Inspector can require pets out of the kitchen · State rule (counties usually restate it)
Pets in a District of Columbia microbakery kitchen
DC inspects cottage-food kitchens. Pets in the kitchen during inspection can fail the visit.
Cottage / exemption path
DC Health licenses cottage-food businesses and inspects the residential kitchen. The program does not publish a “pets must live in a separate room of the house” rule as the cottage-food statute’s main test.
Inspected / home-bakery path
Inspection applies sanitation standards, including animals in food-prep areas.
Research note
DC is one city. There is no county overlay.
D.C. Law 20-63; 25-K DCMR cottage-food rules · verified 2026-08-19
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