All food vending in the City of York is strictly prohibited without express approval from the City Health Inspector. This includes temporary operations on public streets, parks, rights-of-ways, and sidewalks.
Temporary food permits are available for events lasting up to 3 consecutive days for $35. Events longer than 3 days will incur additional fees. All food must be prepared on-site or in a licensed kitchen facility. At the time of the inspection, applicants must provide evidence of a current SERV safe certification and the named party on the certificate must always be present at the event site.
The process to apply for a temporary food permit is as follows:
1. Visit www.yorkcity.org
2. Under the Resident tab, click “Permits, Planning & Zoning”
3. Click the red button labeled “Permits, License & Appeal Applications”
4. Click “Temporary Food Service Permit” then follow the prompt to complete the application.
5. Once conditionally approved, pay the $35 permit fee online.
Once conditionally approved by the Health Inspector, applicants will be prompted to submit payment. Once payment is received, the permit remains conditionally approved until the day of the event. At that time, the Health Inspector will conduct an on-site inspection and, if satisfactory, an official permit will be issued.
Applications must be completed at least a week in advance of the event to be considered. Additionally, a new permit is required for each event, and applicants may not exceed 14 permitted events in a calendar year.
City of York Ordinance 1105.08, “Food Preparation and Sales on Public Streets, Right-of-Ways and Sidewalks,” specifically requires that all persons planning to sell or offer for public consumption food must first obtain a temporary food permit and undergo an inspection. Violators of this ordinance face penalties up to $1,000.
For any questions, please contact Cliffonda Stokes at 717-843-4948 or Carlos Santiago at 717-849-2234.
