Food handler requirements vary by state, county and sometimes city. This is general information. Check with your local health department for the rules where you sell.
A food handlers permit, often called a food handler card, shows that you’ve completed basic food safety training. If you work a food truck window, pull shots at a coffee cart or sell baked goods at a market, you may need one, and your staff may too. Whether you do depends on where you work, what you sell and your role. This guide explains what the card is, how to get one, and what to check before you start selling.
What is a food handlers permit?
A food handler card is a certificate or card you receive after taking a short food safety course and passing a test. It covers the basics of keeping food safe:
- Handwashing and personal hygiene, and when you shouldn’t work because you’re sick
- Keeping hot food hot and cold food cold, and the temperatures that matter
- Preventing cross-contamination between raw and ready-to-eat food
- Cleaning and sanitizing surfaces and equipment
- Allergens and how to handle them
Names vary by place: food handler card, food handler certificate, food worker card, food handlers permit. They mean roughly the same thing: proof of entry-level training for the person handling food.
Food handler card vs. food manager certification
These are two different credentials, and many food businesses need both.
| Food handler card | Food manager certification | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it’s for | Anyone who prepares, serves or touches unpackaged food | The owner, manager or person in charge of the operation |
| Training | Short basic course | Longer, more detailed course |
| Exam | Short test, often online | Accredited exam, often proctored |
| Typical rule | Each food worker needs one where required | At least one certified person per business or shift where required |
The FDA Food Code, the model food safety code most states base their rules on, calls for the person in charge to be a Certified Food Protection Manager. States and counties adopt it on their own schedule and with their own changes, so check what your health department actually enforces. If you own and run a food truck by yourself, you may be both the food handler and the person in charge.
Who needs a food handlers permit?
There is no single national rule. Some states require food handler training statewide, some leave it to counties or cities, and some have no requirement for food handlers at all beyond the manager certification. A few examples:
- Washington requires all food workers to have a food worker card, issued after training and a state exam, and the card is valid anywhere in the state.
- Texas requires food employees to complete an accredited food handler course within 30 days of employment under the state’s food establishment rules; some cities and counties add their own requirements.
- California has a statewide food handler card law, but a few counties that ran their own programs before the state law, such as San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino, follow their local programs instead.
In states without a statewide rule, a county or city health department may still require cards. That’s why the right answer always starts with your local health department, the same office that issues or inspects your food permit.
Where cards are required, they usually apply to people who:
- Prepare, cook or plate food
- Make drinks, including coffee and smoothies
- Handle unwrapped food, utensils, equipment or food-contact surfaces
- Serve food, including samples at a market
Someone who only takes payments and never touches food or utensils may not need one, depending on the rules. On a food truck, most people do a bit of everything, so plan for everyone to be trained.
How to get a food handler card
- Find out which courses your area accepts. Your state or county health department will list approved or accredited programs. Some places accept any course accredited to a national standard; others run their own training or accept only specific providers.
- Take the course. Many are online and take a couple of hours. Some areas also offer classroom sessions and courses in several languages.
- Pass the test. Usually a short multiple-choice exam at the end of the course.
- Print or save your card. Keep a copy where you work. An inspector may ask to see it.
Be careful with websites that look official but aren’t on your health department’s list. A card from an unapproved course may not be accepted, and you’d have to pay and take the course again. Check the approved list before you pay.
Costs are usually modest but vary by provider and place, so check the current fee with the course or your health department.
Keeping your card current
Food handler cards expire. Depending on where you are, a card is typically good for a few years, and in some places the first card and renewals have different terms. To renew, you usually retake the course and test.
- Put the expiry date in your calendar, with a reminder a month before.
- Keep a simple list of every staff member’s card and expiry date.
- Check whether new hires must have a card before they start or within a set number of days.
- If you move to a different county or state, check whether your card is still accepted.
What food trucks, coffee carts and cottage bakers should check
Food trucks
A food truck is usually licensed as a mobile food establishment, and the health department inspects it. Expect to need food handler cards for the crew where required, a certified food manager, a commissary or base of operations, and a mobile food permit. If you sell in several counties or cities, each may have its own permit rules. Ask each one before your first service there.
Coffee carts
Coffee carts often fall under the same mobile food rules, with requirements that depend on what you serve. Espresso drinks with milk count as handling food. Pastries you make yourself are treated differently from sealed items bought from a licensed bakery. Tell the health department exactly what you plan to serve.
Cottage bakers and market sellers
Many states have cottage food laws that let you sell certain lower-risk foods made in your home kitchen, such as some baked goods, jams and candy, often with labeling rules and sales limits. Some cottage food programs require food handler training; others don’t. Offering samples at a market may bring extra rules. Check both your state’s cottage food rules and the market’s vendor handbook.
Our guide to selling at a farmers market covers the rest of market prep.
Questions to ask your health department
- Do all food workers need a food handler card here, and within what time after starting?
- Which training providers do you accept?
- Does my business need a certified food manager, and on every shift?
- Which permit do I need for a truck, cart, market stall or temporary event?
- Do I need separate permits to sell in neighboring counties or cities?
- What records should I keep on site for inspections?
Food safety is only one permit
A food handler card is one piece of the paperwork. You’ll likely also need a business license, a food or mobile vending permit, and a seller’s permit to collect sales tax. Our guide to sales tax for small business explains that side, and the business plan template helps you budget for permits before you open.
Where SleepingFire fits
SleepingFire won’t get your permits or track certifications, but it takes care of the selling side of a truck or cart. It rings up sales with cash, card (on your own card reader), gift card or a split, handles tips and discounts, flags products running low, and shows your best sellers and busiest hours, all from the browser on a phone or tablet. See how it works for coffee carts or food trucks.