Fall River, MA Public Health Rules: Food Handler Certification (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing agency
- Board of Health
- Penalty
- Sanitary certificate revoked up to 1 year
- Due process
- Hearing required before revocation
- Who's liable
- Owner or manager, not employee
- Citation
- Fall River Code § 34-227
Summary
Fall River requires food service establishments to staff only licensed food handlers. An owner or manager who employs an unlicensed food handler faces revocation of the business's sanitary certificate for up to one year, ordered only after a Board of Health hearing.
Any owner or manager of a food service establishment who employs nonlicensed food handlers shall, after a hearing before the Board of Health, have his sanitary certificate revoked for a maximum period of one year.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4739915; v14 updated 2025-12-23; through 12-23-2025).
Full Breakdown
Fall River Code Chapter 34, Division 2 (Food Handlers) makes hiring an unlicensed food handler a certificate offense: after the Board of Health holds a hearing, it can revoke the establishment's sanitary certificate, the permit that allows the business to operate, for up to one year. The compliance duty falls on the owner or manager rather than the individual employee, giving food service establishments in the city, Massachusetts, an incentive to verify every food handler on staff holds a valid license before starting work.
Violations & Fines
Revocation of the food establishment's sanitary certificate for up to one year, ordered by the Board of Health only after a hearing on the record.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a Fall River food establishment employs an unlicensed food handler?
Who is responsible for compliance under Fall River's food handler rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fall River
Compare Fall River to another location·View the Massachusetts public health rules overview
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