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For California fairs, festivals and one-time events

Your event booth, permitted and on record for the weekend.

The temporary food facility permit first. Then the ice, the hand sink and the cooler readings your crew taps in between customers, ready if the inspector stops by the booth.

Start your 25 days free See it work

25 days free. Cancel anytime.

Saturday, 12:40 pm

Why does the booth
get away from you?

  • The permit

    Food for the public at a fair or festival needs a temporary food facility permit from your county. Each county sets how far ahead you apply; Riverside asks for two weeks.

  • The booth

    You are flipping burgers with one hand and taking cards with the other. The cooler thermometer under the ice and the water in the hand sink are the first things nobody looks at.

  • The point

    You came to feed a crowd, not to chase a clipboard across a field.

See it work

Watch a sample booth's day before you fill in a single form.

First things first

Which permit,
and how early?

Selling or giving food to the public at a community event? In California your booth is a temporary food facility, and it needs a permit from your county environmental health office (HSC 113755, 114381). A community event runs up to 25 days, together or apart, in any 90 days.

California law names no lead time; each county sets its own. Riverside County asks for the application two weeks ahead. Ask your office how early, and whether the event organizer files for the whole event. A booth does not need a certified food protection manager: it shows food safety knowledge instead (HSC 113947.1). Booth sizes are not in the part of CalCode we read, so ask your county.

How to open a food business in your county

The permit question comes first, and the answer costs nothing.

What the inspector checks at a booth

Which rules apply
under a tent?

Here are California's rules behind a booth once the permit is on the table, hand sink first. Each one says where it comes from, and where your county differs.

  • Temporary food facility permit

    A booth at a community event (up to 25 days in any 90) needs a temporary food facility permit from the county or city. Each county sets how far ahead to apply (HSC 113755, 114381).

    CleanCleaver: The permit is the first step on your list when you pick Event booth, and the app keeps a copy in the binder.

    HSC 113755, 114381

    Guide: Temporary events, potlucks and fundraisers

  • Handwashing

    Wash hands at the booth's hand sink, at each moment the law lists (HSC 113953.3). A wash-your-hands sign hangs at the hand sink (HSC 113953.5).

    CleanCleaver: Water, soap and towels at the hand sink are on the setup list, with the rule beside them.

    California: HSC 113953.3, HSC 113953.1, HSC 113953.4

    Guide: Handwashing

  • Hot and cold holding

    Hot food at 135°F or hotter. Cold food at 41°F or colder (HSC 113996).

    CleanCleaver: Each cooler reading is saved with time and name. A warm one asks what you did.

    California: HSC 113996, HSC 114000

    Guide: Hot and cold holding

  • Cooking temperatures

    The FDA Food Code's cooking temperatures, our recommendation (CalCode's cooking section wasn't read): chicken to 165°F, burgers to 155°F, steaks and fish to 145°F.

    CleanCleaver: Each grill reading is saved with the time and who took it.

    California: HSC 114004, HSC 114008

    Guide: Cooking temperatures
What else can the inspector check? 5 more rules

  • No bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food

    The FDA Food Code (model) says: Use tongs, deli tissue, waxed paper or gloves; single-use gloves for one task; bare-hand contact only with county approval and records. Here the law differs: Minimize bare-hand contact; hand assembly allowed in approved prep area with washed hands, no county approval (HSC 113961).

    California: HSC 113961, HSC 113973, HSC 113975

    Guide: Gloves and no bare hands on ready-to-eat food

  • Ice: drinking water, clean scoop, clean machine

    Ice is made from drinking water or bought bagged from a supplier that follows the law. The scoop is kept clean and protected (we say out of the ice, handle up, never a cup or glass). The ice machine and bin are cleaned at the maker's stated frequency; the Code sets no number of days.

    California: HSC 114025, HSC 114192, HSC 114021, HSC 114119, HSC 114117; docs/source/research/menu-items.md IC1-IC7

  • Employee health: report, exclude, restrict

    A sick helper stays off food. The person in charge tells the county environmental health office about a diagnosed Salmonella, Shigella, E. coli (STEC), hepatitis A or norovirus (HSC 113949.5). No hour count: call right away.

    CleanCleaver: Health questions before each shift. You see only OK to work or No food work today.

    California: HSC 113949.2, HSC 113950.5

    Guide: Sick workers: report it and stay home

  • California Food Handler Card

    Each food handler gets a California Food Handler Card within 30 days of being hired. It lasts 3 years, and you pay for the course and the time (HSC 113948). Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties run their own card instead.

    CleanCleaver: The app keeps each card and its expiry date.

    HSC 113948

    Does your county differ? 3 of California's 62 health departments do

    California law: a California Food Handler Card within 30 days of hire, valid 3 years. Riverside County Department of Environmental Health: a Riverside County Food Handler Certificate within 7 days of starting work; it lasts 2 years; the state card is not accepted. Riverside County Code 8.44.030; rivcoeh.org Food Handler Certification

    California law: a California Food Handler Card within 30 days of hire, valid 3 years. San Bernardino County Department of Public Health: a San Bernardino County food handler card; other counties' cards and other programs are not accepted; it lasts 3 years. San Bernardino County Environmental Health, Food Handlers and Managers page

    California law: a California Food Handler Card within 30 days of hire, valid 3 years. County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health and Quality: a San Diego County food handler card from a county-approved school or the County test; it lasts 3 years. San Diego County DEHQ, Food Handler Training page

    Guide: Food handler cards and food safety managers

  • Accurate thermometers

    Thermometers read within 2°F. Check yours in ice water at 32°F.

    CleanCleaver: Dipping the thermometer in ice water is a setup step, saved with the reading.

    California: HSC 114159

    Guide: Thermometers and calibration

See it work

See the same rules as taps on the phone your crew carries.

When the ice melts

The cooler reads 45°F.
What now?

Ice melts in the sun. Press Warmer until the chicken cooler passes 41°F (HSC 113996). Then pick what you did, like adding ice or moving the chicken.

The screen asks what you did before it saves the reading. A reading counts the same whether it passes or not.

Start your 25 days free

Your first cooler reading is on the list the day you pick Event booth.

Chicken cooler

Cold holding is 41°F or below.

40°FIn range
41°F
Write down the fix
Examples:

Slide a reading above 41°F and it is Out of range. It will not save until you write down the fix. Fix it, and it is marked Caught early ✓

Slide the temperature past 41°F. On a keyboard, use the arrow keys.

The fix is on record: Caught early. Your crew does this on a phone between customers.

Start your 25 days free

Set up

How do I get my crew on it
before Saturday?

Three steps on Thursday night.

  1. Pick Event booth

    The app starts you with a grill menu (burgers and fries) and the temporary event permit as your first step, and you edit the list.

  2. Text your crew a link

    They open it in their phone's browser and check in before they touch food. Your phone sends the text. We don't.

  3. Every reading is saved

    Each cooler and grill reading has the time and who took it. The binder is one PDF.

Start your 25 days free

A booth is billed like a community kitchen: $19 a month for the location, any number of helpers. The 25 free days cover your first event.

A festival Saturday

What does the day
look like?

One crew, one tent, one phone.

  1. Check in

    Each person answers the health questions. The answer is OK to work or No food work today. Nobody with a stomach bug serves the crowd.

  2. Sink and ice

    Water, soap and towels at the hand sink; the thermometer in with the ice. The rule for each is printed beside it.

  3. Hold it right

    Hot at 135°F or above, cold at 41°F or below (HSC 113996). Type the cooler reading; a warm one asks what you did before it saves.

  4. Close the day

    The last cooler reading. Today shows anything still open.

Start your 25 days free

Every line here is on your list from the first screen, and the permit step comes first.

The cost of a gap

What if the permit
comes late?

No permit, no booth: a temporary food facility opens only with a valid permit (HSC 114381). The county sets how many days ahead it wants the application.

A booth with the permit on the table and the cooler readings on the phone is a calm booth. A booth without them spends Saturday morning on the phone with the county.

After the weekend

Feed the crowd.
The readings are on your phone.

Try it on one event within the 25 days.

25 days free. Cancel anytime.

Questions? Call or text (415) 640-1667.

Start your 25 days free

Set up the booth on Thursday, run Saturday, and see the binder fill.

Questions

Before you
start.

Do I need a permit for a one-day event in California?

Yes, if the food is offered to the public at a community event. Your booth is a temporary food facility, and it needs a permit from your county environmental health office (HSC 113755, 114381). A community event runs up to 25 days, together or apart, in any 90 days. In Los Angeles County that office is the Department of Public Health, Environmental Health; in San Diego County, the Department of Environmental Health and Quality.

How early do I apply?

California law names no lead time; each county sets its own. Riverside County asks for two weeks. We found no late-fee rule in what we read. Ask your office how early, and whether the organizer files for the whole event.

How big can the booth be?

Booth sizes are not in the part of CalCode we read, so we will not guess. Ask your county environmental health office.

Do I need a certified food protection manager for a booth?

No. A temporary food facility shows food safety knowledge instead of holding a manager certificate (HSC 113947.1). A restaurant needs one certified owner or employee within 60 days; a booth does not.

Does someone at the booth need a food handler card?

Each food handler gets a California Food Handler Card within 30 days of being hired, from an ANSI-accredited course (HSC 113948). It lasts 3 years, and the employer pays. Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties run their own cards. Whether volunteers at a one-day booth need one is your county's call: ask. The app keeps each card on file.

Can I prep the food at home?

We have not read CalCode's rule on food from a private home for this pass, so we will not guess. A home kitchen may sell meals only where the county or city has opted in to the MEHKO program (HSC 114367). Ask your county environmental health office where you may prep.

Will the app remind us to take the cooler reading?

Not by text. In a browser, yes, once you say yes when the app asks. Open the app and the list shows what is due and what is late.

What does a booth pay?

An event booth is billed like a church or community kitchen: $19 a month for the location, with any number of helpers. The 25 free days start when you add a card on Stripe's page. Cancel before they end and you pay nothing. 25 days free. Cancel anytime.

Your binder is ready when the inspector is.
Pick your place. Start with one shift.

Start your 25 days free See it work

25 days free. Cancel anytime.

Questions? Call or text (415) 640-1667