Home-based business bakeries operating in California are expected to follow the home-based food businesses laws that apply to all cities and counties in California. This includes specific licenses and health inspections as well as proper bakery packaging procedures to ensure that sanity and health regulations are respected. Before you start baking products and goods in your home, ensure that you have read and understood all of the requirements for a home-based California bakery.
Standardized Kitchen Space
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An at-home bakery in California must have a clean and sanitized kitchen space. Home-based food businesses cannot have pets or children running around in the kitchen space because those elements increase the risk of bacteria in the kitchen. The California Department of Public Health comes to the home bakery and inspects the kitchen before the bakery can open. The inspection specialist checks the kitchen ventilation, walls, cabinets and floors to ensure it is clean and healthy. A license is issued, if the kitchen space passes inspection.
Baking Business License
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At-home bakeries in California must register for a basic business license, as the bakery is considered a business entity despite operating from a private home. Sole-proprietor home bakeries may choose to operate the at-home bakery using the owner's Social Security number and using the owner's legal name. Any other business type or structure, including sole-proprietorships running with a fictitious name, must get a license from the local county's clerk office.
Handling Bakery Taxes
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The at-home bakery owner must file taxes on all the income earned on the sales of baked goods, cakes and cookies. At-home bakers working alone in a sole-proprietorship can use his Social Security number to file the bakery income tax. This can be done for both full-time and part-time businesses, as part-time income can be filed as secondary income. At-home businesses run as corporations and limited liabilities must get an employer identification number to file bakery income taxes. The employer ID number is provided by the IRS.
Food Handler Certification
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The baker creating all of the baked goods must have a food handler certification. This certification is obtained from the California Department of Environment Health and Safety. Additional certification is required, if the baker hires people to create the baked goods for her. At least one person working in the bakery at any time must have a food handler certification to ensure all employees are meeting health and sanitation standards during bakery production.
