San Francisco Bill Would Let Residents Sell Meals From Home Kitchens

San Francisco Supervisor Jackie Fielder introduced legislation at the Board of Supervisors on September 22 that would let residents sell home-cooked meals directly from their own kitchens, adopting a state program known as MEHKO.

What the Legislation Would Do

The bill would allow San Francisco to opt into California’s Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation program, created under state Assembly Bill 626 in 2019. Under MEHKO rules, a home cook can prepare and sell meals directly from a residential kitchen after passing a health department inspection and food-handling certification, without renting a commercial or commissary kitchen. San Francisco currently requires food vendors to prepare meals in certified commissary kitchens, which Mission Local reported can cost around $1,000 a month.

The proposed rules cap MEHKO sales at 90 meals a week and gross annual revenue at about $110,000, and require renters to confirm the arrangement is consistent with their lease.

Who’s Behind It

Fielder introduced the measure with Supervisors Shamann Walton, Myrna Melgar, Connie Chan, Chyanne Chen, and Bilal Mahmood as co-sponsors. Sasha Gaona, Fielder’s chief of staff, said the goal is to change the face of the food world. Fielder said the city should be creating pathways for successful small businesses, noting that many street vendors already operate as small businesses without a legal path to sell from home.

Where California Stands

As of May 2026, 19 California jurisdictions had authorized MEHKOs, including 17 counties plus Berkeley and Long Beach, according to the San Francisco Standard’s review of Cook Alliance data. Roughly 1,200 MEHKO businesses were permitted statewide, while about 70 percent of the state had not adopted the program.

What Happens Next

The legislation is in a required 30-day sitting period before it can be assigned to a Board committee. A budget and legislative analyst report on the proposal is expected in mid-October.

Sources: Mission Local, The San Francisco Standard.

Photo: bryan…, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.