Assembly Bill 626, which became law in 2019, allows California counties to decide if their residents can sell hot meals out of their own kitchens.
Jose Velazquez
San Francisco District 9 Supervisor, Jackie Fielder, announces that she will vote for a 45 day moratorium on approving new data center construction in the city outside of San Francisco City Hall on September 14, 2026, in San Francisco. Fielder introduced the legislation to support small businesses that start in people’s homes. (Miles Cull/KQED)
San Francisco city officials are introducing new legislation that would allow people to cook and sell food out of their homes.
Assembly Bill 626, which went into effect in January 2019, gives California cities and counties the option to allow “Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations” — which would permit citizens to sell hot meals prepared in their own kitchens.
Supervisor Jackie Fielder, along with co-sponsors Supervisors Myrna Melgar, Shamann Walton and Bilal Mahmood, on Tuesday introduced the ordinance for San Francisco to opt into the state law.
A customer holds a bacon-wrapped hot dog from a vendor at Fisherman’s Wharf on April 24, 2025. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)
A group of supporters — food vendors and advocates — joined Fielder at a press conference outside City Hall on Tuesday, holding signs that read, “Let us cook.”
“If we want a San Francisco where small food businesses can start to grow and thrive,” Fielder said, “We have to make room for the people who are not rich to open up a brick-and-mortar location.”
The Cook Alliance, a Bay Area organization that advocates for home cooks and helped pass AB 626, said 79% of state operators are people of color.