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Food Manager’s Certificate

In Northern Kentucky, all food service establishments must have a certified food manager on duty at all times. The Health Department provides regular food manager’s certification classes to assist local establishments in meeting this requirement.

Food manager classes are held from 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at the Florence Government Center, 8100 Ewing Blvd., Community Room C, Florence, KY, 41042. Cost is $100.

Preparing for the class

A printer-friendly version of class information can be found here.

Attendees must register in advance by filling out an application. The completed application and payment should be mailed to NKY Health, Attn: Ashley McCandless, 8001 Veterans Memorial Drive, Florence, KY  41042. Once the application has been processed, attendees will receive a confirmation and study guide from the Health Department. Please do not attend a class unless you have received this confirmation.

Registration and fees must be completed prior to the date of the class. Applications and fees will not be accepted on the day of the class.  

Attendees are asked to arrive on time. If an attendee is more than 30 minutes late for a class, he/she will need to reschedule and repay the fee.

No lunch hour will be provided. Breaks will be permitted, and vending machines are available.

Study guides

Cancellations/substitutions

  • If cancellation is necessary, you must notify Ashley McCandles at 859-341-4151 extension 2018, at least 24 hours prior to class in order to reschedule or send a substitute. Please leave a message during weekends or after hours. Failure to do so will result in a forfeiture of the class and associated fees. In such cases, applicants must reapply and repay the fee.
  • Please do not send a substitute unless you have notified this office with their information and who they will be replacing.
  • Additionally, please do not attend a class unless you have received a confirmation and study guide from the health department regarding the date and class you are to attend.

Substitute certification

This certification is available for food service workers who have successfully completed food safety training that meets the Health Department’s requirements within the last three years. This may include ServSafe, State Food Safety and the National Registry of Certified Food Professionals.  Substitute certifications are only provided for manager training and are not provided for handler training.  If approved, your Northern Kentucky Health Department certification will expire 3 years after your original certification was issued.

Please Note: Most online courses for food manager’s certification are NOT accepted by the Health Department. Please call 859-341-4151 between 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Monday-Friday, to verify that your training meets the appropriate requirements for substitute certification.

More information

For questions, or to verify if your food safety certification training meets the Health Department requirements as substitute training, please contact Ashley McCandless Ashley.McCandless@nkyhealth.org or call 859-341-4151 between 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Monday-Friday.

For a printer-friendly version of this information, click here.

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