Retail Food Establishment Permit

Permitting is required by Regulation 61-25 for an operation that prepares, processes, packages, serves, or otherwise provides food retail, direct-to-consumer.

Establishments include, but are not limited to, restaurants, delicatessens, snack bars, catering operations, ice cream parlors, school cafeterias, independent living food service operations, licensed healthcare facilities, grocery stores, retail meat markets, fish/seafood markets, retail ice merchants, shared use operations, and mobile food establishments (to include the associated commissary and mobile units). A Retail Food Establishment Permit must be obtained from SCDA prior to selling food products retail, direct-to-consumer.

Retail Food Establishments that will use a Special Process (e.g., Reduced Oxygen Packaging, Cook-Chill, Sous Vide, Fermentation, Acidification) for food production may be required to receive a Special Process Variance. Establishments that will use a Special Process will need to mark that on the application and submit supporting documentation where available.

For more information on Special Processes, contact retailfood@scda.sc.gov.

Retail Food Establishments that will prepare, process, and package food for retail sale and wholsale, contact RVCregistration@scda.sc.gov prior to completing a permit application.

Additional Information

Permit Exemptions Fact Sheet GET INFO
Regulation 61-25 allows for an exemption from permitting for certain low risk food processes. A list of retail food processes that are considered exempt from permitting may be found on our Permit Exemptions Fact Sheet.
South Carolina Home-Based Food Production Law Guidance GET INFO

Home-Based Food Production under the South Carolina Cottage Food Law is exempt from permitting. Guidance related to this exemption may be found in the South Carolina Home-Based Food Production Law Guidance document or by submitting questions to sccottagefood@clemson.edu.

For information on applying for a SCDA ID Number, contact craigsd@dhec.sc.gov.

Retail Food Establishments that will provide alcoholic beverage service in addition to retail food service should contact the SC Department of Revenue’s Alcoholic Beverage Licensing at 803-898-5864.

For any additional questions or concerns, please reach out to Retail Food Safety & Compliance Department at retailfood@scda.sc.gov or 803-896-0640.