Unpermitted Food Vendor
What is an Unpermitted Food Vendor?
Unpermitted food vendors are people who are selling food on a cart, table, back of the car trunk, via social media, or from their home without a permit to operate from the Thurston County Public Health & Social Services - Environmental Health Division. The Washington State Retail Food Code requires that all individuals who provide food to the public obtain a permit to operate.
Example Unpermitted Food Vendor Site Photos
When you buy meals online, you gamble with your health and safety. Unpermitted food vendors typically use kitchens that have not been inspected and consumers don’t know if the vendor is following standard food safety practices. These standards protect everyone from foodborne illnesses like norovirus, salmonella, and E. coli.
Common issues in food preparation that increase the risk of foodborne illness includes:
- Improper food storage which can cause spoilage or contamination.
- Food kept at temperatures that can allow for bacteria and other organisms to grow and cause illness.
- Food can be reused, improperly cooled and reheated multiple times.
- Food preparers may not have access to a handwashing station or restroom and may resume food preparation without washing their hands.
- Poor sanitation due to garbage, debris and discarded food accumulating on food preparation surfaces or ground.
I love street food.
Us too - when it’s offered on a level playing field. The best street food vendors proudly show their permits and food safety practices. That’s how they earn trust and repeat customers.
What do you need from me when I report? I don’t want to get someone in trouble.
Location pin/cross streets, date/time, photos of setup/menu, and any name/contact posted is enough to get us started. If a vendor is unpermitted, we educate or close them until they’re safe to operate. Reporting isn’t punishment; it’s how we prevent illness. Many vendors choose to get permitted after we help them.
What doesn't need a permit?
Not every food needs a permit. These are often low-risk pre-packaged items that stay safe at room temperature, bake sale products made for a cause, or potluck favorites provided to friends and neighbors.
Examples include:
- Neighborhood classics: Lemonade stands run by kids under 18.
- Commercially packaged snack foods: Bottled drinks, chips, granola bars, pretzels.
- Charitable bake sales: Individually wrapped cookies, brownies, cakes, fruit pies (with a sign they were made in an uninspected kitchen).
- Hot drinks: Coffee (without milk products), hot tea, hot apple cider (pasteurized).
- Frozen treats: Commercially packaged frozen ice cream bars or novelties.
- Farm-fresh: Whole fruits and vegetables in their natural state – uncut and unwashed.
- Community potlucks: Events where everyone brings dishes to share for free.
- Cottage food operators: Home-baked goods approved by WSDA.
Isn’t food service common sense?
Common sense helps, but food safety is science-based, and many of us didn't learn basic safe food practices growing up at home. While that might be unsafe at home, mistakes are magnified when serving the public.
Don’t you eat at your own risk?
We all accept some risk, but communities reduce the risk in public food events by setting a baseline - training, approved kitchens, inspections – so one meal doesn’t become many illnesses.
I’ve gotten sick at licensed places before.
Yes. Outbreaks happen. The difference is, with permitted businesses we can trace, correct, and prevent recurrence - and work to fix the issues with all restaurants.
I’ve never had a problem eating at street vendors!
We're glad to hear it! Many people work hard to make sure our food is safe – and we’re hopeful you were working with a licensed street food vendor. Remember, our inspections show repeated and severe food safety issues with operators that are not approved – confirm your street vendor has an operating permit, not just a food worker card. (And don't forget, most illnesses aren’t reported or confirmed, so it’s easy to miss the pattern.)
Being licensed doesn’t make you safe.
A permit isn’t a magic shield - it’s accountability + oversight. It requires approved facilities, trained staff, and inspections, which reduces risk compared with unpermitted operations.
Side hustles are just trying to feed their families.
We hear that - and we want those businesses to succeed. That’s why we promote and educate on legal on-ramps (Cottage Food, street vending permits, mobile permits, temporary event permits) so great food can be sold safely and sustainably.
How can people sell food made at home legally?
The Cottage Food Law allows sellers to make certain baked goods—like cookies and cupcakes—in their home kitchens to sell directly to the public. The Washington State Department of Agriculture has a list of licensed cottage food operators. To sell other food items a Thurston County Food Permit is required, and the food needs to be made in a permitted food establishment.
Rent a clean, commercially licensed space Commissary Kitchens in Thurston County. Many offer kitchen equipment, work and prep stations, dry storage, and cold storage, and more, serving all of your food-based business needs. Reach out to our Environmental Health Food and Environmental Health Services Section to obtain an approved food vending permit.
See the list of Thurston County Permitted Street Food Vendors
A food worker card allows people to work in a permitted food service establishment (restaurants, coffee shops, food trucks, etc.). It does not allow them to prepare food at home to sell to the public.
Additional Resources
Contact Us
Contact the Food and Environmental Services Section at 360-867-2667 or send an email to foodapplication@co.thurston.wa.us with additional questions.