Temporary Food Establishment Permit

To obtain a Temporary Food Establishment Permit, submit an online application to UW EH&S at least 14 calendar days prior to the planned event date.  An EH&S Environmental Public Health Specialist will evaluate each application (submitted within the application deadline) for food safety compliance. If the application is approved, you will be issued a permit and your payment method will be charged.

Yes. You must be a current UW student or personnel with a valid UW NetID to apply for a Temporary Food Establishment Permit.

Review the Temporary Food Establishment Guidelines and gather required information before starting the online application.

You may need to work with your caterer or food provider to get information for the application.

EH&S may verify a vendor or caterer’s operating permit from the local health jurisdiction, review operating history and inspection history. EH&S may require individuals handling food, food equipment, or utensils to have current food worker cards.

A Temporary Food Establishment Permit application may be denied for various reasons. EH&S will provide the reason in an email to the applicant. 

During the application review process, EH&S will evaluate the food source (e.g., caterer, vendor, restaurant, food truck) against risk-based screening criteria that include (but are not limited to):  

The food establishment that is providing the event food must have a current permanent operating permit from a Washington state local health jurisdiction or the Washington State Department of Agriculture, and all of the following are true:

1. At least one routine inspection by the local health jurisdiction
2. No indication of bare hand contact with ready-to-eat food on the most recent local health jurisdiction inspection report
3. No health-based closures on record in the past two calendar years
4. Most recent routine inspection report score from the local health jurisdiction does not exceed 45 violation points
5. No repeated red critical violations in the most recent routine inspection. 

An application may be denied if the food source doesn’t meet risk-based screening criteria, or the application is missing information necessary for review, and the applicant has not responded to communication attempts from EH&S. 

Review the reason for denial in your email from EH&S. 

Revise and re-submit your application to address the issue (e.g., apply with a different caterer if the application was denied because the original caterer didn’t meet risk-based screening criteria). 

Contact the UW EH&S Environmental Public Health Program with any questions.

Details regarding fees can be found in the UW EH&S Temporary Food Establishment Permit Fees and are reflected in the online application form. 

A “rush” processing fee may apply to reviewed and approved applications submitted after the submission deadline (e.g., application submitted within 14 calendar days before a planned event). 

Payment information is collected through a secure online form when you submit your permit application. 

You may use a UW worktag or credit card. A 15.6% UW administrative surcharge is added if paying with a credit card.

No. You will not be charged a permit fee if your application is denied or not processed. 

A permit fee is charged when EH&S has issued a Temporary Food Establishment Permit. 

No. Once a permit is issued, the fee is non-refundable, even if the event is cancelled later.

EH&S will issue either a single event occurrence permit or a multiple event occurrence permit.

A single event permit allows a temporary food establishment to operate up to 21 consecutive days in conjunction with a single event; or up to three days per week in conjunction with a recurring event.

A multiple event permit allows a temporary food establishment to operate up to five times in a calendar year if it has the same caterer, location, menu, and service period.

EH&S may stop operations or close a food establishment under any of the following conditions: 

• The violation point total (total of critical/red and non-critical/blue) is greater than 90 points or critical/red violation points total is greater than 70 during an inspection; or
• Operating without an EH&S Temporary Food Establishment Permit; or
• An imminent or actual health hazard is observed during inspection (may suspend operations in a portion of or the full establishment); or
• Operations/facilities/equipment or the permit holder do not comply with Washington State Retail Food Code (refer to the regulations section below); or
• There is interference with EH&S Environmental Public Health Program staff in performing inspections or other regulatory duties.

Follow the Temporary Food Establishment Guidelines to ensure your temporary food establishment meets food safety requirements.

Potlucks can have inherent food safety risks related to potential unsafe ingredient sources, and improper food preparation, cooking, food storage and service. This is why it is important for potlucks to be small and controlled. There are best practices that groups can take to ensure that food is prepared and shared safely, including: 

• Review state and federal food safety guidance related to picnics and barbecues and cooking for groups.
• Be conscious of the ingredients in the food items being served. Consider that attendees may have food allergies or sensitivities. Proper ingredient labeling of items (especially ingredients that are food allergens) is extremely important.
• Protect food from potential contamination (i.e., keep food covered when not being actively served and use clean utensils to serve food and to prevent hand contact with shared food).

Yes, only when it’s served at a potluck or limited to members of a small, closed campus community group. 

Home prepared foods cannot be sold or distributed to the public or broader campus community. 

Yes. All cooling of foods must occur in equipment that maintains an ambient air temperature of 41°F (5°C) or less, using approved cooling methods, and in a permitted permanent food establishment. Cooling of foods may not occur in a temporary food establishment. This is in accordance with the Temporary Food Establishment Guidelines. 

It depends. Current food worker cards are required for individuals: 

• Transporting or handling (i.e., cutting, washing, preparing, serving, cooking) unpackaged food, utensils or other food contact surfaces; or
• Supervising large buffet service events.   
  • Have at least one person with a current food worker card for every 50 planned attendees served at an event (e.g., at least two food workers responsible for overseeing buffet service at a 100-person event). 

Food worker cards must be obtained (and provided to EH&S for review when the permit application is submitted) prior to the event. Food workers should have a digital or hard copy of their current food worker card available onsite in case it's requested by EH&S during the event.

If you have a food worker card from another state, it is not valid in Washington. Each state has distinct food code regulations and food safety requirements.

To serve food at a temporary food establishment at a University location, restaurants, caterers, vendors, mobile food units must:

• have a current permanent operating permit from a Washington state local health jurisdiction; or
• they must possess a current operating permit from the Washington State Department of Agriculture or United States Department of Agriculture; and
• an EH&S temporary food establishment permit for the University event.

EH&S may request proof of the establishment’s current operating permit when reviewing the temporary food establishment permit application. 

No. To serve at a University event, you are required to have:

• A current operating permit (see FAQ above); and
• An EH&S Temporary Food Establishment Permit for the University event.

To obtain an EH&S temporary food establishment permit you must have a sponsoring UW unit apply for a Temporary Food Establishment Permit. 

No. EH&S does not maintain a list of approved external (non-UW) food trucks or caterers/restaurants/food vendors.

Food establishment operations and inspection scores from local health jurisdictions change over time. EH&S conducts an impartial review of the event food source at the time of the Temporary Food Establishment Permit application submission.

A temporary food establishment permit is not required for events catered by food establishments with a current EH&S-issued permanent operating permit (e.g., UW Housing & Food Services, Bay Laurel Catering, UWMC Plaza Café).

The authorized online training program to obtain a Washington State Food Worker Card is available on the Washington State Department of Health website.

• Washington Administrative Codes Chapter 246-215 and 246-217 (referred to as the “Washington State Retail Food Code”) include maintaining appropriate facilities, trained staff, functional equipment, proper food protection, and safe handling practices
• UW Administrative Policy Statement APS 11.5

A setup that stores, prepares, packages, serves and vends food directly to the consumer or otherwise provides food for human consumption. Food establishments can be temporary or permanent operations.

An individual working with (e.g., handling, serving, transporting, storing) unpackaged food, food equipment, or utensils, or food contact surfaces.

Foods likely to spoil, decay, or become unsafe to consume if not under time or temperature controls to limit the growth of illness causing bacteria or toxin formation.

Operates at a fixed location, with fixed menu for more than 21 consecutive days.

Sharing homemade food when all of the following conditions apply:

• Event is limited to members of a small, closed group (e.g., a class, club or office potluck); and
  • Attendees bring food to share; and
  • There is no compensation given to individuals bringing the food; and
  • There is no charge for individuals eating the food; and
  • The potluck event is not for commercial purposes   

Current faculty or staff member, UW department, or registered student group that represents a non-UW vendor or group at an on-campus event.

A permitted setup at a University location that serves, sells, or gives away food, at a fixed location, with a fixed menu, that is advertised to or attended by the broader UW community or public. 

A temporary food establishment may have a single event or multiple event occurrence permit.