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Rock Island County, IL Public Health Rules: Food Handler Certification (2026)

Light Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Governing section
§ 117.36
Who can be ordered
Any food handler, county's discretion
Trigger
Work habits hazardous to public health
Cost
Health Authority may bill for class
General penalty
Class B misdemeanor, up to $500 (§117.99)

Summary

Rock Island County does not issue a general food handler certification card. Under County Code § 117.36, the Health Authority overseeing food service establishments and retail food stores may order any individual food handler to attend an immediate retraining course whenever that worker's habits create a public health hazard, and may bill the worker for the class.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Rock Island County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

The Health Authority may order any food handler to attend an immediate food handler training course when, in the judgment of the Health Authority, the work habits of said food handler constitute a hazard to public health. Fees may be charged by the Health Authority to offset any costs incurred by the Health Authority.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-1: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 2024-12-A, passed 12-17-2024; and State legislation current through 2024 Illinois Legislative Service, Pamphlet #6).

Full Breakdown

Chapter 117 of the county code governs food service establishments and retail food stores licensed by the County Department of Public Health. 36 gives the Health Authority, defined as the Administrator of the County Department of Public Health or an authorized representative, discretionary power to intervene case by case: "The Health Authority may order any food handler to attend an immediate food handler training course when, in the judgment of the Health Authority, the work habits of said food handler constitute a hazard to public health.

35 to exclude an employee suspected of disease transmission from the establishment. 15), and a retraining order can reach any handler working in a licensed food service establishment or retail food store, whether a Class A restaurant, Class C mobile food unit, or seasonal Class E concession stand. There is no fixed fee schedule for the class itself; the ordinance leaves the amount to the Health Authority to recoup its actual training costs. The provision has stood unchanged through the county's 1987, 1992, 1995, 1997, and 2003 food sanitation ordinance amendments, making it a long-settled tool rather than a recent addition.

Violations & Fines

Chapter 117 carries a single catch-all penalty at § 117.99: any person who violates any provision of the chapter, including a food handler who ignores a § 117.36 retraining order, is guilty of a Class B misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than $500, with each day the violation continues counted as a separate offense. Continued noncompliance can also feed into license suspension or revocation proceedings under §§ 117.17 and 117.19.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Rock Island County require every food worker to hold a certification card?
No. § 117.36 does not set a universal certification mandate. It instead lets the Health Authority, the County Department of Public Health administrator, order an individual food handler to attend an immediate training course only after inspectors find that worker's habits pose a hazard, making the rule case-by-case rather than blanket.
Who decides when a food handler must attend a retraining class?
The Health Authority, defined in § 117.01 as the Administrator of the County Department of Public Health or an authorized representative, makes that call in its own judgment after finding the worker's habits constitute a hazard to public health under § 117.36, with no separate hearing required first.
Who pays for the county's mandated food handler class?
The worker can be billed. § 117.36 lets the Health Authority charge fees to offset the costs it incurs running the training course, so the retraining order is not free to the food handler who is ordered to attend.
What happens if a food handler ignores the order to attend the class?
Refusing an order issued under § 117.36 is a violation of Chapter 117, which under § 117.99 is a Class B misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $500, with every additional day of noncompliance treated as its own separate offense.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Rock Island County

All Rock Island County rules

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