Rock Island County, IL Public Health Rules: Food Handler Certification (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.
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.
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?
Who decides when a food handler must attend a retraining class?
Who pays for the county's mandated food handler class?
What happens if a food handler ignores the order to attend the class?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rock Island County
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