Charlotte County, FL Public Health Rules: Food Handler Certification (2026)

Sections 2-3-28 and 2-3-29 of the county code require anyone involved in food preparation or processing at a covered facility, defined in section 2-3-21 to include restaurants, cafes, taverns, grocery stores, food processing plants, and mobile food units, to be trained in 'basic food hygiene' relating to the proper storage, preparation, display, and service of food. Managers and supervisors must complete a course of not less than 4 nor more than 12 hours, conducted or approved by the county health department, before the director issues them a food handler's training card good for two years; other employees must complete at least 4 hours of the same training and receive a food handler employee training card, also valid for two years.

When a card expires, a manager or supervisor must retake a refresher course of 4 to 6 hours, and other employees must retake a 4-hour refresher, before the director reissues a fresh two-year card. The director, defined as the head of the county health department or a designee, enforces this article and can pursue civil, legal, or equitable relief in addition to the Code's general penalties. Enforcement runs alongside the county's separate food service permit system: section 2-3-25 makes it unlawful to operate a covered facility without a valid health department permit, and section 2-3-23 lets the director revoke that permit if a cited violation isn't corrected within the time given in a written notice, cutting off the facility's right to operate until a new permit is issued.