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Teen vendor says county health rules blocked her lemonade stand permit
Summary
An 18‑year‑old vendor told the board OC Health reversed earlier guidance, reclassified her trailer so it no longer qualifies as a booth, and required costly commissary and per‑event fees that she says make an annual permit impractical for her small business.
Addison Ozzles, an 18‑year‑old senior at Foothill High School and small‑business owner, told the Orange County Board of Supervisors that county health officials reversed earlier guidance and reclassified her refurbished trailer so she can no longer sell fruit‑containing lemonade as she had been told.
"I was told by OC Health that I... was no longer classified as a booth and I could no longer sell the lemonade that they told me I could," Ozzles said, describing months of conflicting guidance. She said county staff initially told her the trailer could operate as a temporary food facility booth, so she purchased and refurbished a trailer; two weeks earlier, she said, OC Health changed its position.
Ozzles told the board she was denied an annual permit, was quoted a $610 annual permit fee but was told she must pay $828 in single‑event fees for multiple markets and must use a commissary that carries an $828 upfront cost plus about $200 monthly. "That's approximately $10,000 a year that I want to spend for my college," she said, arguing those costs make small‑scale vending untenable.
Supervisor Wagner asked county staff and the CEO to "inquire as to what's going on" and to report back, noting the matter is in his district. The board did not take formal action at the meeting beyond requesting staff follow‑up.
Ozzles asked the board to consider the impact of permitting policy on young entrepreneurs and small businesses; county staff will need to clarify whether the earlier booth classification remains applicable and what options are available for annual permitting of small mobile food vendors.
