Kane County, IL Public Health Rules: Food Handler Certification (2026)
Key Facts
- Category I inspections
- 2-3 times per year
- Category II inspections
- 1-2 times per year
- Category III inspections
- 1 time per year
- Manager credential standard
- 77 Ill. Adm. Code 750.540
- Enforcing agency
- Kane County Health Department
Summary
Kane County does not force every food handler to get certified, but it rewards those who do. Under County Code Sec. 11.5-30, a Category I restaurant or caterer can skip one of its annual health inspections by keeping an Illinois Food Service Sanitation Manager on site whenever food is being handled.
The following activities may be used in place of one annual inspection of a category I facility: 1. An Illinois Food Service Sanitation Manager is present at the facility at all times food is being handled; 2. A hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) inspection/menu review; 3. Facility employees attend an in-service training or educational conference on food sanitation.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-17: Code current through: Ord. 26-183, passed 4-14-2026).
Full Breakdown
The Kane County Health Department inspects food establishments on a risk-tiered schedule set out in Sec. 5-30: Category I-1 and I-2 facilities, meaning full-menu restaurants, caterers, hospitals, small grocers under 15,000 square feet, and daycares serving a full meal, get two to three inspections a year; Category II facilities, such as fast food outlets, get one to two; Category III facilities, prepackaged-only outlets and similar low-risk spots, get one. Sec. 5-30(A) lets a Category I facility trade one of those annual inspections for one of three alternatives, the first being that an Illinois Food Service Sanitation Manager is present at the facility at all times food is being handled.
The other two are a hazard analysis critical control point inspection or menu review, or staff attendance at an in-service training or educational conference on food sanitation. Sec. 540 of the Illinois Food Service Sanitation Code, and Sec. , effective July 29, 2016, by reference for every food establishment operating in unincorporated Kane County. The Health Officer or an authorized representative conducts the inspections and administers the fee schedule kept on file with the County Clerk.
Violations & Fines
Skipping the reduced-inspection route is not itself a violation; the establishment simply keeps its normal one-to-three-visit inspection schedule under Sec. 11.5-30(A). Real violations arise under Secs. 11.5-32 and 11.5-38: an inspection report sets a correction deadline, failing to fix cited problems can mean immediate suspension of the food permit, and refusing an inspector entry is itself grounds for suspension or revocation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Kane County require restaurants to have a certified food manager?
What counts as a Category I facility?
Where does the certification standard come from?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kane County
Compare Kane County to another location·View the Illinois public health rules overview
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