Most U.S. restaurants need at least one certified food protection manager (CFPM): a manager who passed an accredited food safety exam, usually renewed every five years. The states differ on the details that cause trouble: whether that manager has to be on site whenever the kitchen is open, how many days a new restaurant gets to comply, and whether the certificate also counts as the employees’ food handler card. Texas and Pennsylvania want a certified person present or reachable during all hours of operation, Washington only needs one on staff, and Oregon starts requiring one on January 1, 2029. Colorado has required the person in charge to be a certified manager since March 1, 2025; county details are in our Colorado food handler card guide. Idaho and Montana require a CFPM in every establishment, Montana within 90 days of licensing; see Kansas, Idaho and Montana food handler card rules.
A CFPM is a different credential from the short food handler card most staff carry; that one is covered in our food handler card requirements by state.
Food manager certification requirements in 10 states and cities
“On site” is what the rule says about presence. “Deadline” is the time a new business, or a business that loses its certified manager, gets to comply. “Not stated” means the official page or rule we read gives no figure.
| Jurisdiction | How many and on site? | Deadline | Valid for | Replaces handler card? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 1 per facility; that person can’t be the certified manager at a second facility; on site at all hours not required | 60 days (new facility, new owner or lost manager) | 5 years | Yes (county guidance) |
| Texas | 1 present during all hours of operation; original certificate posted | Not stated | 5 years | Yes |
| Florida | 1 per establishment, named in writing; present when 4 or more employees handle food at once | 30 days after hire | 5 years | Not stated |
| Illinois | Establishment must be under a CFPM’s supervision | Not stated | 5 years | Yes |
| Chicago | City sanitation certificate holder on premises whenever time- and temperature-controlled food is handled; posted | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Washington | 1 on staff; need not be on premises; may cover several locations | 60 days to replace | Not stated | Not stated |
| Oregon | 1 per establishment from Jan. 1, 2029; a certified person in charge every day from Jan. 1, 2031 | Phased dates | Renew every 5 years to replace the card | Yes |
| Pennsylvania | 1 per facility, on site or immediately accessible during all hours; serves one facility only | 90 days (new); 3 months after losing one | Not stated | Not stated |
| Maricopa County, AZ | 1 full-time employee of that establishment; on site not required | 90 days to replace | 5 years from the exam | No (separate food employee card) |
| New York City | Food Protection Certificate holder on premises during all hours of operation | Not stated | Doesn’t expire | No separate handler card |
Which exam counts: ANSI-accredited certificates vs the NYC and Chicago certificates
In most states the certificate comes from the exam company, and the state only sets the standard. Florida’s DBPR lists accepted exams including ServSafe, the National Registry of Food Safety Professionals and 360training/Learn2Serve (DBPR food manager page). Texas DSHS approves programs but stopped giving its own exam in 2010, and local health departments in Texas must accept a DSHS-approved certificate (DSHS food managers). Illinois stopped issuing its state sanitation manager certificate on January 1, 2018 and now accepts an ANSI-accredited CFPM (IDPH). Pennsylvania accepts an ANAB-accredited manager-level program and rejects handler-level courses (Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture).
Two big cities add their own credential:
- New York City requires its own Food Protection Certificate from the Health Department’s 15-hour course and city exam. The in-person course and exam cost $114; the online course is free and the in-person exam costs $24; a replacement certificate is $16. The certificate has no expiration date (NYC Business, Health Code Article 81).
- Chicago requires a City of Chicago Food Service Sanitation Certificate, earned through a course from the city’s approved list. A holder of a valid ANSI-accredited CFPM can apply for it through reciprocity instead of retaking a course. Summer festival booths need a separate seasonal certificate that expires March 31 of the next year (Chicago Department of Public Health).
Who is exempt from the manager requirement
- Texas: minimal-risk establishments that sell only prepackaged food or have no exposed time- and temperature-controlled food, and temporary food establishments (25 TAC 228.31(c)).
- Florida: temporary food service vendors and vending operators (Fla. Admin. Code 61C-4.023).
- California: temporary food facilities; facilities handling only foods that need no temperature control can show adequate knowledge instead.
- Pennsylvania: prepackaged-only and non-temperature-controlled retail, food manufacturers, 501(c)(3) and other nonprofits, volunteer fire and civic groups, and youth booster organizations (7 Pa. Code 46.1201). Philadelphia, Allegheny, Bucks, Chester and Montgomery counties and State College run their own programs.
- Washington: establishments the local health authority rates as minimal risk.
- Maricopa County: establishments that serve only food needing no temperature control.
What inspections show when the certified manager is missing
Two of the inspection datasets we track cite a missing manager credential as its own item. In Chicago, 509 of 4,788 routine restaurant inspections between October 1, 2025 and September 30, 2026 (10.6%) cited item 2, the city sanitation certificate. Those inspections failed 46% of the time, against 19% for inspections without that item. In King County, item 0100 (person in charge present and knowledgeable, certified manager on staff unless exempt) appeared on 631 of 10,592 routine restaurant inspections (6%), and 15.8% of those went above 35 red points, the level that triggers a return visit, against 6.0% of other Unsatisfactory inspections.
These are our own counts from the Chicago Data Portal and King County Open Data, pulled October 24, 2026. The King County item also counts toward the red point total, and a kitchen without a trained manager often has other problems on the same visit, so the gap shows association rather than cause. For the area breakdowns, see Chicago results by ZIP code and King County results by city.
Checklist before you pick a food manager exam
- Confirm which credential your city or county accepts: an ANSI-accredited CFPM, a city certificate (NYC, Chicago), or a local program (several Pennsylvania counties).
- Check the presence rule. If a certified person must be on site during all hours, as in Texas, one certified manager won’t cover a restaurant open 14 hours a day.
- Note the deadline for a new business or a departing manager: 30 days in Florida, 60 in California and Washington, 90 in Pennsylvania and Maricopa County.
- Check whether the manager also needs a food handler card. Texas, Illinois, Oregon and California count the manager certificate; Maricopa County lists the two separately.
- Put the expiration date on the calendar. Most certificates last five years from the exam; NYC’s does not expire.
- Keep the original certificate where the inspector can see it. Texas and Chicago require it posted.
State-specific card rules are in our guides for Texas, Washington and Oregon.
Worker card rules that sit alongside this manager requirement are in our guides for Alaska, Michigan and Virginia.
State statutes, rules and health department pages listed above checked October 24, 2026.