How to Approve a Home Kitchen for Commercial Use

Most states will not permit you to approve a home kitchen for commercial use unless it is a completely separate space from the kitchen where you prepare your personal meals. If you build a separate kitchen in your home, you must comply with the same regulations as a business that uses a permitted kitchen outside of the home. Do all your research before you start processing food in your home kitchen.

Things You'll Need

• Health permit
• Zoning guidelines
• Fire department guidelines

Instructions

1. Contact your local health department and ask whether they permit home kitchen certification for commercial use. Some states, such as Maine, offer a special license for using home kitchens for commercial purposes. Make sure that your plans comply with permissible activities for a home kitchen; for example, you can only produce non potentially hazardous foods such as jams, jellies, pickles or a limited range of baked goods in a certified home kitchen in Maine.

2. Contact the zoning department in your area and ask whether you can license your home kitchen for commercial use. Some locales prohibit you from operating a commercial business on a residentially zoned property.

3. Contact the fire department in your area once you have established that the health department and the zoning department will allow you to license your home kitchen for commercial use. Ask whether they have any specific regulations or permits that apply to your situation.

References

• New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services: Requirements to Process Food in a Commercial Kitchen
• Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association: Licensing the Home Food Processor Kitchen
• Processing and Selling Value Added Food Products in Maryland

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish