Temporary food facilities (TFF)

A temporary food facility (TFF) is a food business that prepares food on site at a community event or certified farmers’ market approved by our office. A separate TFF permit is required for each event. Applications must be submitted a minimum of 10 working days before the start day of the event to avoid late fees.

There are several types of temporary food facilities. These include:

• Food booths doing food preparation
• Food booths doing limited food preparation
• Food booths selling pre-packaged food only

You must obtain approval from EHS before you start selling food.

Community events are fairs, city festivals, circuses and other public gathering events. If food is being sold, the organizer of a community event needs to complete a community event organizer application and submit to our office to receive a health permit to operate if the event is two or more days and has two or more food vendors participating at the event.

Our temporary food facility application provides complete description of the requirements to operate. If you have specific questions, please contact our office at 415-473-6907.

If you are selling pre-packaged food only at a single event, please review the requirements and complete the application for pre-packaged temporary food facilities at community events. Sample labels must be submitted with your application.

Some important requirements to note are: 

• No home preparation or storage of food is allowed except for registered and/or permitted Cottage Food Operations.
• All utensils and non-prepackaged foods must be covered or wrapped to protect from contamination during transportation and storage.
• Barbequing is the only food preparation that is allowed outside the booth.
• Contact the local fire jurisdiction where the event is being held regarding applicable fire code requirements. Remember that all cooking equipment, other than barbeques, must be kept inside the approved booth.
• Animals are prohibited within 20 feet of food booth, storage areas and by the barbeque.
• Smoking is prohibited within 20 feet of food booth, storage areas and by the barbeque. 

Applications must be submitted a minimum of 10 working days before the start day of the event. If your plan is to operate at a temporary community event, your application should be submitted to the event organizer. The organizer will submit all applications to our office for permitting.

If your plan is to operate at a permitted Farmers Market, you need to submit your temporary food facility application and fee directly to our office. 

Use the contact information on this page to submit your 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.