206. OPERATING REQUIREMENTS – PREVENTING CONTAMINATION

206 OPERATING REQUIREMENTS – PREVENTING CONTAMINATION 206.1 A microenterprise home kitchen business operator shall ensure that: (a) The microenterprise home kitchen business is preparing, handling, packaging, or selling only those food products included in its application and approved by the Department; (b) Only individuals authorized to prepare, handle, or package microenterprise home kitchen business food products are permitted in the kitchen facility during microenterprise home kitchen business operations; (c) Individuals preparing, handling, or packaging microenterprise home kitchen business food products are: (1) Prohibited from working in the kitchen facility when ill, as specified in § 214; (2) Required to wash their hands thoroughly before any food preparation or food packaging activities; and (3) Required to use single-service gloves, bakery papers, tongs, or other utensils to avoid bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat foods; (d) Only standard, residential (non-commercial) kitchen equipment and utensils are used to prepare the microenterprise home kitchen business food products; (e) All food contact surfaces, equipment, and utensils used for the preparation, packaging, or handling of any microenterprise home kitchen business food products are smooth and easily cleanable, in good repair, washed, rinsed, and sanitized before each use, and properly stored; (f) Microenterprise home kitchen business food products are not prepared, handled, or packaged in the kitchen facility at the same time as any domestic activities, including family meal preparation, dishwashing, clothes washing or ironing, kitchen cleaning, or guest entertainment; (g) The microenterprise home kitchen business operation is free from the presence of insects, rodents, and other pests and their entry points; (h) Microenterprise home kitchen business food products are stored in authorized premises, as defined in § 9901, in the following manner: (1) A clean and dry location; (2) With no exposure to dust or other contaminants; (3) At least fifteen centimeters (15 cm) or six inches (6 in.) above the floor; and (i) Microenterprise home kitchen business food and food products are prohibited from being stored or prepared in toilet rooms, dressing rooms, under leaking water lines or under lines on which water has condensed, under open stairwells, or under other potential sources of contamination. SOURCE: Final Rulemaking published at 72 DCR 011556 (October 17, 2025). District of Columbia Municipal Regulations Food Operations and Community Hygiene Facilities: Microenterprise Home Kitchen Regulations 25-L DCMR § 206