Plan ahead

A Temporary Food Facility (TFF) permit is required for any community event that sells or gives away food or drink to the public.

Vendors can't operate for longer than 25 days within a 90-day period.

“San Francisco Street Food Festival” by kennejima, CC BY

What to do

As an event organizer

As an event organizer

Give yourself plenty of time to coordinate the event.

You'll be:

  • planning and mapping your site
  • organizing your food vendors
  • collecting applications and fees
  • overseeing food safety measures

To get started, go to organize food vendors for a special community event.

As a vendor

As a vendor

You’ll submit your application to the event organizer at least 2 weeks before the event.

For food or beverage booths:

Fill out the temporary food facility concessionaire application.

For mobile food facilities:

Fill out the mobile food facility concessionaire application.

If you do not already have a mobile food facility permit in San Francisco, you will be charged an extra fee.

Follow food safety

Follow food safety

Get an exemption

Get an exemption

There are some cases where your permit might be free or you don't need one.

View situations where you might get an exemption.

Get other permits as needed

Get other permits as needed

You may need permits or approval from other agencies for the following cases:

Cooking, open flame, generator use

SF Fire Department
415-558-3303

Sidewalk use

SF Department of Public Works
415-554-5810

Alcohol sales

State ABC
415-356-6500

Public property use

SF Police Department
415-553-1115

Park property use

SF Recreation and Parks
415-831-5500

Body modification (body art) permits

SF Public Health
415-252-3971

Recycling, composting, trash

Recology
415-554-3434

Senior health inspectors

Kyle Chan
415-252-3837

Aron Wong
415-252-3913

ehtempevents@sfdph.org

About

We inspect and permit temporary food facilities in San Francisco, to help make sure food for the public is kept safe.