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Lane County, OR Public Health Rules: Food Handler Certification (2026)

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

Key Facts

Certification deadline
30 days of employment
Certificate validity
3 years
Anti-choking training
Required within 30 days
Fee waiver
Available if indigent
Revocation review
Director decides within 10 days

Summary

Every food handler working in a Lane County restaurant must get a Food Handler Certificate from the Health and Human Services Department within thirty days of starting the job, plus anti-choking training in the same window. Certificates run three years.

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

9.060.025 - Time in Which to Acquire Permit. All food handlers employed in a restaurant must obtain from the Department a food handler certificate within thirty (30) days of their employment. 9.060.020 - Notification by Restaurant. All owners, operators or managers of any restaurant shall inform all food handlers that they must obtain a food handler certificate from the Department within thirty (30) days of their employment.

Full Breakdown

020 makes the restaurant's owner, operator or manager responsible for telling new hires about that requirement. 030 requires anti-choking maneuver training within the same thirty days, though the Director can waive that training in writing for undue hardship or where an employee's assignment makes it unnecessary. 080. 050, and fees may be waived for a financially indigent applicant. 060. 070. 075.

Violations & Fines

A food handler who works past the thirty-day window without a certificate, or an employer who fails to notify new hires of the requirement, is out of compliance with LC 9.060.020 and 9.060.025. A certificate can be revoked by the Department on reasonable evidence of repeated or continuing violations of safe food-handling practices under LC 9.060.055, though the holder can request an administrative review from the Director, who must respond within ten days of the revocation.

Frequently Asked Questions

How soon does a new Lane County restaurant worker need a food handler certificate?
LC 9.060.025 gives every food handler thirty days from the start of employment to obtain a certificate from the Department of Health and Human Services, and the employer must tell them about the requirement under LC 9.060.020.
How long is a Lane County food handler certificate good for?
Under LC 9.060.065 and LC 9.060.080, a certificate is valid for three years from the date of issuance, and it remains valid statewide in Oregon and in every city within Lane County, not just the unincorporated area, per LC 9.060.075.
Can a food handler certificate be taken away?
Yes. LC 9.060.055 lets the Department revoke a certificate on reasonable evidence of repeated or continuing failure to follow accepted sanitary practices, but the holder can request an administrative review from the Director, who must respond within ten days.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Lane County

All Lane County rules

Compare Lane County to another location·View the Oregon public health rules overview

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