Regulations
South Carolina Food Safety Certification: Regulation 61-25 and the Person in Charge
South Carolina asks for a food handler certificate or a manager certification from the person in charge, plus a certified manager on staff. Here is how the two rules fit together.
Key takeaway
Under South Carolina Regulation 61-25, the person in charge must hold a food handler certificate or be a certified food protection manager, and at least one employee with authority over food preparation must be a certified food protection manager.
South Carolina's retail food rule, Regulation 61-25, sets two linked requirements. The person in charge (PIC) must hold a food handler certificate or be a Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) at all times during operation. Separately, at least one employee with authority over food preparation and service must be a CFPM from an accredited program.
Searches for a "South Carolina food handler card" tend to return generic national course pages. The state's actual rule is narrower and more specific than those pages suggest. It does not hand every worker a card. It assigns responsibility to the person running the shift and to a certified manager on staff, and it names the accreditation that counts. This article walks through both requirements, how they differ, and how to pick a program that the state will accept.
What does South Carolina Regulation 61-25 require?
Regulation 61-25 is the state's retail food establishment rule, and it follows the structure of the FDA Food Code. The Department of Agriculture publishes two fact sheets that summarize the personnel requirements, one for the food handler certificate and one for the certified food protection manager.
Per those fact sheets, the rule has two pieces:
- Citation 2-102.12(B): at all times during operation, the person in charge shall have a food handler certificate or be a certified food protection manager.
- Citation 2-102.20: at least one employee with the authority to direct and control food preparation and service shall be a food protection manager certified by an accredited program.
The citation numbers mirror the Food Code's structure. The FDA Food Code hub explains how model-code language becomes state rule.
Who is the person in charge?
The PIC is the individual responsible for food safety during every hour the facility is open. The state's fact sheet states that every facility must have one. On a busy night that might be the owner, and on a weekday opening it might be the first cook in the building.
The practical consequence is that you cannot staff a shift without someone who holds a qualifying certificate. A restaurant that only certifies the owner, who works days, has a gap every evening when someone else is in charge. The Active Managerial Control hub covers why regulators put the burden on whoever is making decisions in the moment.
Food handler certificate versus manager certification
These are two different credentials with two different jobs under the rule.
| Item | Food handler certificate | Certified food protection manager |
|---|---|---|
| Rule citation | 2-102.12(B) | 2-102.20 |
| Who needs it | The PIC, if not a CFPM | At least one employee with authority over food preparation and service |
| Accreditation named | ANSI-accredited food handler program (ASTM International certificate program) | Conference for Food Protection ANSI-certified manager program |
| Exam | Food handler course | Manager exam |
A PIC can satisfy 2-102.12(B) with either credential, so a manager certificate covers the PIC duty and the manager duty at once. A food handler certificate covers only the PIC duty. If your establishment already has a certified manager on every shift, the handler certificate is unnecessary for the PIC.
Which programs does South Carolina accept?
The state does not name a single provider. It names an accreditation standard and publishes lists of programs on its fact sheets. For managers, the fact sheet says only Conference for Food Protection ANSI-certified Food Protection Manager courses meet the requirement of 2-102.20. The Department of Agriculture lists several programs, including the ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification from the National Restaurant Association, State Food Safety, NRFSP, Learn2Serve and others. The list also includes Clemson Cooperative Extension's ServSafe offering.
For the food handler certificate, the fact sheet lists a longer set of providers, and notes that ASTM International's ANSI Certificate Accredited Program food handler courses meet the requirement of 2-102.12.
Provider lists change, and the accreditation matters more than the brand. Before you pay, confirm the program appears on the current Department of Agriculture fact sheet.
How does the ServSafe Manager exam fit?
The ServSafe Manager exam has 90 questions, of which 80 are scored and 10 are unscored pilot questions. You pass at 70 percent, meaning at least 56 of the 80 scored questions. The ServSafe Food Handler exam is separate and passes at 75 percent. Many competitor pages repeat 75 percent for the Manager exam, which is wrong.
The current material is the ServSafe 9th Edition, aligned to the 2022 FDA Food Code as amended by its November 2024 Supplement. Course formats, exam fees and proctoring arrangements change without notice, so check servsafe.com for current options.
If you are weighing the two tracks, our comparison of the ServSafe Manager and Food Handler credentials lays out the differences in exam, authority and validity.
Why does the state focus on the person in charge?
Because that is where the decisions get made. The Department of Agriculture's fact sheet lists five key risk factors repeatedly identified in foodborne illness outbreaks: improper holding temperatures, inadequate cooking, contaminated equipment, food from unsafe sources and poor personal hygiene. It says a certified food protection manager can reduce all five.
The person in charge decides whether a pot cooled fast enough, whether a delivery gets accepted, and whether a sick employee goes home. The foodborne illness hub explains the risk factors, and the illness reporting hub covers the exclusion rules a PIC enforces.
What this means for you
If you work a line or front-of-house job, the state rule does not require a personal card, but your employer may ask for a handler certificate, especially if you ever cover as the PIC. Keep your certificate; it travels with you.
If you open or close a store, you may be the PIC on that shift. Hold a handler certificate at minimum, and consider the manager certification.
If you run an establishment, map your schedule. Every hour of operation needs a qualified PIC, and at least one employee with authority over food preparation needs the manager certification. Gaps show up on evening and weekend shifts. The ServSafe Manager course prepares you for the accredited exam, and the free Food Handler practice test is a good warm-up for staff earning a certificate.
Frequently asked questions
Does South Carolina require a food handler card for every worker?
No. Regulation 61-25 requires the person in charge to have a food handler certificate or be a certified food protection manager. It does not require a card for each worker. Employers can still require training, so ask yours what they expect before your first shift.
Can a manager certification replace the food handler certificate?
Yes for the PIC duty. Citation 2-102.12(B) says the person in charge shall have a food handler certificate or be a certified food protection manager, so a CFPM satisfies it. The manager certificate also covers the separate requirement for a certified manager on staff.
Which exams does South Carolina accept for the manager certificate?
The state accepts food protection manager programs accredited under the Conference for Food Protection standard with ANSI. Its fact sheet lists ServSafe, State Food Safety, NRFSP and other providers. Confirm your chosen program on the current Department of Agriculture fact sheet before you enroll.
Who enforces the rule?
The South Carolina Department of Agriculture publishes the current retail food establishment fact sheets, and its materials replaced earlier guidance from DHEC. Your inspector applies the rule during routine inspections, so call the retail food program with questions specific to your facility.
Does the certificate expire?
The fact sheets reviewed for this article do not state a validity period, and it varies by program. Check your certificate and the issuing provider's renewal terms, and read our guide on how long ServSafe certification lasts.
Next step
Practice the material with the free Food Handler practice test, or start the ServSafe Manager track.
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