California

As far as I know, you can only use your residential home kitchen. The kitchen needs to be in your home, and I think that’s the primary requirement. If your external kitchen is on your property, but separate from your home, then I don’t think you can use the cottage food law. If the kitchen is in your basement, it may be possible.

Although a commercial kitchen has commercial appliances, there are many more codes and requirements one must adhere to before it can be a commercial kitchen. Most importantly, it must be registered and regularly inspected by the health dept. So unless you’re going through that expense and complicated process, then you wouldn’t actually be building a commercial kitchen.

Unlike some other states, CA doesn’t actually have any restrictions on what equipment you can use. You can run a CFO by using commercial equipment.

However, your mention of a walk-in refrigerator makes it sound like you business is beyond the scale of what a CFO is intended for. A CFO is supposed to be a startup, until it can afford to go commercial. If you already have the permits for this kitchen, it might not be that much more effort to go completely commercial, and it might be best for you so that you don’t have to worry about the restrictions of the cottage food law.

Getting a CFO license means that you can ONLY use your home kitchen. You do not need to get your kitchen inspected unless you want to sell indirectly (via a third party, like a store). http://forrager.com/law/california/

Michelle, I’m not surprised that they wouldn’t allow canal water. Usually private water allowances are in regards to underground wells that are not in proximity to animals, waste, etc. Private wells are allowed after they have been tested. Perhaps you could offer to have your water tested, though they might still not allow it because there are too many variables at play. Just because the canal water is good today doesn’t mean it won’t be significantly different six months from now. I assume (though I don’t know for sure) that the tests on well water are done before any filtration has taken place.

Paul, I know that some people roast coffee beans in their oven, but I don’t know how most people do it. It is possible to have your kitchen extend to other parts of the home (that aren’t sleeping areas), but I don’t know if a garage would be allowed. Assuming you’re in CA, you should talk with your environmental health dept about what they will allow.