Anchorage, AK Public Health Rules: Food Handler Certification (2026)
Key Facts
- Worker card required within
- 21 days of hire
- Food worker card expires
- 3 years
- Manager certificate expires
- 5 years
- Manager required for
- Risk Type 2 & 3 establishments
- Enforcing agency
- Anchorage Health Department
- Penalty range
- $100.00-$1,000.00 per offense
Summary
Anchorage's Food Code requires every food worker who handles unpackaged food, TCS food or food-contact surfaces to hold a food worker card within 21 days of hire, and requires Risk Type 2 and 3 establishments to staff a certified food protection manager on-site under AMC 16.60.270 and 16.60.280, enforced by the Anchorage Health Department.
§ 16.60.270. Certified food protection manager. A. The operator of a permitted food establishment categorized as Risk Type 2 or Risk Type 3 in section 16.60.110 shall have at least one certified food protection manager for each operation who is an active on-site person responsible for the day to day operation of the establishment. ... C. A person shall be considered a certified food protection manager if the person provides documentation of successful completion of a food safety examination for food managers from an accredited program. ... 2. The certificate shall expire five years from the date of the original issuance. § 16.60.280. Certified food worker. A. The operator of a food establishment shall ensure each food worker employed in the establishment, within 21 days after the date of hire, has been trained in basic food safety including employee health requirements. ... D. The certificate shall expire three years from the date of the original issuance and be provided to the department upon request by the department.
Full Breakdown
60. 110 to keep at least one certified food protection manager on-site as the active person responsible for day-to-day operations; the department can even require a manager present during all operating hours if the establishment has had a foodborne illness outbreak or repeated serious violations. Manager certification comes from passing a food safety exam through an accredited program, and the certificate is valid for five years. If the certified manager leaves, the operator has 30 days to get a replacement on-site. 280 separately requires every food worker, defined as anyone handling unpackaged food, TCS (time/temperature control for safety) food, or food-contact surfaces, to complete basic food safety training and hold a food worker card within 21 days of hire, either issued by the department or by an approved third-party program; that card expires after three years.
The ordinance carves out cashiers, grocery baggers, delivery drivers, volunteers, shelf stockers, warehouse staff, and minors under 18 helping with school meal service. 080C. 00, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense. 360, with appeal hearings on suspensions or closures held within five days of a timely request.
Violations & Fines
Failure to keep a certified food protection manager on-site at a Risk Type 2 or 3 establishment, or failure to keep food workers current on their food worker cards, is punishable under AMC 16.60.350 at whatever fine section 14.60.030 sets, or between $100.00 and $1,000.00 if the schedule is silent. Each day of continued noncompliance is charged as a separate offense, and the department can additionally suspend or revoke the establishment's food permit under sections 16.60.320 and 16.60.330.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do all Anchorage restaurant workers need a food handler card?
What's the difference between a food worker card and a certified food protection manager?
What happens if my restaurant loses its certified manager?
Can I appeal a food code violation in Anchorage?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Anchorage
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