Rochester, MN Public Health Rules: Food Handler Certification (2026)

Chapter 5-20 covers ice cream vending vehicles: motor vehicles that carry ice cream, popsicles, sherbets, or frozen desserts for retail sale on city streets, as defined in Sec. 5-20-1. Before an operator can vend, Sec. 5-20-2(a) requires a city license application that includes a copy of the operator's retail mobile food handler license issued by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the state credential certifying the vehicle meets food-safety standards. The city then issues one identification tag per licensed vehicle, and Sec. 5-20-2(b) requires the operator to display that tag on the left rear portion of the vehicle.

An operator running more than one vehicle must pay an additional license fee for each additional vehicle, on top of the base annual fee set by the council's fee schedule. Insurance is a separate condition of licensure: Sec. 00 per occurrence, with the insurer obligated to notify the city clerk before any cancellation or modification. Equipment standards for the vending vehicle itself are set out in Sec. 5-20-4. Because the mobile food handler license is a state credential issued by the Department of Agriculture rather than a city permit, an operator who lets that state license lapse loses eligibility to hold the local vending license as well, since Sec. 5-20-2(a) makes submission of the state license a condition of the city application.