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King County sees rise in unpermitted food vendors

By early November, Public Health — Seattle & King County had closed more than 200 unpermitted food businesses in 2025, citing unsafe handling like unrefrigerated meat and flies near products.
Public Health officials note that all food businesses in King County must hold a food permit and face regular inspections, with more than 12,000 permitted businesses; Charleen Pleasance said most unpermitted vendors are 90% compliant, often missing one or two documents.
Health inspectors, with police support, rendered unsafe food inedible and ordered operators to stop, while closure reasons and reopening status are posted on the King County website for seven days.
Officials urged patrons to eat only at vendors displaying the green smiley-face placard, which Public Health Seattle & King County expanded earlier this year, and report unpermitted operators.
County officials said they have recently invested in permitting assistance, including contracting community organizations and multilingual outreach, while residents can report unpermitted vendors and view closure lists on the King County website.

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