Events with Food, Alcohol, and Off Campus Venues with Alcohol

Detailed steps for completing the temporary food permit are available on Presence in the ODC Modules. 

To complete a temporary food permit application you will need to: 

1. Complete the Food Safety & Handling course available on CSU Learn (use your login with your MyCalStateLA credentials). 
   1. Search for Food Safety & Handling under Courses
   2. Upon completing course you will be provided a certificate.  Download the certificate for each person 
2. Upload your completion certificates in the permit application
   1. At minimum two (2) persons with current Food Handler Certifications are required to be present at your event at all times. You are required to retain a physical copy of your Food Handler Certificate while operating your event 
3. Complete the Temporary Food Permit form online 
   1. Digital signatures will be obtained after submitting a completed form by the following offices in this order: 
      1. Center for Student Involvement 
      2. University Auxiliary Services 
      3. Environmental Health & Safety 

Same-day signatures are not guaranteed by any of these offices. Please ensure you submit the food permit form 20 business days in advance of your event to ensure all signatures may be obtained and you can submit the event registration on time (10 business days).  

Once approved, print and have your food permit available during your event. Environmental Health and Safety will be conducting spot checks to ensure your organization has met and complied with all Food Handler Safety guidelines and requirements including the following: 

• Proper personal hygiene 
• Food protection guidelines 
• Safe storage, holding, and cooking temperatures 
• Certified food handlers 
• Current and approved permit 

In the event that an outside caterer or food service provider must be used, the sponsoring organization must obtain from the off-campus caterer the following three documents, to be attached to a Temporary Food Facility Permit: 

• A copy of the caterer’s Los Angeles County Health Permit. 
• A copy of the caterer’s business license 
• A copy of the caterer's sellers permit.  
• A Certificate of Liability, in which the University-Student Union, Cal State LA, UAS, the California State University, Los Angeles, the Trustees of the California State University, the State of California, and their officers, employees, and volunteers are named as Additional Insured with the following limits:
  • Comprehensive or Commercial Form General Liability Insurance       
  • $2,000,000 General Aggregate    
  • $1,000,000 Each Occurrence--combined single limit for bodily injury and property damage.  
  • Business Automobile Liability Insurance-Limits of Liability  
  • $1,000,000 per occurrence-- combined single limit for bodily injury and property damage to include uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage.    
  • Workers’ Compensation limits as required by law with Employers Liability limits of $1,000,000.  

Student organizations should review the California State University, Los Angeles Temporary Food Facility Guidelines.  The following are examples of potentially hazardous foods and beverages prohibited from being prepared or sold: 

• Pastries filled with cream or synthetic cream, custards, and similar products 
• Sandwiches or salads containing meat, poultry, eggs, fish, or seafood: i.e., potato, macaroni, chicken, ham, tuna deviled egg, or similar salads 
• All home-prepared foods: i.e., home-canned foods, home-cooked fish, meats, poultry including salads, casseroles, or sauces containing such products, homemade cakes, pies, or pastries that have a cream, whipped cream, or custard filling or icing. 
• Beverages containing raw eggs or raw egg substitutes.       

1.  Submit your Event Registration Form

The Event Registration Form for serving alcoholic beverages at an event is an important document that needs to be submitted and approved before the event can take place. This form outlines the necessary steps that need to be taken before alcohol can be served, and it is important that all requirements are met in order for the form to be approved.  The first step in the process is to submit the Event Registration Report to CSI for review.

2.  Submit the Request to Serve Alcoholic Beverages Form

Once CSI contacts you to move forward, you can then submit the Request to Serve Alcoholic Beverages Form. This form requires you to provide the names and contact information of two TiPS-Certified members as well as two Sexual Misconduct Prevention Trained members who will be in attendance at the event. In addition, you will need to upload a devised plan for safety developed by your board and advisor, a map of the event setup, and examples of your event's proposed marketing that meets AP 019.

After the Request to Serve Alcoholic Beverages Form has been submitted, it will be reviewed by several offices including Student Life/Office of the Dean of Students, UAS, Public Safety, Risk Management, and Budget, Planning, and Fiscal Compliance Approver. These offices may add or require new event details in order to approve the request.

It is important to note that no contracts with venues or caterers should be signed prior to the Request to Serve Alcoholic Beverages Form being approved. The review process takes a minimum of 10 business days, so it is recommended that you submit these forms in advance of the minimum 10 business days.

3.  Update Your Event Registration Form

Once the request has been reviewed and approved, you can edit your Event Registration Form to upload the signed and approved copy of the Request to Serve Alcoholic Beverages Form.  If the form is denied, your organization must edit its Event Registration form to indicate no alcohol will be present. 

For more information on this procedure, please contact the Center for Student Involvement.  Student organizations violating this procedure will be subject to administrative action ranging from probation to removal of University recognition.  Individual students who violate University Administrative Procedure 019 are subject to institutional disciplinary action.  

Organizations can hold events at off-campus venues where alcohol is available but is not a component of their event. The event contact/planner should initial on the Event Registration Form indicating that NO guest/member attending the event will consume alcohol regardless of their age/ability to do so since they are participating in an organizational event.  All organization event guests and participants must comply and abide by this acknowledgment during the entire duration of the event. Examples of these venues and events include but are not limited to: 

• Fundraisers at restaurants/venues that serve alcohol where organizations receive a percentage off of food sales 
• Banquets or ceremonies at restaurants where alcohol is available but will not be served  
• These events will also require the TiPS training requirement (see below).   

Student organization events at venues where alcohol is available or events that have been approved to serve alcohol will require at least two student organization members to attend a University-led Training for Intervention ProcedureS training prior to the scheduled event date. Both trained members should be in attendance for the full duration of the event and must pass the certification test. Previous TIPS certification will be recognized while valid. TIPS trainings will be scheduled throughout the semester.  Events that meet these criteria are subject to cancellation pending the successful completion of the training requirement.  
 
For more information on TIPS and to RSVP for a training please contact CSI at 323-343-5110 or CSI@calstatela.edu.