Food Handlers Card: Find the One Your State Accepts
Starting a job at a restaurant, café or food truck? Your new boss will often ask for a food handlers card. You usually have a set number of days to get it, counted from your first day.
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Where in the state do you work?
Every state at a glance
Type the state where you work to see its rule, its deadline and the courses it accepts.
Approved courses start at
$6.95
the cheapest approved course in any state
- Deadline
- 9 states set a deadline, most often 30 days
- Card lasts
- Two or three years, by state
- Card name
- Food handler card
Compare the price in every stateWork out when a card expires
Approved Courses
Food Handlers Card Rules in Every State
Most states that ask for one give you 30 days, and Washington gives you only 14. Find your state's requirements and course prices so you can pick a course and get it done in time. The rules depend on the state where you work, and sometimes on the county.
Each state links to its own page with the rule, the deadline and every course it accepts.
- Card needed
- Every food worker in the state needs a card within a set number of days.
- Training needed
- In Florida you need the approved course itself, not a card.
- State card only
- You must get the state's own card. One from a course company does not count.
- Person in charge only
- One trained person runs each shift. Other workers do not need a card.
A card lasts three years unless its row says otherwise.
| State | The rule | Days to get it after you start work | Cheapest course |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | State card only | 30 days | $10 |
| California | Card needed | 30 days | $7.49 |
| Florida | Training needed | 60 days | $6.95 |
| Hawaii | Person in charge only | No deadline | $7.95 |
| Illinois | Card needed | 30 days | $7.95 |
| New Mexico | Card needed | 30 days | $7.95 |
| Ohio | Person in charge only | No deadline | $12 |
| Oregon | Card needed | 30 days | $10 |
| South Carolina | Person in charge only | No deadline | $10 |
| Texas | Card neededCard lasts two years | 30 days | $6.99 |
| Utah | Card needed | 30 days | $21.95 |
| Washington | State card onlyCard lasts two years | 14 days | $10 |
Some counties In these 13 states there is no rule for the whole state, but some counties or cities have their own: Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, West Virginia.
No state rule In every other state, nobody has to have a card, though many employers still ask. Courses there usually cost about $10. Each state has its own page in the States menu.
Statewide Food Handlers Card Rules
The nine states with a rule for every worker are Alaska, California, Florida, Illinois, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington. Florida gives you the longest, 60 days. Each state's own page has its deadline, how long the card lasts and the lowest price.
In Alaska and Washington, you must get the card from the state itself. A card from an online course company is not accepted. In Washington, that means the state's own $10 online course. The price list for every state shows the courses each state accepts, with a link to each one.
How Long the Training Takes and What the Test Is Like
The course itself is short. Courses are sold online by training companies such as eFoodHandlers, StateFoodSafety, ServSafe and Learn2Serve. The eFoodHandlers course, which many states accept, takes about half an hour. StateFoodSafety's Texas course takes about 40 minutes. You learn everyday basics, like washing your hands with soap for a full 20 seconds. You also learn to keep cold food at 41 °F (degrees Fahrenheit) or colder, and hot food at 135 °F or hotter.
At the end there is a short test. To pass the StateFoodSafety test in Texas, or the Clark County test in Nevada, you need at least 7 right answers out of 10. Alaska's test has 20 questions, and you need 15 right.
Are a Food Handlers Certificate and a Card the Same Thing?
In most places, yes. States just use different names for the same proof that you did the training. What matters is that the course is approved where you work. For example, the ServSafe Food Handler certificate is good for three years. You can take it in five languages: English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese.
When Your County Has Its Own Rules
Even where the state has no rule, some counties and cities make their own. In Maricopa County, Arizona, you have 30 days to get a card. The course must be approved by ANAB, a national group that checks training courses. The eFoodHandlers national course has that approval. New York City; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Jefferson County, Alabama; and King County, Washington set their own rules too.
In Clark County, home to Las Vegas, only the Southern Nevada Health District gives out cards. For your first card you take the test in person, and it costs $25. So open your state's page before you spend money on a course: it shows any local rule.
Food Safety Certificate for Managers
This certificate takes more work than a food handler card. The course is longer, and it ends with a proctored exam, which means someone watches you take the test. The manager certificate lasts five years. In Hawaii, Ohio and South Carolina, not every worker needs a card. Instead, one trained person has to be in charge on each shift. Often that person only needs the regular card, not the harder manager certificate. Your state's page tells you which one you need.
Questions People Ask
Can I get my California food handler card online?
Yes, and the cheapest course listed costs $7.49. But three counties do not accept the California card. San Diego County wants a course from its own approved list, finished within 10 days. Riverside County requires its own $28 certificate, which lasts two years. San Bernardino County gives out its own card ($22), and you need it within 14 days.
How do I get a Georgia food handlers card, say near Atlanta?
Georgia has no card rule for the whole state, but many employers still ask for one. Three online course companies, Always Food Safe, eFoodHandlers and StateFoodSafety, each offer a $10 Georgia course, and the card lasts three years.
Do I need a food handlers card in New York?
New York has no rule for the whole state, but New York City and Orleans and Livingston Counties have local rules, so ask your employer before you choose a course. Learn2Serve has a course at $9.99, and both Always Food Safe and eFoodHandlers charge $10.
When is the right time to renew my food handlers card?
Your card lasts two or three years, depending on your state. It runs out on the same day and month you got it, two or three years later. If you got a card on March 2, 2026 and your state's cards last three years, it is good until March 2, 2029. Our renewal tool suggests starting your next course about a month before your card runs out.
My card is gone — how do I log back in and print a new copy?
Don't worry: the company that ran your course keeps a copy of your card. With StateFoodSafety, eFoodHandlers, and Learn2Serve, it is saved in the account you created when you signed up. ServSafe lets you search for it with your last name and the number printed on your certificate. In Washington, you can get a free new copy in the first 30 days after you pass the test. In Clark County, a new copy costs $20 at a health district office.