Bottled and Vended Water

Bottled water is water sold or distributed to consumers in sealed containers for
drinking, culinary, or other purposes involving a likelihood of being ingested by
humans. Bottled water must be bottled only at a licensed water bottling plant.

Vended water is water dispensed by a water vending machine, retail water
facility (or store), water from a private water source, or water delivered by a water
hauler for drinking, culinary, or other purposes involving a likelihood of being
ingested by humans. Vended water does not include bottled water.

Manufacturers of bottled water (regardless of whether they are produced instate,
out-of-state, or in foreign countries) and vended water must be licensed
and regulated by the Department of Public Health's Food and Drug Branch
(FDB) in order to sell or distribute their products in California. FDB inspects instate
bottlers and vendors for sanitation, manufacturing operation control,
equipment and quality control procedures, testing requirements, record keeping,
labeling, and advertising. For bottlers located out-of-state or in foreign countries,
FDB relies on the inspection by the pertinent regulatory agency of the state or the
country where the plant is located.

State law requires that all water bottlers (regardless of whether
located in-state, out-of-state, or in a foreign country), private source operators,
bottled water distributors, retail water facility operators, water vending machine
operators and water haulers obtain a license to bottle, collect, treat, hold,
distribute, haul, vend, or sell water in California. FDB issues 6 different types of
licenses: 1) water bottling plant (in-state or out-of-state including those in foreign
countries), 2) private water source operator, 3) water hauler, 4) retail water
facility, 5) water vending machine operator, and 6) bottled water distributor.
Bottled water distributor license is issued to those who deliver water in returnable
bottles (e.g., 4- or 5-gallon bottles) from a bottler to a customer’s home or office
and do the service of replacing bottled water on a customer’s cooler. Those who
deliver or sell bottled water packaged in single serve bottles (i.e., one time use
only-bottles which are found on supermarket shelves; e.g., 7 oz size-bottled
water) are not required to obtain a bottled water distributor license.

For information on license applications and procedures, click here or contact the FDB Water
Licensing Desk at (916) 650-6515.