The Application for Permit to Operate - Food Facility is the permit application that the Sacramento County Environmental Management Department (EMD) publishes for fiscal year 2026-2027. People who search for a Sacramento County business license for a food business often land on it, but the form itself is an EMD permit application: you check the permit type for your facility, and the owner or the owner's authorized representative signs a compliance certification. On this page you can fill out the form online on FillingPDF and download or print the completed PDF; the original is published by EMD.
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What is Application for Permit to Operate - Food Facility – Sacramento County, CA?
The Application for Permit to Operate - Food Facility is the Sacramento County Environmental Management Department (EMD) form on which the owner of a facility identifies the business, the billing contact and the owner, and checks the type of permit being applied for in fiscal year 2026-2027.
The form is a single page with four blocks: FACILITY, BILL, OWNER and a permit-type table. Each permit type is listed with its fee and a program element (PE) code, for example 1622 for the swap meet pre-packaged food stand or 1680 for a commissary. The table covers restaurants, bars, retail markets by square footage, mobile food facility categories A to D, seasonal operations, catering, vending machines, certified farmers' markets, charitable feeding registration and other food categories. It also lists stormwater and pool permits (swim pool, spa pool, wading pool, spray ground) with their own codes.
The owner, or the owner's authorized representative, certifies at the bottom that the business will comply with all State and local laws now in force or later enacted that apply to it. An OFFICIAL USE ONLY block is reserved for EMD, which records the receipt, the facility ID and the approval or disapproval.
EMD's food program forms page lists separate applications for food facility plan review, mobile food facility plan review and community event permits; this form is not one of them.
Who needs to file Application for Permit to Operate - Food Facility – Sacramento County, CA?
The owner of a food facility in Sacramento County, or the owner's authorized representative, completes this form when applying for one of the permit types printed in its table. The certification at the bottom is made by the person who signs, who states that they are the owner or the owner's authorized representative.
Applicants use the form for the type of facility they run, for example:
- restaurants, bars and food preparation establishments;
- retail markets, bakeries and commissaries;
- mobile food facilities, compact mobile food operators and catering operations;
- seasonal, multi-event, swap meet and certified farmers' market operations;
- school, nonprofit and charitable feeding programs;
- vending machine operators.
The same table also lists stormwater and pool permits, so the form is used for those as well when they apply.
If the facility has a semi-frozen (soft serve) processing machine, the form tells you to call the State of California Milk & Dairy Food Safety Branch at (209) 466-7186.
Plan review, mobile food facility plan review and community event applications are separate EMD forms.
When to file Application for Permit to Operate - Food Facility – Sacramento County, CA
The form prints no due date of its own. It is the FY 2026-2027 edition (Rev. 07/01/26), so it applies to the permit year its heading names.
The OFFICIAL USE ONLY block shows the two situations EMD records on the application: NEW FACILITY and CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP, each with an anniversary date, which the form defines as the date of ownership change or the opening date. A new opening or a change of owner is therefore a situation the form is built for. For the date by which EMD needs the application, and for how long review takes, contact EMD at (916) 875-8440 for Environmental Health.
How to fill out Application for Permit to Operate - Food Facility – Sacramento County, CA
Enter the facility details
Under FACILITY, write the Business Name (DBA), phone, the Site / Commissary Address with city, state and ZIP code.
Add days and hours of operation
Fill in Days of operation and Hours of operation for the facility.
Check for a soft serve machine
If the facility has a semi-frozen (soft serve) processing machine, call the State of California Milk & Dairy Food Safety Branch at (209) 466-7186, as the form directs.
Complete the billing block
Under BILL, enter the Billing Name, phone, billing address, city, state and ZIP code.
Enter the owner information
Under OWNER, write the Owner (Corp/LLC) Name, phone, address (home or office), city, state, ZIP code, Owner E-mail and Business E-mail.
Select your type of permit
In the TYPE OF PERMIT table, mark the permit you apply for and note its fee and PE code. Starred permits carry a stormwater fee.
Account for the stormwater fee
If you apply for permit 1603, 1609, 1621, 1622, 1623, 1624 or 1680, add one stormwater fee (PE 6770) for the facility.
Use OTHER if no type fits
If none of the listed permit types matches, use the OTHER line in the table.
Sign the compliance certification
Print the name, then sign and enter Title/Position and Date. The signer certifies being the owner or the owner's authorized representative.
Leave the official use block blank
Do not write in OFFICIAL USE ONLY; EMD completes the receipt, facility ID and approval entries.
Review and download the PDF
Check every block and the permit selection, then download or print the completed PDF from FillingPDF and deliver it through the EMD channels described under How to submit.
How to submit Application for Permit to Operate - Food Facility – Sacramento County, CA
The form itself names no submission channel. It prints these EMD contact points:
- Address: Environmental Management Department, 11080 White Rock Road, Ste. 200, Rancho Cordova, California 95670.
- Fax: (916) 875-8513.
- Phone: Environmental Health (916) 875-8440; Environmental Protection (916) 875-8550.
- Websites: www.saccounty.gov and www.emd.saccounty.gov.
Confirm with EMD which of these it accepts for the application before you send it.
A fee is listed for each permit type, and the form's table gives the amount for the permit you check. The form does not say how fees are paid; the OFFICIAL USE ONLY block records the amount paid, receipt number and date paid, so ask EMD how to pay. Add one stormwater fee if you apply for permit 1603, 1609, 1621, 1622, 1623, 1624 or 1680; it is one stormwater fee per facility.
FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the EMD channels above.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Adding no stormwater fee when you apply for permit 1603, 1609, 1621, 1622, 1623, 1624 or 1680; the form says to add one stormwater fee for those permits.
- Adding more than one stormwater fee for a single facility; the form says one stormwater fee per facility.
- Checking Restaurant when the facility has a bar, or the reverse; Restaurant (1622), Bar (1620) and Restaurant w/Bar (1621) are separate permit types.
- Applying without calling the State of California Milk & Dairy Food Safety Branch at (209) 466-7186 when the facility has a soft serve processing machine.
- Leaving the signature, title/position or date empty on the compliance certification.
- Writing in the OFFICIAL USE ONLY block, which EMD uses for receipt, facility ID and approval or disapproval.
- Leaving the owner's email or the business email blank when the form asks for both.
- Listing a street address in Site / Commissary Address without the city, state and ZIP code the line asks for.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Application for Permit to Operate - Food Facility?
It is the Sacramento County Environmental Management Department (EMD) form for applying for a permit to operate a food facility in FY 2026-2027. You enter facility, billing and owner details, check the permit type and sign a compliance certification.
Is this the Sacramento County business license for a food business?
People searching for a Sacramento County business license for a food business often reach this page. The form itself is titled Application for Permit to Operate and is issued by EMD; it does not use the word license. Ask EMD at (916) 875-8440 what else your facility needs.
Is there a fee for the permit to operate?
Yes. The form lists a fee next to each permit type, so the amount depends on the permit you check. The form does not say how the fee is paid, so ask EMD; its Official Use block records receipt number, amount paid and date paid.
Do I have to pay a stormwater fee?
Add one stormwater fee if you apply for permit 1603, 1609, 1621, 1622, 1623, 1624 or 1680. The form says one stormwater fee per facility, even if more than one of those permits applies.
Who can sign the application?
The owner or the owner's authorized representative. The certification says the signer is one of the two and that the business will comply with all State and local laws now in force or later enacted that apply to it. Print your name, sign, and add title/position and date.
What if my facility has a soft serve machine?
Call the State of California Milk & Dairy Food Safety Branch at (209) 466-7186. The form includes this instruction for any facility with a semi-frozen (soft serve) processing machine.
Where do I send the application?
The form names no channel. It prints the EMD address, 11080 White Rock Road, Ste. 200, Rancho Cordova, California 95670, fax (916) 875-8513, and phones (916) 875-8440 (Environmental Health) and (916) 875-8550 (Environmental Protection). Confirm with EMD how it takes applications.
Can I fill out the permit application online on FillingPDF?
You can fill out the PDF online on FillingPDF and download or print it. FillingPDF is an independent service, is not connected to Sacramento County EMD, and does not file or submit the application; you deliver it through EMD's channels.
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