Clifton, NJ Public Health Rules: Food Handler Certification (2026)

Section 367-9 of the Clifton Code requires the Health Department to run a food manager's certification program accredited by the Conference for Food Protection at least once a year in both English and Spanish, charging a $150 fee, and the Health Officer may grant reciprocity to equivalent outside courses. Under the certification requirements in Subsection B, every retail food establishment must have at least one full-time employee who has successfully completed an accredited program and holds current certification, and Risk 2, 3, and 4 establishments specifically must have at least one certified manager on staff.

A brand-new establishment, or an existing one that changes ownership, may operate for up to 60 days without a certified manager before it must have one in place, and any establishment must notify the Health Officer within 60 days if its certified manager's employment ends, along with the steps being taken to regain compliance. Certificates are non-transferable: no certificate holder may give, loan, transfer or permit another person to use it. A valid certificate must be posted in a conspicuous location near the entrance alongside the establishment's current inspection placard, and expired, suspended or revoked certificates may not be displayed.

The Health Department exempts certain low-risk operations from the certified-manager mandate, including agricultural markets, public or semipublic covered-dish suppers, and routine meal functions of religious, nonprofit or charitable institutions, provided the organization notifies the Health Department at least one week before the exempt event. Separately, Section 367-9E requires one responsible or supervisory person from each establishment to attend a food-handler's training course, offered in English and Spanish for $30 per person, on renewal, with yearly attendance mandatory for any establishment that failed to receive satisfactory inspections for a full year.