Arizona Food Handler Practice Test

Arizona has no statewide food handler card: counties decide. Maricopa (Phoenix) requires training, and Pima (Tucson) runs its own program. This free practice test mixes questions on Arizona's county rules, and the state law that ties them together, with the food safety questions every accredited course asks.

Want to review away from the screen? "Food Handler Card Audio Cram," our own roughly 57-minute audio session from Kanti Press, walks through the same topics as this test, so you can study on the bus or the walk to work.

Arizona questions and answers

Take the test first: this section gives the answers away. Here is every Arizona-specific question in the test, with the rule behind it. The rest of the test comes from our core bank, and Food Handler Test Questions and Answers lists all of those.

1. 1Does Arizona have a statewide food handler card?

   1. Only in cities with more than 100,000 people
   2. No; each county decides whether to require one
   3. Yes, issued by the state health department
   4. Yes, but only for restaurants

   Answer: B. No; each county decides whether to require one

   Arizona has no statewide card. Counties decide: Maricopa, the largest, requires food handler training, and Pima runs its own program. Review this in the Arizona guide

2. 2How soon after starting work with food must a Maricopa County (Phoenix) food employee be trained?

   1. Within 60 days
   2. Within 30 days
   3. Within 14 days
   4. Within 90 days

   Answer: B. Within 30 days

   The Maricopa County Environmental Health Code requires food handler training within 30 days of starting any food employee activity. Review this in the Arizona guide

3. 3What counts as food handler proof in Maricopa County?

   1. A certificate from an ANSI-accredited provider
   2. A letter from your manager
   3. Any online certificate, accredited or not
   4. A card issued by Maricopa County

   Answer: A. A certificate from an ANSI-accredited provider

   Maricopa County stopped issuing its own card in 2014. Proof is a certificate from an ANSI-accredited (ANAB) provider on the county’s list. Review this in the Arizona guide

4. 4How long is a Maricopa County food handler certificate valid?

   1. 3 years
   2. 5 years
   3. 2 years
   4. 1 year

   Answer: A. 3 years

   The certificate expires three years from the date it was issued. Review this in the Arizona guide

5. 5In Maricopa County, when must workers at a temporary or special-event food booth be trained?

   1. Within 30 days after the event
   2. Before the event
   3. Only if the event lasts more than a week
   4. Never; events are exempt

   Answer: B. Before the event

   Workers at temporary, seasonal, or special-event food booths must be trained before the event starts. Review this in the Arizona guide

6. 6If an Arizona county requires a food handler certificate, what does state law make it accept?

   1. Nothing from outside the county
   2. Only its own in-person class
   3. Only cards from Maricopa County
   4. An accredited food handler course

   Answer: D. An accredited food handler course

   A.R.S. §11-269.12 requires any county that asks for a food handler certificate to accept an accredited course and issue its card to anyone who completes one. Review this in the Arizona guide

7. 7Your Arizona county food handler card is still valid, and you take a job in another county that requires one. What now?

   1. You need a new card within 30 days
   2. It stays valid there until it expires
   3. You must retake the county test
   4. It’s good there for only 90 days

   Answer: B. It stays valid there until it expires

   Under A.R.S. §11-269.12, a card one county issues is valid in any other county that requires one, until it expires. Review this in the Arizona guide

8. 8Can an Arizona county limit how many times you retake the food handler course?

   1. Yes, to two attempts
   2. Only Pima County can
   3. Yes, to one attempt per year
   4. No; state law bars counties from capping retakes

   Answer: D. No; state law bars counties from capping retakes

   A.R.S. §11-269.12 doesn’t let counties limit how many times you retake the course. Review this in the Arizona guide

9. 9Where is the exam for Pima County’s own food handler certificate taken?

   1. At any Arizona library
   2. At your restaurant, with your manager
   3. In person at the Abrams Public Health Center
   4. Online at home

   Answer: C. In person at the Abrams Public Health Center

   The county’s class can be taken online or in person, but the open-notes exam is taken in person at the Abrams Public Health Center. Review this in the Arizona guide

10. 10Since January 2017, what must every Pima County food establishment have?

    1. A licensed chef on every shift
    2. A food handler card posted at the entrance
    3. At least one certified food protection manager
    4. A weekly county inspection

    Answer: C. At least one certified food protection manager

    Since 2017, Pima County has required at least one certified food protection manager per establishment, a separate, proctored credential from the handler card. Review this in the Arizona guide

How the real Arizona exam works

In Maricopa County, you take a course from an ANSI-accredited provider on the county's list within 30 days of starting work, and the certificate lasts three years. Pima County runs its own class and in-person exam, and state law makes any county that requires a card accept an accredited course. Our Arizona Food Handler Card: Maricopa, Pima, and Other County Rules walks through each step, with sources.

Want more practice away from the screen? The Food Handler Practice Exam Pack has 100 questions on the core food safety rules every state tests, as four printable exams of 25 with an answer key at the back. It doesn't cover state-specific rules; this page's test does.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the official Arizona food handler test?

No. Arizona has no statewide test. Your certificate comes from an accredited course or your county's own program. This practice test covers Arizona's county rules and the food safety topics those courses teach.

Does my county food handler card work in another Arizona county?

Yes. Under A.R.S. §11-269.12, a card one county issues is valid in any other county that requires one, until it expires, and every county that requires a card must accept an accredited course.