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San Francisco Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector
Structural Requirements (pdf)
Information Sheet (pdf)
Farmers' Market Sponsor Application (pdf)
Farmers' Market Checklists:
Manager Checklist (pdf)
TFF Checklist (pdf)
Checklist in Spanish (pdf)
Amelia Castelli
Office: (415) 252-3838
Fax: (415) 252-3842
Amelia.Castelli@sfdph.org
A Certified Farmers' Market (CFM) is a location that must be certified and permitted by the State of California County Agricultural Program and permitted by the local Environmental Health jurisdiction.
In San Francisco, the San Francisco Department of Public Health's Agriculture Program is the local enforcement agency for the state Certified Farmers' Market Program. The Agriculture Program permits and regulates Certified Farmers' Markets, and the Health Department Food Safety Program issues four types of permits associated with Certified Farmers' Markets:
Individuals or associations who apply for a health permit to operate a CFM shall be considered a Market Manager. The Market Manager shall be present and responsible for the operation of the CFM and shall ensure that all food vendors comply with State Health Codes. All Certified Farmers are permitted under the CFM permit. The CFM Application Packet should be completed and signed by the CFM owner(s) and officer(s).
Any vendor who sells noncertified agricultural products such as pre-packaged foods that are processed, packaged and labeled from an approved source at a CFM and does not require food preparation onsite shall have an individual permit that is specific to the market that they are applying for. Permits are non-transferable. To be approved, a retail food vendor applicant may be required to obtain a processed food registration (PFR) with the California Department of Public Health. Pursuant to CA Assembly Bill 1144, permitted Cottage Food Operators (CFO) may refer to the RFV Application Checklist for permitting instructions. Information on permitting for CFOs is available for those still needing a permit.
Retail Food Vendor Application Packet (pdf)
Any vendor who sells foods that must be prepared onsite shall obtain a TFF permit through the market manager. TFFs at a Certified Farmers' Market are permitted every quarter and are non-transferable. Market Managers must complete a Sponsor application and all TFF vendors must complete a TFF Concessionaire Application. Market managers must submit all necessary documents at least 14 days prior to the start of the quarter. TFF applications submitted 7 days prior to the start of the quarter shall be denied and must wait for the following quarter.
TFFs at farmers markets must also obtain a permit to operate under an umbrella Temporary Event Permit for the market. The Farmers' Market Manager is responsible for obtaining the Temporary Event Permit for all TFFs. The Health Department cannot accept applications for the Temp Event Permits from individual TFFs. To help calculate the total fees due, review the Farmers' Market Fee Worksheet.
More information on these requirements is available on the Temporary Food Facility webpage.
Any vendor who prepares food and operates from a Mobile Food Facility must obtain a permit.
Refer to the Helpful Links for information on all application fees as well as structural and operational requirements. Send all application forms and documents to:
The Food Safety Program will only accept applications for a permit to operate if prior application has been made and accepted by the Agriculture Program.
If applying for a permit to operate a CFM on City, State, or Port of San Francisco-owned property, complete and submit the following:
Certified Farmers' Market on Private Property, complete and submit the following:
Certified Farmers' Market on a Public Street, complete and submit the following:
To obtain a permit from the Department of Public Health, complete and submit the following: