Stratford, CT Public Health Rules: Food Handler Certification (2026)

Article III of Chapter 105 of the Stratford Code, Food-Handling Establishments, is where the town's certification requirement lives. Section 105-17(A) says all Class III and IV food service establishments must employ a qualified food operator per the Connecticut Public Health Code. The ordinance centers on the certified operator for higher-risk establishments, not on a card for every counter employee.

The licensing step carries the teeth. Under § 105-17(B), no food service entity is issued a license to operate in a Class III or IV category until it has retained a full-time QFO in a supervisory capacity and documentation has been provided to the Health Department. Section 105-17(C) covers reclassification: a licensed establishment that wants to change classification must notify the Health Director in writing and receive written approval, and a Class I or II establishment converting to Class III or IV must first retain a full-time QFO and get approval. Under § 105-17(D), the QFO for each Class III and IV establishment must submit an employee training manual that meets Health Department requirements.

The QFO also follows the business into other permits. Out-of-town caterers operating in Stratford must obtain a license from the Director of Health and provide a copy of their QFO certificate along with proof of licensure at their primary business location and their most recent health inspection report (§ 105-24). Every food service establishment needs a Stratford license from the Director of Health, licenses are not transferable (§ 105-18), and the license must be framed and posted in a conspicuous location within easy reading distance of patrons (§ 105-19).

Employee health is handled by policy rather than by a card. Section 105-10 requires every licensed establishment to keep a written policy that bars employees with respiratory and other communicable diseases from preparing or serving food, and a written infection control policy for cuts and abrasions.