Starting a catering business from home in Ontario turns on one test: is everything on your menu low-risk food under the Food Premises Regulation, O. Reg. 493/17? Most catering food, from cheese and meat to other dairy products, eggs, cooked rice, pasta and potatoes, is potentially hazardous food, and that brings in the full regulation: a trained food handler on site, handwashing stations and the dishwashing equipment set by section 18. In Ottawa the answer is narrower still. The city's zoning limits a home-based food business to low-risk food, so meals, platters and grazing tables are prepared in a commercially zoned, inspected kitchen, and Ottawa Public Health wants notice at least 14 days before you open.
The regulation sorts food into two classes. Potentially hazardous food is food capable of supporting the growth of infectious or toxigenic micro-organisms that needs time and temperature control to limit that growth (s. 1(1)). Low-risk food is defined in one line as food that is not potentially hazardous. The Ministry of Health's Guide to Starting a Home-based Food Business (November 2021) gives the working list of low-risk examples: most breads and buns without meat or cream filling, most baked goods with no custard, chocolate, hard candies and brittles, fudge and toffees, coffee beans and tea leaves, granola, trail mix, nuts and seeds, and cakes with icing that needs no refrigeration, brownies, muffins and cookies.
Catering sits on the other side of that line. Peel Public Health, which applies the same provincial regulation, names meats, dairy products including cheese and yogurt, seafood, eggs, cooked rice, potatoes and pasta as high or moderate risk foods, the ones that have to be cooked hot enough for long enough or kept in the fridge or freezer. A tray of ham sandwiches, a pasta salad and a cheese board each qualify on their own. A business that wants to cater parties, offices or receptions from a home kitchen is, in regulatory terms, running a potentially hazardous food operation from the first booking.
Section 3.1 of the regulation, added by O. Reg. 471/19, is the rule people mean when they say home food businesses became easier in 2020. The Ministry guide dates the change to January 1, 2020. It exempts a food premise that prepares only low-risk food, and serves only low-risk or pre-packaged ready-to-eat food, from three requirements: the handwashing stations in clause 7(3)(c), the dishwashing equipment in section 18 and the food handler training in section 32. The exemption is written for the premise as a whole. One tray of devilled eggs on the menu and all three requirements apply again.
Outside Ottawa, some health units set out terms for a home kitchen that prepares higher-risk food, and local zoning decides whether the business can run from the home at all. Peel Public Health lists its terms for high- and moderate-risk home-based food businesses: a designated hand washing sink in the food preparation area, a two- or three-compartment sink or a commercial dishwasher for cleaning and sanitizing (domestic dishwashers are unacceptable), and food handler certification. The Ministry guide adds that every food premise, home-based food businesses included, is subject to periodic inspection by the local public health unit, and it recommends reviewing zoning by-laws, municipal permits and licensing before you contact the health unit at all.
Ottawa settles the question through zoning. Section 301 of the City's new Zoning By-law 2026-50 limits a home-based food business to the preparation of low-risk foods under the Food Premises Regulation's standards, rules out on-site dining and on-site employees, and keeps the business out of accessory buildings, rooming houses and yards. The same section says businesses that need a City business licence are not permitted as home-based businesses, and the City's food premises licence is required for catering establishments. Ottawa Public Health states the result directly: home-based food businesses preparing medium to high-risk food will not be permitted in residentially zoned locations, and that food must be prepared in commercially zoned and inspected food premises.
What an Ottawa home kitchen can do is the low-risk list. As of June 2026, Ottawa Public Health permits home-based food businesses that prepare only low-risk food in residentially zoned locations. The City's food premises licence page says no licence is required for a home-based business that operates only from a residential unit and prepares and sells only low-risk food, and adds that Ottawa Public Health still needs to hear from all clients. OPH treats the part of the home where business food is prepared, handled, cooked and stored as a food premise during the hours it is used that way, and a kitchen that cannot safely meet the regulation will not be permitted to operate. The Health Review Request and Notification Form goes to the Business Information Officer at bio1stop@ottawa.ca at least 14 days before you open.
For catering proper, the cooking moves out of the house, and an Ottawa caterer has two routes. The first is to lease and fit out a premises of your own and hold the City food premises licence yourself: approximately $298 a year, expiring each March 31, about three weeks to issue, with $2 million of commercial general liability insurance as a condition. The second is to rent time in a shared commercial kitchen that has passed its health inspection. Shared commercial kitchens sit by name in the City's list of businesses that need a food premises licence, right beside catering establishments. The kitchen needs a licence of its own; ask the operator in writing what it requires of each renter, insurance included, before you book. Rates, minimum bookings and what kitchens ask of renters are in our commercial kitchen rental guide.
Whichever kitchen you choose, Ottawa Public Health hears from you before the first sale. Its rule for a new food premise is notice at least 14 days before opening through the Business Information Officer, and public health approval before you open. The application includes a floor and equipment plan, a brief description of the operation, proof of food handler certification and the menu. OPH also states that approval of plans by a public health inspector does not mean that zoning, building or other requirements have been met, which is why the zoning check comes first, as the Ministry guide also recommends.
Section 32 of the regulation is the staffing rule: every operator of a food service premise makes sure at least one food handler or supervisor who has completed food handler training is on the premise during every hour it operates. Section 1(1) defines a food service premise as any food premise where meals or meal portions are prepared for immediate consumption, or sold or served in a form that will permit immediate consumption, on the premises or elsewhere. In practice, the person holding the certificate is the person who has to be in the kitchen, so plan prep shifts around that person or train a second one. Course options, fees and exam rules for Ottawa are in our food handler certificate guide.
Tax registration can wait until sales justify it. The Canada Revenue Agency treats you as a small supplier while your taxable sales stay at or under $30,000 over four consecutive calendar quarters, and registration is voluntary until then. Go over $30,000 in a single calendar quarter and you charge GST/HST from the sale that took you over; go over across four quarters and you stop being a small supplier at the end of the month after the quarter in which it happened. A sole proprietor counts revenue from every business they run.
Two items finish the paperwork: registering a business name other than your own, and insurance, which the City makes a condition of the food premises licence. Who issues each item, when it applies and what it costs are set out in our guide to catering licences in Ottawa.
OH! is a family business: Anastasiia Stepanenko started it in the summer of 2026 and runs it with her mother, Nataliia. OH! is preparing a partner programme; interest can be registered on our catering franchise page.
What a home kitchen in Ottawa can make, by food type
| Food | Class under O. Reg. 493/17 | Ottawa home kitchen | Where it is prepared instead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breads and buns without meat or cream filling | Low-risk | Permitted, after notice to OPH | Home kitchen |
| Cookies, brownies, muffins, cakes with non-refrigerated icing | Low-risk | Permitted, after notice to OPH | Home kitchen |
| Fudge, toffee, hard candy, brittle, chocolate | Low-risk | Permitted, after notice to OPH | Home kitchen |
| Granola, trail mix, nuts and seeds | Low-risk | Permitted, after notice to OPH | Home kitchen |
| Cheese, yogurt, cream fillings | Potentially hazardous | Not permitted | Commercially zoned, inspected kitchen |
| Meat, seafood, eggs | Potentially hazardous | Not permitted | Commercially zoned, inspected kitchen |
| Cooked rice, potatoes, pasta | Potentially hazardous | Not permitted | Commercially zoned, inspected kitchen |
Starting a catering business in Ottawa, in order
| Step | What to do | Rule or office | Timing or published cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sort every menu item into low-risk or potentially hazardous | O. Reg. 493/17, s. 1(1) | Before anything else |
| 2 | Check zoning for the kitchen address | Zoning By-law 2026-50, s. 301 | Before contacting the health unit |
| 3 | Choose the kitchen: low-risk home kitchen, own premises or shared commercial kitchen | OPH; City of Ottawa | Before the health review |
| 4 | Get one person through food handler training | O. Reg. 493/17, s. 32 | Proof goes in the OPH application |
| 5 | Send the health review and notification form | Ottawa Public Health, Business Information Officer | At least 14 days before opening |
| 6 | Apply for the food premises licence if you hold premises | City of Ottawa | About $298 a year, about 3 weeks |
| 7 | Register for GST/HST when sales require it | Canada Revenue Agency | Over $30,000 in four consecutive quarters |
Common questions
Can I start a catering business from my home in Ontario?
Yes, within limits set by your food and your municipality. A home kitchen that prepares only low-risk food, such as most breads, cookies and brownies, is exempt from three requirements of O. Reg. 493/17, while cheese, meat, dairy and cooked dishes bring in the full regulation. In Ottawa, zoning limits a home-based food business to low-risk food.
Can I sell food from home in Ontario?
Yes, if the food is low-risk. The Ministry of Health says changes to the Food Premises Regulation that took effect on January 1, 2020 made it easier to sell low-risk, home-prepared food, and you contact your local public health unit before you start. In Ottawa, the notice goes to Ottawa Public Health at least 14 days before opening.
Do I need a commercial kitchen to start a catering business in Ottawa?
Yes, for meals, platters and anything with cheese, meat, dairy, eggs or cooked starches. Ottawa Public Health says medium to high-risk food must be prepared in commercially zoned and inspected food premises. The home option covers low-risk food only.
Do I need a food handler certificate to cater from home?
Yes, as soon as any item on the menu is potentially hazardous. Section 32 of O. Reg. 493/17 requires a trained food handler or supervisor on site during every hour a food service premise operates. A premise that prepares only low-risk food is exempt under section 3.1.
How far ahead do I notify Ottawa Public Health before opening a food business?
14 days at least, through the Business Information Officer at bio1stop@ottawa.ca. A low-risk home kitchen sends the Health Review Request and Notification Form; a commercial food premise sends an application with a floor and equipment plan, a description, proof of food handler certification and the menu, and needs public health approval before it opens.
How to Start a Catering Business From Home in Ontario — the short version
- Most catering food (cheese, meat, dairy, eggs, cooked rice, pasta, potatoes) is potentially hazardous under O. Reg. 493/17.
- A premise that prepares only low-risk food skips three rules under s. 3.1: handwashing stations, the s. 18 dishwashing equipment and food handler training.
- Ottawa zoning (By-law 2026-50, s. 301) limits a home-based food business to low-risk food, with no on-site dining or employees.
- Catering meals in Ottawa means a commercially zoned, inspected kitchen: your own premises or a shared commercial kitchen.
- Notify Ottawa Public Health at least 14 days before opening, with a floor plan, a description, proof of food handler training and the menu.
- City food premises licence: approximately $298 a year, expires each March 31, with $2 million liability insurance.
- GST/HST registration becomes mandatory once taxable sales pass $30,000 in one calendar quarter or over four consecutive quarters.
Sources: Government of Ontario, e-Laws — O. Reg. 493/17 Food Premises, ss. 1(1), 3.1, 7(3)(c), 18, 32; Ontario Ministry of Health — A Guide to Starting a Home-based Food Business (November 2021); Ottawa Public Health — Starting a low-risk home-based food business; Ottawa Public Health — Starting a Food Premises; City of Ottawa — Zoning By-law 2026-50, Part 3, s. 301 Home-Based Business; City of Ottawa — Food premises licence; Region of Peel — Starting a home-based food business; Canada Revenue Agency — When to register for and start charging the GST/HST.
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