A commercial kitchen usually needs commercial zoning, and production-only kitchens like caterers and commissaries are often allowed in light industrial zones too. You generally can't run a licensed commercial kitchen in a home, though many states let you sell some low-risk foods made at home under cottage food laws.
New to zoning types? Read what commercial zoning means and what it allows.
C - Commercial
or
I - Industrial
Is a commercial kitchen allowed in Columbus?
Open the Columbus zoning map to find a property's zoning district, then check what that district allows.
Check zoning in Columbus, OH →A commercial kitchen is any kitchen used to prepare food for sale under a health permit. It's defined by what you do with the food, not by the equipment. A home kitchen with a six-burner range is still a home kitchen, and a small room with a sink and a convection oven can be a commercial kitchen once it's licensed.
Zoning codes rarely use the phrase. They file kitchens under the business they serve, such as a restaurant, a caterer, a bakery, food processing or a shared commissary.
| Kitchen type | Where it usually fits |
|---|---|
| Restaurant or café kitchen | Commercial and mixed-use zones, as part of the restaurant use |
| Catering kitchen with no dining | General commercial, and often light industrial |
| Shared or commissary kitchen | General commercial or light industrial, sometimes conditional |
| Packaged food production for stores | Light industrial, sometimes general commercial with size limits |
Production kitchens can look a lot like light manufacturing, with deliveries, freezers and night shifts, which is why many land in light industrial zones. If customers eat on site, the restaurant zoning rules usually apply instead.
Usually not in a residential zone. Home occupation rules typically limit customers, employees, deliveries and commercial equipment, and many health departments won't license a kitchen that's also used for the family's meals. Some places allow a separate, licensed kitchen in an accessory building, but that's the exception.
The common workaround is a state cottage food law. Many states let you make low-risk foods, such as many baked goods, jams and candy, in your home kitchen and sell them directly to customers, often with sales caps and labeling rules. Foods that need refrigeration, like meat or cream fillings, are usually excluded. Check your state agriculture or health department's rules. The home business zoning limits still apply.
Size changes how the building code treats a kitchen that isn't part of a restaurant. Under the International Building Code, food processing and commercial kitchens not tied to a dining space are Group B, business occupancy, at 2,500 square feet or less. Larger ones are Group F-1, factory occupancy, which brings stricter fire and construction rules.
Cooking that produces grease vapor usually needs a hood with fire suppression, and many sewer agencies require a grease interceptor. Both affect which buildings can work.
Most state and local food rules are based on the FDA's model Food Code, which each jurisdiction adopts with its own changes. Before you build, the health department usually reviews your plans for:
Get the plan review checklist from your local health department, then search for your city's zoning map to confirm the site's district before you sign a lease. Bakeries have a few extra wrinkles, covered under bakery zoning.
Light or neighborhood commercial zoning allows small shops, offices and services that serve nearby residents. A small café kitchen often fits there, but larger catering or production kitchens usually need general commercial or light industrial zoning.
Yes. Shared or commissary kitchens rent time to caterers, bakers and food trucks. The kitchen owner holds the zoning approval, but you usually still need your own health permit or business license.
Most health departments require food trucks to work from a licensed commissary for prep, storage and cleaning. Where trucks can park and serve is a separate question covered in food truck park zoning.
It depends on the code. Some treat delivery-only kitchens as restaurants, others as food production or a separate use, often with limits on delivery driver parking and pickup traffic.