Stanislaus County, CA Public Health Rules: Food Handler Certification (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing rule
- Regulation No. 11, § 6.48.070(K)
- Who certifies
- County health officer
- Applies to
- Fixed restaurants and mobile food units
- Enforcement
- Permit revocation for noncompliance
- Appeal window
- 10 days to board of supervisors
Summary
Every restaurant in unincorporated Stanislaus County, including mobile food units, must keep a certified manager on-site whenever food is served. Regulation No. 11 under Section 6.48.070(K) requires that manager to hold a certificate of approval from the county health officer, who sets the training criteria and can revoke the restaurant's permit for noncompliance.
K. Regulation No. 11. Approved Managers. At all times that food is being served, a restaurant shall have on the premises a manager, or other person in charge, who shall have in his possession a certificate of approval issued by the health officer. Certification will require training in basic sanitary food handling practices, knowledge of state laws pertaining to food handling, and management responsibilities. The health officer shall establish criteria and be responsible for all instructions pursuant to this requirement.
Full Breakdown
48, and Regulation No. 070(K), is the county's food-handler manager certification requirement. It states that at all times food is being served, the restaurant must have on the premises a manager or other person in charge who possesses a certificate of approval issued by the health officer. The health officer, not a private third-party certifier, sets the criteria for that certification and is responsible for the required instruction, which must cover basic sanitary food-handling practices, state food-handling law, and management responsibilities. This sits alongside two related first-aid rules in the same section: Regulation No.
9 requires posted first-aid instructions for choking wherever food is served, and Regulation No. 10 requires at least one person on-site holding a health-officer card showing first-aid training completed within the preceding two years. 060. 010(B) and (E), so a food truck operating in the unincorporated county is held to the same on-site certified-manager rule as a fixed-location diner.
Violations & Fines
Operating without a certified manager present while food is served violates Regulation No. 11 and, like any other operating-regulation violation under Section 6.48.070, is grounds for the health officer to revoke the restaurant's permit. A revoked restaurant must close immediately; the operator has 10 days under Section 6.48.060 to appeal to the board of supervisors, which can restore or affirm the revocation after a hearing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Stanislaus County require food handler certification for restaurant managers?
Who sets the training requirements for the manager certificate?
What happens if a restaurant has no certified manager present?
Does the certified-manager rule apply to food trucks?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Stanislaus County
California rules heatmap·Compare Stanislaus County to another location·View the California public health rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.