Prince George's County, MD Public Health Rules: Food Handler Certification (2026)

Sec. 03 food code the County adopts by reference. Under subsection (a), no food service facility may operate unless at least one employee holds a valid food service manager certificate or is actively enrolled in an approved course leading to certification. Subsection (b) goes further for most facilities, requiring a certified manager to be in immediate control of the facility during every hour it is open, though subsection (c) relaxes that to a staffing requirement, rather than constant on-site control, for facilities run no more than an average of five days a week by a volunteer fire company or a bona fide nonprofit fraternal, civic, veterans', religious, or charitable organization.

Subsection (d) adds a Level B manager requirement for Class B food service facilities. The Health Officer, under subsection (e), may postpone or waive the manager requirement where it would cause undue hardship in unusual circumstances, and subsection (h) blocks the Health Officer from issuing a permit until the facility satisfies the manager requirement, absent that same hardship waiver. Certificates themselves are issued by the Department under Sec. 01 after an applicant submits a fee and proof of completing a Conference for Food Protection-approved course within three years, or provides a reciprocal certificate from another jurisdiction.

Subsection (i) carves out low-priority facilities, potluck dinners, meals for the homeless, and small nonprofit food events from the requirement entirely, while subsection (j) lets the Health Officer reimpose staffing requirements on an exempt group if foodborne illness incidents occur there.