Catering and host facilities

Caterers

A caterer prepares, delivers, and serves meals to diners at special events like weddings, anniversary parties or corporate meetings as part of a contracted offsite food service event. 

Whether you’ll be catering large parties, weddings, baby showers, or office lunches, you’ll need to have a current annual health permit from our office to run a catering business in Marin County. Submit a complete caterer application and questionnaire along with a signed shared food facility commissary agreement, and the current annual permit fee to our office. Allow up to 15 business days for permit review and approval. 

If you intend to serve alcohol, you’ll need contact the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (ABC) to receive a license.

When operating in conjunction with a host facility, caterers can sell directly to the public. Caterers are required to have a certified food manager on duty at all times and all employees handling food must possess valid California Food Handler card.

Host facility

A host facility is a brewery, winery, commercial building, or another location as approved by Environmental Health Service, and operates in conjunction with a permitted catering operation or retail food facility where the caterer sells food directly to the public for a limited number of hours. In addition to completing a host facility permit application, a host facility will need to complete a host facility plan check process. The plan check process ensures the host facility can accommodate the caterer. 

A Host Facility Permit is not required if caterers, food vendors, or event operators do not use the venue’s kitchen, refrigeration, food storage, warewashing facilities, or other onsite food-service infrastructure.

Operational Requirements for a Host Facility Permit

• Duration of Operation: Catering can be provided at a host facility for a limited period of up to four hours in any 12-hour period.
• Restrooms (Toilet and Handwashing): An approved restroom facility in the Host Facility that the catering operation will be using is required. The restroom must be located within 200 feet of the area where the catering operation prepares the food and must be accessible to all food handlers. The restroom must meet all local building and plumbing code standards. A common use restroom agreement must be submitted if a restroom is to be utilized outside of the Host Facility.
• Additional Handwashing: A permanently plumbed handwashing sink, in addition to the restroom hand sink, for Caterer’s use may be required. All handwashing sinks shall have a minimum of 100°F-108°F warm water under pressure for a minimum of 15 seconds. Hand sinks must have hand soap and single use paper towels in dispensers.
• Refuse and Liquid Waste: The Host Facility must have approved methods for disposal of refuse and liquid waste. A curbed janitorial sink equipped with hot and cold water and an atmospheric vacuum breaker or other approved backflow device at the faucet may be required.
• Potable Hot and Cold Water: Host facility must have a hot water heater that consistently supplies hot water at a minimum 120°F, and that is available at one of the sink fixtures at a peak demand rate.
• Location for Catering Operation: Host facility must provide a suitable location where the catering operation can set up their operations. The type of food service provided by the catering operation is contingent upon the location where they will set up their equipment. The Host facility must ensure that operations comply with all applicable codes in their jurisdiction, including but not limited to Zoning and Fire Department.
• Annual Inspection: Host facilities are inspected annually by Environmental Health and if complaints are received.
• Standard Operational Procedures: Host Facilities must maintain operating procedures that describes the procedures, methods, and schedules for cleaning food related equipment; specifications for equipment that will be provided by the Host Facility to support the catering operation and how it will be maintained in good repair; how potentially hazardous foods will be maintained and how you will maintain a list of catering operations that will operate at the Host Facility with their menus, dates and times of their operations.

Use the contact information on this page to submit your application by email or in printed form. You can call the number provided to make payments by Visa or MasterCard.  

If you choose to hand deliver your application, please arrive 1 hour before closing to be safe.