Chatham County, NC
Home MenuRetail Food and Lodging Program
North Carolina General Statutes 130A‑248. Regulation of food and lodging establishments.
(a) For the protection of the public health, the Commission shall adopt rules governing the sanitation of establishments that prepare or serve drink or food for pay and establishments that prepare and sell meat food products or poultry products. However, any establishment that prepares or serves food or drink to the public, regardless of pay, shall be subject to the provisions of this Article if the establishment that prepares or serves food or drink holds an ABC permit, as defined in G.S. 18B‑101, meets any of the definitions in G.S. 18B‑1000, and does not meet the definition set forth in G.S. 130A‑247 for a brewery, distillery, bar, private club, or winery.
OPENING A FOOD BUSINESS: CONSIDERATIONS
1) Type of food to be sold to the public.
- Low Risk Food- such as shelf-stable, non-refrigerated items like baked goods (breads, cookies), jams, jellies, candies, dried mixes, spices, honey, and certain acidic sauces/pickles.
- High Risk High- such as refrigerated items, prepared potentially hazardous food, dairy, meat, or low-acid canned goods
2) Location of food business
- Home
- Low Risk Food Only
- NCDA registration and approval process
- NCDA Home Processor webpage for more information
- Business
- Low Risk Food- NCDA registration and approval process
- Examples- Bakeries, ice cream shops, boba tea shops
- High Risk Food- Environmental Health Food Service Plan Review application and approval process
- Examples- Restaurants, Commissary kitchens, Caterers, Food Halls, Concession Stands
- Low Risk Food- NCDA registration and approval process
- Mobile Unit
- Low Risk Food-NCDA registration and approval process
- Example- Coffee and beverage trucks, dessert trucks
- High Risk Food-Environmental Health Food Service Plan Review application and approval process
- Example- Food trucks selling potentially hazardous food
- Low Risk Food-NCDA registration and approval process
3) Pre-Application Meetings
Pre‑application meetings provide applicants an opportunity to present their business plan and ask questions of Chatham County Planning, Building, Fire, Environmental Health, and other relevant departments. During the meeting, county staff outline the required application steps and approvals needed to open the business.
- Town of Pittsboro pre-application meeting,
- Contact Dorian McLean at dmclean@pittsboronc.gov
- Town of Siler City pre-application meting,
- Contact Tim Garner at tgarner@silercity.gov
- Chatham County pre-application meeting,
- Contact Angela Plummer at Angela.Plummer@chathamcountync.gov
- Pre-application Meeting Informational sheet
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