Cottage Food in Long Beach: Class A and B Registration, the City License and What You May Sell

A cottage food operation (CFO) is the lightest food business the city regulates: a home kitchen, a short list of non-hazardous foods and a registration instead of a build-out. The state decides what may be sold and how much; the city’s Health Department takes the application, bills the fee and inspects. This page covers both classes, the limits, the foods, the labels and the license questions, with the dates the figures belong to. For hot meals from home, the permit is different; see Selling Meals From a Home Kitchen in Long Beach: The MEHKO Permit. The section pillar, How to Open a Food Business in Long Beach, compares every path.

The short answer

Class A and Class B

The state’s cottage-food page defines the two classes²:

• Class A operators sell home-kitchen foods “directly to the public”, which includes transactions “made via the phone, internet, and any other digital method”. A direct sale may be fulfilled in person, by mail or through a third-party delivery service².
• Class B operators sell directly or “indirectly through restaurants and food markets”².

The city’s page describes the same split with examples: Class A is direct sale at farmers’ markets, farm stands, holiday bazaars and in person at the operation; Class B adds sales through retail shops and food facilities¹.

The state does not permit or register cottage food operations. Its page tells applicants to contact “your local Environmental Health Department”, which in Long Beach is the Bureau of Environmental Health at 2525 Grand Avenue, Room 220, (562) 570-4132²¹.

Official pages disagree The state sets the sales caps in the Retail Food Code: $75,000 for Class A and $150,000 for Class B, “annually adjusted for inflation based on the California Consumer Price Index”, which its 2026 table puts at $88,878 and $177,756³. The state’s cottage-food page, meanwhile, still calls $75,000 and $150,000 the “current” caps². The city’s Class B form (revised November 29, 2023) prints $75,000 and $150,000 for 2023 and adds the inflation note⁶. The city’s Class A form, the version posted under a September 15, 2026 file name, still prints the older schedule of “$35,000” in 2013, “$45,000” in 2014 and “$50,000” in 2015 “and in subsequent years”⁵. Plan around the state’s current figures, and ask the Bureau which cap its registration will recite.

The employee limit is the same in both forms and the statute: “no more than one full-time equivalent cottage food employee, not including a family member or household member”³⁵⁶.

What you may sell

The approved list is kept by the state; it was last reviewed in April 2026. It has ten categories⁴:

1. Baked goods without cream, custard or meat fillings (bread, cookies, cakes, cupcakes, pastries, fruit-only pies, tortillas, waffle cones)
2. Candy and confections (fudge, brittle, caramels, chocolate, cotton candy)
3. Extracts of at least 70 proof or 35 percent alcohol, from a listed set of flavors
4. Dried, dehydrated and freeze-dried foods (granola, roasted coffee, tea, spice mixes, trail mix, pasta, popcorn)
5. Frostings, icings, fondants and gum pastes “that Do Not Contain Eggs, Cream, or Cream Cheese”; a footnote allows meringue powder, powdered eggs or pasteurized eggs
6. Honey and sorghum syrups, pure, with no added ingredients
7. Fruit butters, preserves, jams and jellies that comply with 21 CFR Part 150, using only the fruits that regulation lists
8. Nuts, nut mixes and nut butters, roasted or pasteurized
9. Powdered beverage bases and mixes
10. Vinegars and mustards, including fruit-infused vinegars from a listed set of high-acid fruits

The city’s forms put the exclusion plainly: “Foods containing cream, custard, or meat fillings are potentially hazardous and are NOT ALLOWED”⁵. The state’s FAQ explains why two popular items are out: salsa because cut tomatoes have an inconsistent pH and canning risks botulism, and pepper jelly because peppers are low-acid and only the fruits listed in the federal jam regulation are allowed⁷.

Changes take effect 30 days after the state posts a notice⁴. A notice posted in 2026 proposes adding a chocolate and nut spread to the nut category; comments were due by October 1, 2026, and the new list is to be posted “on or about November 16, 2026”⁸.

How to apply, and what it costs

The city’s application is a form, the California Homemade Food Act (AB 1616) registration and permitting form, emailed to the Bureau at [email protected]⁶. It asks for the products you will make, the labeling you will use, your water source (public, or a private supply with lab results), the waste-disposal method (sewer or septic) and your agreement to the conditions: the training course, the one-employee limit, the sales cap and the inspection terms⁵⁶. Class A operators also complete a self-certification checklist⁵.

The form’s warning: “DO NOT BEGIN PROCESSING FOODS UNTIL YOU RECEIVE YOUR REGISTRATION OR PERMIT FROM THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT”. The fee is billed after the application is approved⁵⁶.

Source:¹⁹, the Health fee schedule stamped June 16, 2026, in the fee year that ended September 30, 2026. The council approved updated city fee schedules effective October 1, 2026¹⁵; the Health Department’s page still links the FY26 mid-year schedule¹⁶, and the city’s August 2026 memo proposed an average increase of 39 percent across adjusted fees¹⁰. The figures here are the schedule in force through September 30, 2026, so ask the Bureau for the current amounts.

Inspections. A Class A operation is inspected “in the event of a consumer complaint or reported food-borne illness”; a Class B operation “for regular annual facility inspections” and in the event of a complaint⁵⁶.

Training. The forms give three months from approval to provide proof of the state’s cottage food operator course; the state page says the training must be completed within three months of registration or permitting²⁵⁶.

Labels

The forms list what every label must carry⁶:

• The words “Made in a Home Kitchen” in 12-point type
• The common name of the food
• The operation’s city, state and ZIP code (and a street address if the firm is not in the telephone directory)
• The registration or permit number, and for Class B the name of the county that issued it
• Ingredients in descending order by weight, and the net quantity in both pounds and grams
• Plain-language allergen declarations for the eight major allergens, and a Nutrition Facts statement if the label makes nutrient or health claims

Official pages disagree The state says a direct sale “may be fulfilled in person, via mail delivery, or using any other third-party delivery service”². Both city forms ask the operator to agree that “all ‘Class A’ & ‘Class B’ CFO products must be delivered directly (in person) to the customer”⁵⁶. Ask the Bureau how it applies that line to shipped orders before you take them.

The license and the zoning rules

The Health page does not say a business license is required; it directs applicants to the Business License Division, (562) 570-6211, for “possible additional requirements”¹. The city’s general rule is that “all businesses operating within the City of Long Beach need to obtain a business license, including out-of-city or home-based businesses”¹¹.

The zoning code lists “cottage food” among the allowed home occupations, and the 2026-27 home-based business license is $299.54 plus $12.66 per employee¹²¹³. Planning’s schedule lists a “Business License Zoning Review – Home Occupation” at $52.00, or $58.24 with surcharge, as of October 2026, for home occupations in a residence¹⁴. The home-occupation conditions include no visible signs, no more than two business visitors an hour and eight a day, storage under 128 cubic feet with the garage off-limits, and “no advertisement shall be placed in any media containing the address of the property”¹². A cottage food label may need a street address, and the city’s pages do not say whether a label counts as an advertisement; ask Health and Planning together.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a permit to sell baked goods from home in Long Beach?

Yes. Class A is a registration ($124 a year) and Class B a permit ($380 a year), both issued by the city’s Bureau of Environmental Health, plus a one-time application fee of $139.20¹⁹.

What is the difference between Class A and Class B cottage food?

Class A sells directly to consumers; Class B can also sell indirectly through restaurants and food markets, with an annual inspection²⁶.

How much can a cottage food business earn in California?

The state caps are $75,000 for Class A and $150,000 for Class B, adjusted for inflation; in 2026 they are $88,878 and $177,756³.

What foods can I make as a cottage food operator?

Foods on the state’s approved list, such as baked goods without cream or custard fillings, candy, dried foods, jams and vinegars. Salsa and pepper jelly are not approved⁴⁷.

Can I sell cottage food online?

The state says Class A direct sales include internet and phone orders; the city’s forms ask for in-person delivery, so confirm with the Bureau²⁵⁶.

Do I need food training?

Yes: the state’s cottage food operator training within three months of registration or permitting².

Do cottage food fees change in October 2026?

The council approved updated city fee schedules effective October 1, 2026¹⁵. The Health Department’s page still links the FY26 mid-year schedule¹⁶, and the city’s memo proposed an average increase of 39 percent across adjusted fees¹⁰; the figures here are from the schedule in force through September 30, 2026⁹.

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