Food safety certifications. Person in Charge (PIC) and Level 2 Manager's certifications are required for all food facilities and high-risk mobile operators.
In-person Level 2 Manager's training is offered in March, June, September, and November 2026. PIC Mobile training is offered in April and August 2026.
About the program
The Food Safety Program inspects roughly 650 restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores, schools, daycares, hospitals, nursing homes, and mobile, vending, and temporary food operations throughout Fairfield County.
The program protects the public against foodborne illness resulting from health-code violations and improper food handling. Thanks to the diligent efforts of food program sanitarians, the incidence of foodborne illness in Fairfield County remains minimal.
Licensing
Food licenses are due for renewal by March 1 each year. Renewal letters are mailed to owner addresses February 1. Payment can be made in person, by mailed check, or by credit card by calling 740-652-2800.
Restaurant or retail food license
Temporary food
Overview · Application (printable form) · Checklist & guidelines
Mobile food
Vending machine
Gold Medal for Food Safety
The Fairfield County Health Department launched its Gold Medal Award Program in 2025 to recognize high-performing food service operations and retail food establishments that consistently perform exceptionally throughout the licensing year. Recipients finish the year with no critical violations and two or fewer non-critical violations identified during routine inspections.
Resources
- Food recalls (opens in a new window, leaves this site)
- Cottage food (opens in a new window, leaves this site)
- Employee health reporting agreement (printable form)
- Vomiting & diarrheal incident procedures
- Food service fee schedule
- Food safety tips at home (opens in a new window, leaves this site)
- Safe canning resource (opens in a new window, leaves this site)
- Service dogs in food service (opens in a new window, leaves this site)
School resources
- Classroom alternatives
- Pets in the classroom (opens in a new window, leaves this site)
- Playground safety (opens in a new window, leaves this site)
Food safety manuals (multilingual)
Translated food safety manuals are available in English (opens in a new window, leaves this site), Spanish (opens in a new window, leaves this site), Chinese (opens in a new window, leaves this site), Hindi (opens in a new window, leaves this site), Japanese (opens in a new window, leaves this site), Korean (opens in a new window, leaves this site), Arabic (opens in a new window, leaves this site), and Somali (opens in a new window, leaves this site).
*Food safety manuals were created by Franklin County Public Health and shared with the State of Ohio.