Indiana Food Handlers License: What 410 IAC 7-22 Actually Requires

Indiana does not require a food handler card for line staff. Its rule, 410 IAC 7-22, requires at least one certified person per food establishment, now called a Certified Food Protection Manager, who has passed an accredited certification exam. New or sold establishments get six months to comply, and an establishment that loses its certified person gets three months to replace them.

That is not what most people expect when they search for an "Indiana food handlers license". The top results are training vendors selling a generic online card, and it is easy to come away thinking every cook and server in the state needs one. They do not. Indiana regulates the establishment, not the individual worker, and it does so through a manager-level exam. This page walks through what the rule says, who is exempt, and what that means for you whether you work the line or run the kitchen.

Does Indiana require a food handlers license?

Not for individual workers. The Indiana rule is titled "Certification of Food Handlers", which is where the confusion starts, but the requirement it creates is narrow: at least one food handler at each food establishment must be certified. Everyone else on staff is outside the rule.

The rule also defines "food handler" more narrowly than most people use the term. It means an owner, operator, manager or employee who is responsible for or oversees the storage, preparation, display or serving of food. In practice, that points the certification at the person running the operation, not at a new dishwasher.

The state legislature set this up in IC 16-42-5.2, the statute behind the rule, with the requirement taking effect on January 1, 2005. In the 2020 session, House Enrolled Act 1210 changed that statute, and current state and county guidance now calls the required person a Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM). The rule's own preface says that when the statute changes, the statute wins over any conflicting part of the rule. So read the rule for the structure, and check your local health department for how it is applied today.

Can an Indiana county require its own food handler card?

This is the detail competitors miss. As published, 410 IAC 7-22 says a corporation or local health department may not impose any registration, certification or licensing requirements on food handling or food handlers. In other words, the rule was written to stop a patchwork of county cards from forming.

That is the opposite of states like Kentucky, where a county can require its own card and only accept its own. In Indiana, the state rule is meant to be the single standard. A county health department still enforces it, inspects against it and can refuse a permit without proof of certification, but it is enforcing the state requirement, not inventing a local one.

Your employer is a different matter. Plenty of Indiana restaurants require food handler training as a condition of the job. That is company policy, not state law, and the employer decides which course counts.

What 410 IAC 7-22 requires, section by section

The operative part of the rule is short. Here is what it says in plain terms.

Two rows deserve a closer look.

The certified person does not have to be on site. Indiana separates certification from presence. Someone must be in charge on every shift, but that person in charge does not have to be the certified one. That does not let the shift lead off the hook. The FDA Food Code expects the person in charge to demonstrate knowledge of food safety, and the regulatory inspections you face will still test that knowledge on the shift the inspector walks in.

The certificate belongs to the building while you work there. Section 17 says the certificate comes off the wall when the certified person leaves. It does not stay with the establishment. That is why the three-month replacement clock exists, and why losing your only certified manager is a real compliance problem.

Which Indiana establishments are exempt?

The rule exempts operations whose food handling is limited to low-risk activity. An establishment is exempt if all it does is one or more of these:

• Heating or serving precooked foods
• Serving a continental breakfast such as rolls, coffee, juice, milk and cold cereal
• Serving beverages or ice that are not potentially hazardous
• Preparing or serving foods that are not potentially hazardous, such as funnel cakes, cotton candy, baked goods, popcorn and chips
• Providing prepackaged food in its original package

"Potentially hazardous" is the older name for what the current FDA Food Code calls time/temperature control for safety foods. If your menu includes any of them, the exemption is gone. Our hub on TCS foods explains which foods fall into that category and why pathogens grow in them.

The rule also exempts certain institutions, including hospitals licensed under IC 16-21, health facilities licensed under IC 16-28, community mental health centers and qualifying nonprofit food pantries. A food bank that distributes donated food to other organizations is not exempt. A store with more than 10,000 square feet of retail space must comply even if its food handling would otherwise qualify for a menu exemption, unless it is a pharmacy selling only prepackaged food.

Any exempt organization can choose to certify someone anyway, and the rule says so explicitly.

Which exams count, and does an online card work?

The rule is exam based. It does not require a training course, only that you pass an accredited certification examination given by an accredited testing service. Accreditation means an independent body has verified that the exam meets Conference for Food Protection standards.

That has two consequences.

First, a generic online food handler course is not the credential the rule asks for. Those courses are short, worker-level programs. State-affiliated guidance has said plainly that an online food handler certificate does not meet the Indiana requirement. Porter County's current guidance says the manager certification must come from an ANSI-accredited certification program.

Second, a manager-level exam does count. The ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification is one of the accredited options. Its exam has 90 questions, 80 of them scored, and you pass with 70%, which means at least 56 correct. That is a different exam from the ServSafe Food Handler assessment, which passes at 75%. Our comparison of the two ServSafe credentials covers the differences in detail.

How the exam is proctored is where you should check locally. Indiana county guidance has differed over the years on whether remotely proctored exams are accepted. Before you book, ask your local health department whether it accepts an online-proctored result, and check servsafe.com for current exam options and pricing, which change without notice.

Home-based vendors and temporary events

Two groups often search for an Indiana food handlers license because someone asked them for proof.

Home-based vendors. Porter County's guidance states that home-based vendors are required to obtain a certified food handler certificate from an ANSI-accredited certification program. Check with the county where you sell, since home-based vendor rules have changed several times.

Temporary food events. County temporary-event applications commonly ask for proof of certification. Starke County's temporary food application, for example, states that a permit will not be issued without that proof. Rules follow the county hosting the event, so ask that county's health department, not your home county's.

What happens if you are out of compliance?

The rule sets a penalty schedule. Unless an administrative order adjusts it, a violation of the certification requirements carries a penalty of up to $100 per day per violation. The same range applies to failing to have a person in charge present.

The fine is rarely the real cost. A missing certification shows up on your inspection report, can hold up a permit, and signals to an inspector that active managerial control is weak. That invites a closer look at everything else.

What this means for you

If you are a cook, server or dishwasher, the state does not require you to hold a card. Your employer might. Ask what they accept before you pay for any course.

If you are the manager or owner, the rule is aimed at you. Make sure at least one person is certified through an accredited exam, keep the certificate and a copy of their photo ID on file, and track the expiration date. Certify a backup. If your only certified manager quits, you have three months, and finding, scheduling and passing a manager exam inside that window is harder than it sounds.

If you are opening or buying a place, you have six months from opening or the change of ownership. Do not wait until month five.

If you are moving to Indiana, a current accredited manager certification from another state is the credential most likely to carry over, because the rule asks for an accredited exam rather than an Indiana-issued card. Confirm with the local health department before your first inspection.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a food handlers license to work in Indiana?

No. Indiana has no statewide card for line workers. Rule 410 IAC 7-22 requires at least one certified food protection manager per food establishment, certified through an accredited exam. Your employer may still require food handler training as a condition of the job, and decides which course it accepts.

Is ServSafe the same as a food handlers card in Indiana?

Not exactly. ServSafe offers both a Food Handler course and a Food Protection Manager certification. Indiana's rule asks for an accredited manager-level exam, so the ServSafe Manager certification meets it. The Food Handler course is a worker-level program and does not satisfy the establishment requirement on its own.

How long is an Indiana food manager certification valid?

The rule requires recertification within five years of the certificate's issue date, or according to the testing service's written policy. ServSafe Manager certification is generally valid for five years. The certified person must not let it lapse, so track the date and book the next exam early.

Does Indiana accept online food handler certificates?

Not for the establishment requirement. The rule calls for an accredited certification exam given by an accredited testing service, and state-affiliated guidance has said an online food handler certificate does not meet it. Whether a remotely proctored manager exam is accepted has varied by county, so confirm locally first.

How long do I have to get certified after opening a restaurant in Indiana?

Six months. Under 410 IAC 7-22, a food establishment that begins operating or changes ownership must have its certified person within six months. If an existing certified person leaves, the owner has three months from their termination date to certify a replacement.

Does a food truck or festival booth need a certified person in Indiana?

Usually, unless the menu falls under an exemption such as prepackaged food or non-TCS items like popcorn and cotton candy. County temporary-event applications commonly require proof of certification before issuing a permit. Rules follow the county hosting the event, so ask its health department before you apply.

Preparing for the manager exam Indiana's rule calls for? Work through the ServSafe Manager practice test and see where you stand.

Sources

• FDA Food Code and Food Code 2022, the national model for retail food rules
• FDA: Retail Food Protection
• CDC: Foodborne Germs and Illnesses
• FoodSafety.gov
• ServSafe, current manager and food handler program details and pricing
• Indiana State Department of Health: Certification of Food Handler Requirements, 410 IAC 7-22
• Indiana State Department of Health: Certified Food Handler guidance (hosted by Porter County)
• Porter County Health Department: Food Handler Certification
• Starke County: Temporary Food Application