I’m kind of new to this, trying to make some extra money, lol. Anyway, I’m having a hard time keeping track of all of those permits that are required for craft and fair concessions. I don’t want to run into problems because I don’t have the right permit. Does anyone have any ideas on how to easily keep up with them? Thanks!

Hiya Mom.

Well, I don’t sell food but I have some friends who sell candies and other sweets and we sometimes go to the same shows.  Wherever you go you have to be aware of the health requirements of the county.  Usually what happens is that you talk to the event coordinator of the show and get a Temporary Event Permit Application from him or her.  (It might also be called a Demonstrator’s Permit)  The form usually gives you a list of all of the rules based on the county’s health services department.  They also charge you a health permit fee, usually running about a hundred bucks.  Not everyone has to pay this.  Usually just merchants that are selling food.  If you’re selling foods or perishables then you fill out a box listing all of your inventory and procedures for storing the inventory. 

For me, this is the easiest way to double-check everything.  Make all the rules into a checklist.  You can make a copy of the form and check things off as you finish them or create your own work sheet. 

I know that some concessionaires have POS software and try and track all of this on file.  That might be a good way to organize your sales, but unless it’s custom made for to the county you’re in, I don’t see how it can keep track of all the changing health codes.  If the software has custom-fields I guess you could add it in.  I don’t have time to mess with it though.  I just work off the form.  That’s just my take on it.

Hi There!

I was once given the task of organizing a craft show and farmer’s market at a small Community Center. I could not believe the amount of paperwork that was eventually required for the farmers to sell their meats and cheeses and for the different foods to be sold on the premises. Because I didn’t even consider this beforehand I ended up tackling each permit as it became necessary which was really inefficient. Fortunately I had access to someone on the staff of the Center who was qualified to eventually run the concessions through the Community Center kitchen.

What I would do (if I am ever silly enough to volunteer for such a job again!) would be to find someone in the local health department who could walk me through the entire process and any possible angle necessary for such a craft and food festival. I would go ahead and get the permits even for those things I didn’t think necessary (as long as costs were not outlandish).

For instance, we had the craft vendors selling different candies and soaps, farmers with baked goods and dairy products as well as meats, and even a “cookie walk” done by the youth group. Each of these areas required health permits or permission, and a single person in charge of this would have made life simpler.

Remember too that all craft vendors should be accountable for clearance from health departments too.

Hi All,  I found this article.  It doesn’t have much about permits in it, but it’s got a lot of useful information if you’re just getting started out with concessions. http://www.fairsandfestivals.net/articles/view/how_to_become_a_food_vendor_at_fairs_crafts_shows_and_art_festivals/106

Hi, CraftyMom

There’s always a lot of paperwork involved with holding an event, craft shows or otherwise.

This might be more complicated if any of the fair events you throw happen to have paid employees helping out. If so, there will be government safety regulations involved, as well. Though there should be no special permitting involved, it’s worth it to know a bit about this stuff before you move ahead.

If you bring any cleaners for the booths, floors or anything else at the show, you’ll need to have what’s called an MSDS sheet for it if you have any non-volunteer personnel. The acronym means Material Safety Data Sheet. There’s likely very little about which one has to worry at a craft show but it still pays to think ahead. As nitpicking as it seems, this requirement would apply to anything at all, window cleaners, furniture polish, etc.

Because people always forget about this, make certain that you have a way to dispose of all the waste generated by the show, as well. There’s no guarantee that the venue will have an adequate means of disposal and there are oftentimes some fees involved in this. Keep recycling bins out to cut down on the amount of waste generated by the craft fair. This also projects a nice, green image which goes over well with people today! Permits are always a pain and they don’t just apply to food and food service endeavors!

In the kitchen, make sure that any safety-textured mats are put into place before you start cooking!

Great advice, kolberg.

The permit process is always long, tedious, painstakingly repetitive, and unfortunately necessary. Timing, I guess, would be our best defense against being held back from fair events and the arts and crafts venues that we really want to participate in. Words you want offered a great post to an article that I read on this site some time back, so beginners should definitely start there.
Just keep yourself organized, and remember to start your permit process for each venue, show, state, and aspect of business as soon as you possibly can. By the time you mark that fair event on your calendar, the permit should be processing.
Keep it clean, too, as mentioned. This is great for Everybody!

Good luck out there all!

Hi Everyone,

I really appreciate all of the great advice that you have posted. I really like the idea that was posted about making a checklist for all of the different rules. I had thought about getting some type of software to help, but was not really sure of the best type to get. Also, at this point, I couldn’t justify the price of buying software until I’ve branched out a bit more.

Mkolberg, thanks for the tips about the MSDS sheets. I have to say that I have been really surprised at all of the rules and different permits that I need to abide by as I’m getting started doing different craft shows and fairs. When I first started out I just did a few festivals and craft events close to home, but the more I branch out the more rules and requirements I am running into. Every county really is different! I’m hoping that once I get all of this organized I won’t feel so stressed and will be able to continue branching out. Thanks everyone for all of your advice and tips!

Hi, I’m a Hot dog vendor and I do a lot of events. Most of them have the same requirements. I keep a portfolio in my cart. It has a copy of my business licence, city permit, Mobile food permit, liability insurance, food handlers permit, menu, and last health inspection. I hand a copy to the event guarantor when I arrive at the event. When the health inspector walks up I hand him a copy before he asks. This builds trust, once you have their trust they usually stop looking. If you would like to read more on this subject visit my website http://www.homemadehotdogcart.com I teach others how to get started in the hot dog vending business and how to build a homemade hot dog cart.