Temporary Food Establishment Permit

UW students and personnel hosting or sponsoring an event at a UW location where food will be served, sold, or given away may need to apply for a Temporary Food Establishment Permit from UW Environmental Health & Safety.

Contact

Environmental Public Health Contact

(206) 616-1623

Last Updated: July 16, 2025

UW students and personnel hosting or sponsoring an event at a UW location where food will be served, sold, or given away may need to apply for a Temporary Food Establishment Permit from UW Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S).

Temporary Food Establishment Permit Fee

Effective July 1, 2025, Temporary Food Establishment Permit applicants will be charged a fee when a permit is issued. Fees are tiered by event complexity and include a reduced fee for registered student organizations. Click below for more information.

A Temporary Food Establishment Permit is a Washington state regulatory requirement when serving foods at public or campus community events. The permit application process allows EH&S to assess the safety of the food source, evaluate food preparation, handling, and storage steps to protect health and prevent foodborne illness.

Not sure whether you need a Temporary Food Establishment Permit for your event? Please review the information and frequently asked questions below.

A PERMIT IS REQUIRED

A Temporary Food Establishment Permit from UW Environmental Health & Safety is required if:

The event is held at a UW location (including UW Seattle, UW Bothell, UW Tacoma, UW Medical Center – Montlake, UW Medical Center- Northwest, and Harborview Medical Center) and any of the following apply

  • Open to the public or UW campus community (students, faculty, staff); or
  • The event information was advertised in public media (e.g., posters, flyers, social media) or wider campus communications; or
  • The event is sponsored by a non-UW group and UW campus community members are invited to attend.

A PERMIT IS NOT REQUIRED

A Temporary Food Establishment Permit from UW Environmental Health & Safety is not required if any of the following apply.

The event is:

  • Limited to members of a small (50 people or fewer), closed, campus community group (e.g., department meeting, a class, a lab group, members of a registered student organization).
  • Not held at a UW location; check with your event site regarding specific local health department requirements for permits.
  • Invitation only and private (hosted and attended by a non-UW group); this may include food for weddings, birthdays, funerals, or non-UW company retreats at UW venues, where the campus community is not invited and will not attend.
  • A potluck (review definitions below).

Even if a permit is not required, organizers should follow safe food handling practices, including proper handwashing practices, storing food at safe temperatures, limiting food service to a short window of time, and keeping food covered and protected from potential contamination.

The only food offered will be:

  • Provided by food establishments with a current EH&S-issued permanent operating permit (e.g., UW Housing & Food Services, Bay Laurel Catering, UWMC Plaza Café).
  • Provided by a vendor with a Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) or United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) food processing plant or cottage food operation license
  • Non-perishable foods from a licensed and permitted food establishment or food processing plant that are any of the following:
  1. Commercially pre-packaged, ready-to-eat foods (e.g., pre-packaged chips, candy, individually packaged baked goods, pasteurized, bottled or canned beverages); or
  2. Individually prepackaged frozen confections (e.g., ice cream cones or popsicles in their original packaging); or
  3. Served from the original packaging without direct hand contact using clean, single-service or disposable containers (e.g., cake slices, pretzels, cookies, glazed doughnuts served with tongs from the box onto clean paper plates or napkins); or
  4. Whole fruits or vegetables (e.g., bananas, apples, oranges); or
  5. Hot beverages (e.g., tea, coffee, pasteurized apple cider) that can be served directly from the container into single service cups. Any milks (dairy or alternative) offered with the beverage would need to be shelf-stable powdered creamer or shelf-stable prepackaged creams; or
  6. Cotton candy, popcorn, or kettle corn prepared from commercially-packaged ingredients and served without direct hand contact using clean, single-service or disposable containers.

Home-prepared foods and unpermitted kitchens

Foods prepared or stored at home or in a kitchen without an EH&S or local health jurisdiction operating permit cannot be sold or distributed at a UW Temporary Food Establishment.

APPLY FOR A PERMIT

Permit fee

Effective July 1, 2025, Temporary Food Establishment Permit applicants will be charged a fee when the permit is issued.

Application deadline

If a Temporary Food Establishment Permit from UW Environmental Health & Safety is required, event organizers must apply online at least 14 calendar prior to the event date to guarantee review and processing, and avoid a rush fee. EH&S cannot guarantee review of an application submitted within a shorter time frame.

Applications submitted after 5:00 pm Pacific Standard Time (PST) are counted as submitted the next day. The day of the event does not count as a review day.

Steps to apply

  1. Review the Temporary Food Establishment Guidelines.
  2. Gather all required information before starting the online application.
  3. Submit the application before the deadline to guarantee review and processing, and avoid a rush fee.

When event organizers submit an application for a Temporary Food Establishment Permit, they agree to meet the requirements in the Temporary Food Establishment Guidelines, which are designed to ensure food is prepared and handled safely and under sanitary conditions.

After you submit your application

You will receive an email from EH&S to confirm that we have received your application. We will review your application and either approve it, deny it, or request more information. 

If the application is approved, EH&S will email a permit to you and your payment method will be charged. 

Read the FAQs below for more information about the application review process.

Contact the EH&S Environmental Public Health team with questions.

Check the status of your application

Check the status of an existing application.

FAQs about the application and fees

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.

Food safety guidelines

If you set up a Temporary Food Establishment at a University location, follow the EH&S Temporary Food Establishment Guidelines for safe food preparation, handling, and transport.

Guidelines for Temporary Food Establishments

FAQs about food safety

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.

FAQs about food vendors

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).

More information

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

Definitions

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.