LaPorte County, IN Public Health Rules: Food Handler Certification (2026)
Key Facts
- Who must be certified
- One manager/employee per shift
- Trigger
- Preparing/serving potentially hazardous food
- Exempt
- Prepackaged-only and temporary establishments
- Accepted course
- SERVSafe (NRA)
- Alternate course
- NRA Applied Food Service Sanitation
- State standard incorporated
- 410 I.A.C. 7-20-87
Summary
LaPorte County requires every retail food establishment that prepares or serves potentially hazardous foods to keep at least one sanitation-certified manager or employee on site whenever food is being prepared or served, with SERVSafe or the NRA's Applied Food Service Sanitation course named as qualifying training.
All retail food establishments, excluding temporary establishments, which prepare or serve potentially hazardous foods, shall have at least one sanitation certified manager or employee on premises during hours of food preparation and service, and shall comply with the minimum requirements specified by the state Department of Health as provided in 410 I.A.C. 7-20-87... A certified manager or employee is any person who has successfully completed one or more of the following courses or their equivalent, and has provided a copy of the certificate of completion from that course to the county: (1) SERVSAFE course through the National Restaurant Association (NRA); (2) Applied Food Service Sanitation course through the NRA; or (3) Any course of study approved by the county Health Department.
Full Breakdown
19(A) of the county code ties the certification duty directly to potentially hazardous food handling: any retail food establishment, other than a temporary one, that prepares or serves potentially hazardous foods must have at least one sanitation certified manager or employee present during all hours of food preparation and service. C. 7-20-87 as amended. 19(B) carves out an exemption for establishments that sell only prepackaged goods and non-potentially hazardous foods, and for temporary retail food establishments, none of which have to meet the certified-manager requirement.
19(C) spells out how a certification is earned: the county accepts the SERVSafe course through the National Restaurant Association, the Applied Food Service Sanitation course through the NRA, or any other course of study the county Health Department itself approves, and the certified individual must give the county a copy of the completion certificate. 15), so an establishment can be fully licensed and still be out of compliance if it lacks a certified manager on the floor during hazardous-food hours.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 110 does not list a certification-specific fine; failures under § 110.19 are enforced through the Health Officer's general inspection and licensing powers, including probationary status and license suspension under § 110.18 for conditions that endanger public health. Absent a more specific penalty, violations of the chapter fall back to the county's general penalty at § 10.99: a fine of up to $2,500, with each day a violation continues counted as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which LaPorte County food businesses need a certified food handler?
What certifications does the county accept?
Is a hot dog cart selling only prepackaged snacks covered?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in LaPorte County
Compare LaPorte County to another location·View the Indiana public health rules overview
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