Colorado has no statewide food handler card. What the state does require, since March 1, 2025, is a Certified Food Protection Manager as the person in charge at most retail food establishments, under the Colorado Retail Food Establishment Regulations (6 CCR 1010-2). One local health department goes further: Pueblo requires food safety training for every food employee. Jefferson County puts it plainly: “There are no health cards required in Jefferson County” (JCPH FAQ).
So if you are a cook or server, your employer decides whether you need a course, except in Pueblo. If you own or run the kitchen, the person in charge while food is prepared and served generally has to hold a manager certificate from an accredited exam.
What Colorado’s food rules require for managers
The Board of Health adopted the current rules on January 17, 2024, and they took effect March 16, 2024. They adopt the FDA 2022 Food Code, with the certified manager section, 2-102.12(A), delayed to March 1, 2025 (6 CCR 1010-2, sections 2.3.D and 2.6). The state’s guidance says at least one employee with authority over food preparation must be a certified food protection manager, and from March 1, 2025 the person in charge must be one. Only exams accredited under the Conference for Food Protection standards (ANSI/ANAB) count (CDPHE CFPM guidance, hosted by Jefferson County).
Larimer County’s summary adds that a certified manager can be off site during some hours, for example while a bakery does low-risk prep before opening, or while a bar serves drinks after the kitchen closes (Larimer County regulation changes).
Food handler and manager rules by Colorado county
| Health department | Food handler training for employees | Certified manager | Local class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pueblo (PDPHE) | Required for every food employee: ServSafe, PDPHE’s Food Safety & You, StateFoodSafety or approved in-house training | Required under state rule | CFPM class in English, $63 exam and proctoring fee |
| Jefferson County (JCPH) | No health card required | At least one CFPM on duty during operating hours | Excellence in Food Safety card, valid 2 years; 4-hour CFPM review and exam in English and Spanish |
| Boulder County | Strongly recommended | Must be present | On-site class, 2–2.5 hours, $300, English or Spanish; gives a food handler card that is separate from CFPM |
| Larimer County | The county says basic training is outside what the 2022 Food Code requires | Required under state rule | CSU Extension Food Safety Works, 2-year certificate; CFPM class $175, review $145, exam only $75 |
| Weld County | Online options listed as optional training | Person in charge must be a CFPM while food is prepared and served | In-person class for groups of 10 or more |
| Douglas County | Not addressed on the county page | At least one employee must be a CFPM; certification comes from accredited exam providers | Informational on-site class, $120 for up to 20 employees |
| Denver (DDPHE) | Not addressed on the city pages; training all food handling employees is one condition of the Partners in Food Safety award | Required under state rule | Ask DDPHE, 303-913-1311 |
Sources: Pueblo training and best practices; Jefferson County food safety; Boulder County food handler training; Larimer County, Food Safety Works and CFPM class; Weld County food safety training; Douglas County CFPM handout and training flyer; Denver Partners in Food Safety. Weld County asks you to call for its class price. Denver’s award program is selective: about 15% of the city’s 4,000-plus food establishments qualify (DDPHE).
In El Paso County (Colorado Springs), the county’s retail food pages say nothing about food handler cards, and a county article describes restaurants as generally required to have a certified manager (El Paso County Public Health).
How often Boulder County inspectors cite the certified manager item
Boulder County publishes its inspection comments on the state open data portal, so manager citations can be counted. In the Boulder County 2025–present inspections dataset, which runs from August 21, 2025 to September 8, 2026, we counted 682 routine inspections at 666 businesses:
- Item 2, Certified Food Protection Manager, was cited in 59 of them, 8.7%. Item 1, person in charge present and demonstrating knowledge, was cited in 22.
- 10 of the 59 inspections with a manager citation ended in Reinspection Required, 16.9%, against 53 of 623 without one, 8.5%.
- The median score was 20 points with a manager citation and 15 without. Under CDPHE’s scale, 0–49 is a pass, 50–109 means a re-inspection and 110 or more means closure (CDPHE retail food inspections).
Inspections with a manager citation were twice as likely to end in a re-inspection. The dataset covers part of the county’s yearly inspections. Boulder’s own inspection item list is on its inspections and violations page, and our guide to Boulder County restaurant inspection records explains its two datasets.
What to do if you work or open a kitchen in Colorado
- Workers outside Pueblo: ask your employer which course it accepts. Common options are an ANSI-accredited online food handler course or a county class; Jefferson County’s Excellence in Food Safety card lasts 2 years.
- Workers in Pueblo: finish one of the four accepted training options and keep proof for the inspector.
- Owners and managers: make sure the person in charge while food is prepared and served has a certificate from an ANAB-accredited manager exam. The guidance names accredited exams rather than Colorado-issued ones, so an accredited certificate earned in another state should qualify; confirm with your county.
- On Boulder County reports, items 1 to 3 cover the person in charge, the certified manager and employee knowledge, so a manager citation appears on the public report.
For how other states handle cards, see our food handler card requirements by state, and for manager certificates, our food manager certification comparison. Denver inspection reports are covered in our Denver restaurant inspection search guide.
CDPHE, Code of Colorado Regulations and Pueblo, Jefferson, Boulder, Larimer, Weld, Douglas, Denver and El Paso health department pages checked October 24, 2026.