Women, Infants & Children (WIC)

Laws & Regulations

Authority for the WIC Program: The WIC Program is authorized by the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 and the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (Title 42, United States Code, section 1786). The CDPH/WIC Division is authorized to administer California’s WIC Program through California Health and Safety (H&S) Code sections 123275-123355.

WIC Program Regulations: Federal regulations for the WIC Program can be found in 7 Code of Federal Regulations parts 246 and 248. State regulations for the California WIC Program can be found in Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations and the WIC Bulletin Regulations.

Authority for Expedited Regulations: H&S Code section 123280 authorizes CDPH/WIC Division to follow an expedited regulatory process when adopting mandatory requirements and guidelines set forth in federal law, regulations, memoranda, and guidance letters. H&S Code section 123322 authorizes CDPH/WIC Division to follow an expedited regulatory process when adopting regulations for vendor peer groups and reimbursement, vendor authorization criteria, and WIC authorized foods. These expedited regulations can be adopted with a bulletin notice or similar instruction.

This webpage contains every WIC Regulatory Bulletin and Regulatory Alert that has been posted since December 26, 2012, along with other links and materials pertinent to the WIC Bulletin Regulations.

For more information, please read Regulatory Alert 2012-01 (PDF).

WIC Bulletin Regulations

Active Proposed Regulations and Resources

There are currently no active proposed regulations.

All Final Adopted WIC Bulletin Regulations

The Regulatory Bulletins listed by year below are the Department's official regulatory actions.

A compilation of the WIC Bulletin Regulations is also available. This compilation is provided for convenience only. In case of any discrepancies between the content appearing in the compilation and the WIC Regulatory Bulletins, the WIC Regulatory Bulletins control. WIC Bulletin Regulations adopted as of September 1, 2021.

WIC Regulatory Bulletins

WIC Regulatory Alerts

2021

WIC Authorized Food List Amendments:

Regulatory Alert 2021-01: WIC Authorized Food List Eggs Amendments (PDF)

2020

WIC Amendments to the Vendor Authorization Criteria:

Regulatory Alert 2020-01: Amendments to Sections 50200, 70000, 70300 and 71400, and Adoption of Sections 70001, 70725, and 71050 (PDF)

2019

WIC Amendments to the Vendor Authorization Criteria:

Regulatory Alert 2019-02: Amendments to Section 71100: Minimum Stocking Requirements (PDF)

WIC Authorized Food List Amendments:

Regulatory Alert 2019-01: WIC Authorized Food List Amendments (PDF)

2018

Reimbursement System for Vendors:

Regulatory Alert 2018-05: Amendments to Sections 60000, 60100, 60200, and 60300 (PDF)

WIC Authorized Food List Amendments:

Regulatory Alert 2018-04: WIC Authorized Food List Amendments (PDF)

WIC Amendments to the Vendor Authorization Criteria:

Regulatory Alert 2018-03: Amendments to the Vendor Authorization Criteria (PDF)

WIC Authorized Food List Infant Formula Amendments:

Regulatory Alert 2018-02: WIC Authorized Food List Infant Formula Amendments (PDF)

WIC Authorized Food List Amendments:

Regulatory Alert 2018-01: WIC Authorized Food List Amendments (PDF)

2017

WIC Authorized Food List Breakfast Cereal Amendments:

Regulatory Alert 2017-03: WIC Authorized Food List Breakfast Cereal Amendments (PDF)

WIC Authorized Food List Breakfast Cereal Amendments:

Regulatory Alert 2017-02: WIC Authorized Food List Breakfast Cereal Amendments (PDF)

WIC Authorized Food List Juice Amendments:

Regulatory Alert 2017-01: WIC Authorized Food List Juice Amendments (PDF)

2016

Vendor Authorization Criteria:

Regulatory Alert 2016-02: Amendments to Business Integrity and Circumvention of WIC Sanction (PDF)

Peer Group Criteria and Reimbursement System for Vendors:

Regulatory Alert 2016-01: Amendments to Rules for Calculating the Maximum Allowable Department Reimbursement Rate (PDF)

2015

WIC Authorized Food List Amendment:

Regulatory Alert 2015-02: WIC Authorized Food List Amendment (PDF)

2013

Peer Group Criteria and Reimbursement System for Vendors:

Regulatory Alert 2013-03: Peer Group Criteria and Reimbursement System for Vendors (PDF)

Disallowance of Pouches:

Regulatory Alert 2013-02: Disallowance of Pouches (PDF)

Vendor Authorization Criteria:

Regulatory Alert 2013-01: Adopt Vendor Authorization Criteria (PDF)

2012

WIC Authorized Food List:

Regulatory Alert 2012-02: Adopt California WIC Authorized Food List Shopping Guide (PDF)

Assembly Bill 2322:

Regulatory Alert 2012-01: Notification of AB 2322 (PDF)

Stakeholder Consultation Presentations

Please contact CDPH at WICregulations@cdph.ca.gov to request PDFs of past stakeholder consultation presentations.

State Laws and Regulations

California Health and Safety Code

California WIC statutory authority can be found in sections 123275-123355.

California Code of Regulations

Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations, Chapter 6, California Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children provides regulatory requirements for WIC local agencies, authorized grocers (i.e., vendors), and participants.

Federal Laws and Regulations

United States Code

Title 42 of the United States Code section 1786 is the federal authority for the WIC Program.

Code of Federal Regulations

Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations parts 246 and 248 are the federal requirements for states to implement and administer the WIC Program.

Temporary Regulations Related to COVID-19

Authority for State Temporary Regulations: On June 11, 2021 Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-08-21 (PDF) which terminated the authority granted by Executive Order N-40-20 (PDF) that allowed CDPH to make temporary changes to CDPH’s WIC regulations in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health emergency. All Temporary Regulations that were not repealed expired on September 30, 2021.

State Temporary Regulations: For historical reference purposes only, please refer to the Archive of COVID-19 Temporary Regulations and Waivers for a listing of all Temporary Regulations related to COVID-19.

Authority for Federal Waivers and Flexibilities: Section 2204 of the Second Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2020 provides USDA with the authority to issue waivers and administrative flexibilities in response to COVID-19. Several waivers have been approved by the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (USDA/FNS), as posted on the USDA/FNS website and/or below and extended most recently pursuant to WIC Policy Memorandum #2021-10 (PDF), which provide program flexibilities in response to the significant impacts of COVID-19 on WIC program services.

Federal COVID-19 Regulatory Waivers and Flexibilities: Current, active federal waivers and temporary policies are listed below. For historical reference purposes, please refer to the Archive of COVID-19 Temporary Regulations and Waivers for a listing of all expired federal waivers and outdated policy memoranda related to COVID-19.

Current USDA Policy Memorandum Regarding Waiver Extension and Expiration:

WIC Policy Memo #2021-10: Updated Expiration Schedule for Existing FNS-Approved WIC COVID-19 Waivers (PDF)

Social Distancing Waivers – Extended Until 90 Days After Public Health Emergency Ends:

California COVID-19 Physical Presence Waiver (PDF)

California COVID-19 Remote Benefit Issuance Waiver (PDF)

California COVID-19 Separation of Duties Waiver (PDF)

California COVID-19 Local Agency Monitoring Waiver (PDF)

California COVID-19 Vendor Onsite Pre-Authorization Waiver (PDF)

California COVID-19 Certification Extension (PDF)

California COVID-19 Transactions without the Presence of Cashier (PDF)

California COVID-19 Onsite Routine Monitoring Waiver (PDF)

Food Package Substitution Waivers – Extended Until 90 Days After Public Health Emergency Ends: