What Is New In Food and Housing

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If you have questions regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) please contact:

Call 2-1-1
Email 211 San Diego - 211help@211sandiego.org
Website for 211 San Diego - https://211sandiego.org
Email County staff - COVID19BusinessQuestions@sdcounty.ca.gov

 CURRENT NEWS


Experiencing a Power Outage, remember to follow these Food Safety Tips. Learn more about Food Safety during Power Outages.

 REPORTING ILL FOOD HANDLERS


The person in charge of a food facility is required to report to the County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health when a food employee is diagnosed with COVID-19, Salmonella, Shigella, Enterohemorrhagic, or Shiga-toxin producing E. Coli, Hepatitis A, Norovirus or Entamoeba Histolytica.

Call (858) 505-6814 or email fhdepi@sdcounty.ca.gov. 

 VIRTUAL OFFICE


Effective March 19, 2020: To slow the transmission of COVID-19, the Department of Environmental Health (DEH) will be temporarily closing all public lobby spaces effective Friday, March 20th. To ensure our customer’s needs are being met, DEH will be going to a virtual business process until further notice. 
 

 CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCES


Is your local farmers market currently closed due to COVID-19 restrictions?  Looking for ways to support your local farms and still get your fresh produce? Here is a list of farms fulfilling orders for pick up, and some offer delivery.
 

For guidance on Cleaning and Disinfection, as well as Food Safety during Transport and Delivery visit our Food Publications page.
 

 DEFERRED INVOICING & PAYMENT FOR IMPACTED FACILITIES

 

On March 24, 2020, the County Board of Supervisors approved unanimously to defer payment of fees collected by the Department of Environmental Health from March 1, 2020 through August 30, 2020, for food facilities impacted by the March 16, 2020 Amended Order of the Health Officer in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. While some food operations such as grocery stores and markets are allowed to continue operating under the Order, other food and beverage industry operations such as restaurants, bars, breweries, caterers, mobile food facilities and schools need support to recover after this time of unprecedented closures, limited services, and financial loss. Annual food facility health permit renewals, late fees, and plan check correction fees associated with plans submitted prior to March 1, 2020, will not be due until September 1, 2020. For those food facilities that may have already received their March and April annual permit renewal invoices, payment can be deferred until September 1, 2020.

In summary, invoicing for annual food facility permit renewals that occur between March 1, 2020 through August 30, 2020 will be deferred to September 1, 2020 for the following facility types:

  • Annual Temporary Event Organizers
  • Annual Temporary Event Vendors
  • Bars
  • Breweries with Food Service
  • Caterers
  • Cottage Food Operators
  • Host Facilities
  • Licensed Health Care Facilities
  • Mobile Food Commissaries
  • Mobile Food Facilities
  • Restaurants
  • Schools 

On May 5, 2020, to help ease the impacts of COVID-19, the County Board of Supervisors voted to defer payment of Department of Environmental Health (DEH) permit renewal fees normally due between May and October, 2020 for the facilities noted below. The new payment due date for deferred fees is November 30, 2020.

  • Body Art Facilities and Practitioners
  • Organized Camps
  • Massage Establishments
  • Swimming Pools

On May 5, 2020, the County Board of Supervisors approved waiving food facility plan check fees for the initial submittal of new construction and remodel projects. These waivers will reduce financial barriers for new and existing businesses. Fees for initial submission of plans will be waived from May 5, 2020 through November 5, 2020. Please visit sdcountyplancheck.org for more information regarding the Plan Check process.