from the Snohomish County Health Department email, sent to all drive thru stands not plumbed;

“As many of you already know, there were several changes to Washington Administrative Code pertaining to Food Safety (WAC 246-215) that went into effect in March of this year. 

This revision repeals section 09180 – which stated “the regulatory authority may allow a person to operate a food establishment with a limited menu in a movable building without permanent plumbing under applicable provisions of [subpart b(1)]”. This was the section of the code that allowed espresso stands and other movable concession stands to operate with potable water and wastewater tanks, rather than being permanently plumbed. The result of the change is there will now be no exemption for permanent plumbing in the Food Safety Code.”

They say they understand that this may be cost prohibitive for some of us small business owners. This not only effects Snohomish County, but all of Washington since it is a new WAC code. Your county will be next if it hasn’t already been proactive! This also most likely includes food drive thrus and mobile carts! 

The difficulty this will raise is insurmountable and unimaginable. Even if they allow grand-fathered-in stands to remain unplumbed until they sell, it will still become a burden. Many of us small business owners are single parents or are the bread winners and grow our businesses by making them an investment by buying new stands and growing. Or we buy and sell. Or we move and sell. 

The fact they are hyper focusing on small business owners and making such a huge and costly reform right now is mind blowing. We just survived Covid, and now are dealing with a recession. This is flipping the tables over for all us small business owners, and for what? What reason is good enough to do something this drastic? Are we not sanitary enough? Going off my drive thru only, not one of my employees contacted Covid while working the past 3 years. Not one of my customers have gotten ill from being served a food or beverage item in the past 5 years. Is it due to waste water not being properly eliminated? Then let’s focus on a solution for just that! NOT A NEW LAW THAT WILL COST TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS!

there are more health and safety violations going to an outdoor concert and using the portable restrooms with inadequate washrooms. Or how about going to Seattle as a tourist and walking around the streets where the homeless defecate,  and their rvs waste tanks go directly into our water run offs, which then goes into our puget sound. 

If you are a business owner, and have been affected by this, please sign this petition. If you haven’t had any issues with the way we do things now and you’ve had no violations and no one’s gotten ill, please sign this petition. If you are a customer and love going to your favorite drive thru and haven’t gotten ill and love supporting small businesses, please sign this petition!

LETS FIGHT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES!