than constructing a facility of their own. Some examples of facilities that may be utilized: rental kitchens, existing restaurant kitchens with time and space available; church, school or community kitchens. The "shared" kitchen situations are evaluated on an individual basis. Restaurants and other permitted food establishments do not need a separate permit for catering activities, as long as the catering activities are done from the existing permitted kitchen.

Steps to obtain a food catering business permit

1. Make an agreement with the owner of the shared kitchen. Complete the Use of Commissary/Shared Kitchen Agreement and have the owner of the facility sign it.
   
   
2. Apply for your Food Catering Permit. This is the permit that allows you to operate and open for catering business to the public.
   1. Include a copy of your menu
      
   2. You may pay for both the Field Plan Review and your permit on the same form. Application for permanent food establishment.
   3. Submit the following items to the Health Department:
      • Catering permit application with payments (permit and field plan review fees)
        
      • Use of Commissary/Shared Agreement
        
      • Menu
        
        
3. Request a Field Plan Review by calling 206-263-9566 for the Downtown Office or 206-477-8050 for the Eastgate office. A Field Plan Review is required to ensure that your processes and equipment needs are compatible with the kitchen facility. Your inspector will ask what types of foods you will be preparing, how you will make them, and about the equipment that you will be using. The fee for a Field Plan Review is $459.60.

If you wish to construct your own catering kitchen, please see Permanent food establishment. If you are renewing an existing food business permit (with no changes to ownership, facility, or menu,) you may do so using our online services portal. When changing ownership of an existing catering operation, the new owner must apply for a permit to operate.

Frequently asked questions