Food sales from your Fresno County home to be allowed under pilot. Here’s what to know
Fresno County lawmakers unanimously approved a pilot project on Tuesday for home-based businesses for entrepreneurs looking to get their foot in the door in the food industry, but not before adding extra oversight.
The state approved regulations around “microenterprise home kitchen operations” in 2018, and opened the door to counties who want to allow the type of small businesses entrepreneurs can run from home. The idea was to make it easier for those entrepreneurs to get approval from health departments and regulate those small-business owners.
The city of Fresno began a similar program that went into effect in July 2025, and was adopted while Supervisor Luis Chavez was on the Fresno City Council. He said the idea was to bring folks into compliance rather than only dole out punishment.
“Keep in mind a lot of the folks were already operating, but essentially in the shadows, and we provided a pathway for them to do this,” Chavez said.
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a two-year pilot on Tuesday. Fresno County Public Health Director Joe Prado said the pilot needed two years rather than one to get a true reading on whether it’s working well.
The local Public Health Department looked into similar programs in other counties, noting no other counties have discontinued the program after getting through the pilot phase, according to staffers.
To get approval from the health department, the business owners must pass food-handling testing and the home business must also pass an inspection. A vendor can sell up to 30 meals a day or 90 in a week.
The vote on Tuesday drew a crowd of supporters, including Paola Salcedo, who said food vendors like her could benefit from the low overhead cost of working from home.
“There’s no kitchen rental, no daily transport of supplies, and no downtime,” Salcedo said through an interpreter. “This allows more families to start or maintain a food business without going into debt.”
Many of the vendors said they hoped to work their way up to a cart or truck and eventually a restaurant of their own. Others said they would be able to run the small business while caring for their families.
While many residents praised the opportunities for entrepreneurship, some in the food industry complained that home kitchens would not see the supervision that restaurants get.
The home kitchens under state law are required to be inspected once on their inception, and then not again for 12 months. Fresno’s public health officials said they would do further inspections if they receive complaints about a specific microenterprise home kitchen operation.
The oversight for restaurants was unequal to those proposed for the home kitchens, according to Lorraine Salazar, one of the owners of Sal’s Mexican Restaurant and a board member of the California Restaurant Association. Some eateries are inspected as much as four times a year, according to county staffers.
“We can all pass an inspection when we know that it’s going to happen, but will we pass that inspection when it is unannounced?” she said. “That is how we help keep people accountable.”
The supervisors said they would require an unannounced inspection if the County Counsel’s Office determines it can be required under state law.
After the two-year pilot, the supervisors would be asked whether to continue the program or kill it altogether, staffers said.
