Enchantedmoments has been so sweet to offer to help me figure this stuff out. Is there any fellow NCers out there that have been through this and could give me some clues on where to start, what it takes, etc?

I have just checked this out and this is what I found out.

You cannot have a home bakery if you have furry or feathery pets in your house (golfish are okay!).
You have to have access to handwashing facilities.
You have to have a label documenting ingredients on the packaging.If you have a seperate building you are going to use (or convert a garage etc) it has to have the handwashing facilities and a seperate air filtering system. You don't get a licence, but you do get inspected. I spoke to Joan Sims (tel 733 7366) at the Ag Dept. She will send you a copy of the relevant code.

Hope this helps

I was inspected and licensed in January. You can not have pets with fur in the house. I have a dog outside and that is okay. She never comes in the house. If you are using your home kitchen, you will need to have your inspection done first in order to apply for your license. Call the dept. of ag and get your inspection done first. I have all the numbers and contacts of people if you would like the steps I took.

Actually Joy,

You do get a license. You get a business license, which you cannot get until after you have been inspected by the Department of Agriculture.

I just finished this process, so if you have any specific questions, please post them. In the meantime here is a list of things that are required (other than the pet topic which Joy addressed):

1. Have safety light bulbs (shatterproof)
2. She will be checking the nearest bathroom for cleanliness.
3. She will be looking through all my cabinets and drawers for cleanliness and evidence of pests.
4. I must have all my equipment and materials separate from home stuff.
5. I must have a separate shelf in the fridge.
6. Thermometer in the fridge.
7. I must have samples of labels, which include an adress/phone number where someone can reach me in case of a problem, and ingredients in descending order of quantity in recipe. They should include a disclaimer on if your items are processed in a plant that processes peanuts and tree nuts.

They check to be sure your water gets hot, the fridge stays cold (thermometer), and that everything is clean.

Anything that isn't in it's original labeled package needs to be labeled. For example, at my inspection I had whole almonds in a clear tupperware container. Those need to be labeled "almonds".

Also you are supposed to wash and sanitize your mixer bowl and attachments before use even though that is also done after use. She said this is just in case dust or pests could have gotten into or on those things.

As for "passing", NC doesn't "pass" kitchens. The certification is that they have inspected your kitchen, know what you are doing, and the Dept. of Agriculture has no problem with it. I specifically asked about future inspections and she said NC only comes back on a complaint basis. The hope is they will only see you that one time! Oh, they do come back if you want to add something to your repertoire.

I hope this helps, sarahkate80.

Kathi

Those are all very helpful, thank you!

So, if you get a business license, what all has to happen? Are there fees, check-ups, etc.??

I stand corrected, but the letter from the dept of ag states "no licence is required, but commercial food operations are included in our inspection program."

I haven't gotten anyone to inspect yet, still waiting for INS to approve my work authorisation.

You have to get a business license which is $50.00, and a home based occupation permit which is $70.00. The $70.00 is a one time fee, and the $50.00 business license is renewable every year.

Raleigh loves to make lots of money off of us!

I hope I didn't offend you Joy. I was just trying to let you know that a license is required for a home based business here. I think the Dept of Agriculture says that because you don't need the license to be inspected, but when you call about the license the first thing they ask is "have you been inspected?"

You are so right, Doug!! When I had a business in Cary the total in fees was $25.00! I about flipped when I found out how much Raleigh's fees were!

Oh well, they're paid now!
Kathi

No offense - just muddling through the legal stuff as best I can!!!

You were more informative than the Dept of Ag anyway.