California Food Manager Certification: What the Law Requires
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Quick answer: Every California food facility that prepares, handles, or serves unpackaged, potentially hazardous food must have at least one owner or employee who has passed an ANSI-accredited food safety certification exam, the credential usually called a Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) certificate. No course is required, the certificate lasts 5 years, and new or newly sold restaurants get 60 days to comply. Unlike in many states, the certified person doesn't have to be on site during all hours of operation.
This is general information, not legal advice. When in doubt, check with your county environmental health department or your employer.
Who Needs a Certified Food Manager
Under the California Retail Food Code (Health and Safety Code §113947.1):
- Which facilities: any food facility that prepares, handles, or serves nonprepackaged potentially hazardous food, like cooked meats, rice, cut melons, or dairy, except temporary food facilities.
- How many: at least one certified owner or employee per food facility. That person can't also be the required certified person at another facility, so a manager can't cover several franchise locations. Contiguous facilities under the same management, like a market's separately permitted deli and bakery, count as one.
- On site? No. The law says the certified owner or employee need not be present during all hours of operation.
- Deadline: a facility that opens, changes ownership, or loses its certified person has 60 days to comply.
Facilities that serve only unpackaged food that isn't potentially hazardous can either have a certified person or show the inspector that their employees know enough about food safety. Prepackaged-only businesses aren't covered, and temporary food facilities just need an owner or person in charge who can show adequate food safety knowledge. Home kitchen businesses (microenterprise home kitchen operations) are the exception going the other way: the operator must pass the exam.
The certified person has real duties: making sure employees who handle unpackaged food know enough about safe food handling, teaching them personal hygiene, and keeping the certificate on file at the facility at all times. Operating without one is an infraction punishable by a fine of up to $100 for each day. In LA County, for example, an inspector who finds no valid certificate orders the facility to get one within 30 days; see our Los Angeles Food Handler Card: What LA County Requires guide.
How to Get Certified
You pass an exam from a food protection manager certification organization accredited by ANSI under the Conference for Food Protection's standards. California doesn't keep its own list of approved exams; the California Department of Public Health points to the ANSI directory, and counties such as LA and Orange post lists of accredited providers. The best-known exams are ServSafe, NRFSP, 360training (Learn2Serve), StateFoodSafety, EduClasses, and Always Food Safe.
State law adds three consumer protections: at least one accredited exam must cost no more than $60 including the certificate, at least one must be offered online, and online and class-based exams must be proctored under secure conditions.
Is a course required?
No. The law requires passing the exam, not taking a class. As San Francisco's health department puts it, you don't need to take any training classes to take the test, though a class can help you pass. (LA County's page describes the certificate as coming from a course plus an exam, but the statute requires only the exam.)
What score do you need?
California doesn't set one; each exam provider does. ServSafe requires 70%, which is 56 of the 80 scored questions on its 90-question exam. Check yourself first with our free Food Manager Practice Test.
Where to Take the Exam
These providers all offer ANSI-accredited manager exams. Prices are from each provider's website as of September 27, 2026; confirm at checkout.
| Provider | Exam, online proctored | Course + exam |
|---|---|---|
| EduClasses (paid link) | $65 | $120 |
| 360training (Learn2Serve) | $69.99 | $121.00 |
| StateFoodSafety | $76.00 | $134.00 |
| NRFSP | $81.99 | Course sold separately |
| ServSafe | $99.00 | $179.00 |
Testing in person can cost less: NRFSP's exam is $36.99 with an in-person proctor, and a ServSafe exam access code is $38.99 if you test with a ServSafe proctor, though proctors may charge their own fees. We may earn a commission if you buy through some of these links, at no extra cost to you; they're marked “(paid link)”. Our How Much Does Food Manager Certification Cost? Exam and Course Prices Compared has the full breakdown.
Allergen Rules
Since 2017 (SB 1067), the person in charge of a California food facility has had to know the major food allergens and the symptoms they can cause, and to teach employees about them; a poster or job aid is enough for the teaching part. The manager exam covers allergens too, so there's no separate allergen certificate for managers. You may see course sellers say California managers need an extra allergen course; the law doesn't require one.
Two newer changes matter for managers. On January 1, 2026, sesame became California's ninth major food allergen (SB 68). And starting July 1, 2026, restaurants that are part of a chain with 20 or more locations must give customers written notice of the major allergens in each menu item.
Do You Also Need a Food Handler Card?
No. California's definition of a food handler excludes anyone holding a valid food safety certificate, so your manager certificate covers you. LA County's inspection guide says so directly. Everyone else who handles food needs a California Food Handler Card within 30 days; see our California Food Handler Card: How to Get Certified Step by Step.
Who Pays?
California's employer-pays law, SB 476, applies to food handler cards only; it doesn't mention manager certification. The manager law doesn't say who pays either, but the duty to have a certified person falls on the food facility, so most employers cover it. Ask before you buy: your employer may have a preferred provider or a group rate.
How Long It Lasts and Where It Counts
A certificate is valid for 5 years from the date it was first issued; a replacement or duplicate keeps the original expiration date. To recertify, pass an accredited exam again. The certificate is recognized throughout the state, and no city or county can require any additional food safety certificate or charge a fee to verify yours.
That includes Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties, which run their own food handler programs. All three accept a manager certificate in place of their county food handler card: Riverside's bulletin says people who pass an accredited manager exam aren't required to get the county food handler certificate. See our Riverside County Food Handler Card: How to Get Your Certificate, San Bernardino County Food Handler Card: How to Get It, and San Diego County Food Handler Card: How to Get It guides.
Moving from another state? The law asks only for an exam from an ANSI-accredited organization, not one taken in California, so a current ServSafe or other accredited certificate should count. No state page says so outright, so confirm with your county if you're unsure.
How to Study
The manager exam goes deeper than the food handler test: HACCP, cooling, employee health, receiving, and pest control. Our Food Manager Certification: How to Pass the Exam walks through each topic, and our free Food Manager Practice Test has manager-level questions with explanations.
Prefer to study by ear? "ServSafe Manager Audio Cram," our own audio review from Kanti Press, covers the manager-level material from the 2022 FDA Food Code so you can study on a commute or between shifts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a certified food manager have to be on site at all times in California?
No. California law says the certified owner or employee need not be present during all hours of operation. Each facility needs at least one, and that person can't be the certified person for a second facility.
Is ServSafe accepted in California?
Yes. California accepts manager exams from ANSI-accredited organizations, including ServSafe, NRFSP, 360training (Learn2Serve), and StateFoodSafety.
How long is a California food manager certificate good for?
5 years from the date it was first issued. You recertify by passing an accredited exam again.
Does my employer have to pay for my food manager certification?
California's SB 476 requires employers to pay for food handler cards, not manager certification, and the manager law doesn't say who pays. Most employers cover it anyway, since the requirement is theirs.
How long does a new restaurant have to get a certified food manager?
60 days from opening or from a change of ownership. The same 60 days applies when a restaurant's only certified person leaves.
Running the shift as person in charge? Certification is the start. The person in charge also makes sure the kitchen's food safety procedures are followed, and the FDA's 2026 Food Code, which states adopt over time, asks for more of them in writing. Our free guides cover each one:
- Employee illness policy: what has to be written down, with a sample policy
- Vomit and diarrhea clean-up procedure: the steps and what goes in the clean-up kit
- Food safety management system: the written procedures, training plans, and records
- Free food safety log templates: fridge, holding, cooling, receiving, sanitizer, and calibration logs
- Restaurant health inspection checklist: walk the kitchen the way an inspector does
Want it done for you? The Food Safety Plan Kit ($29) has editable versions of all of these.
Bottom Line
In California, one ANSI-accredited manager exam covers you for 5 years anywhere in the state, including the three counties with their own handler cards. Keep the certificate on file at the restaurant, and don't pay any city or county to register it. Start with our free Food Manager Practice Test.
Sources
- California Health and Safety Code §113947.1 (who needs a certified person; one per facility; not required on site at all hours; 60 days; recertification every 5 years) — leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.
- California Health and Safety Code §113947.3 (ANSI-accredited exam; $60 option; online option; proctoring; 5-year validity) — leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.
- California Health and Safety Code §113947.4 and §113947.5 (no additional local certificate or fee; recognized statewide) — leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.
- California Health and Safety Code §113947.6 (fine of up to $100 a day) — leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.
- California Health and Safety Code §113947 (person in charge: allergen knowledge) and §113790 (food handler definition excludes certificate holders) — leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.
- Senate Bill 1067 (2016), allergen requirements — leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.
- California Department of Public Health, SB 68 Major Food Allergens (sesame; menu allergen notices from July 1, 2026) — cdph.ca.gov.
- California Department of Public Health, Retail Food Safety Training (Rev. 11/2024) — cdph.ca.gov.
- San Francisco, Become a certified food safety manager for your facility — sf.gov.
- LA County Environmental Health, Retail Food Inspection Guide (section 2, food safety certification) — publichealth.lacounty.gov; Certified Food Handler and Manager — publichealth.lacounty.gov.
- Riverside County Environmental Health, Informational Bulletin 31-09-DES, Food Manager Certification — rivcoeh.org.
- San Bernardino County Code §33.0409 (food safety certificate accepted in place of a food handler card) — codelibrary.amlegal.com.
- San Diego County, Food Handler booklet (Food Safety Manager Certificate holders) — sandiegocounty.gov.
- ServSafe, Manager FAQs (passing score) — servsafe.com.
Last reviewed September 30, 2026. ServSafe is a trademark of the National Restaurant Association; FoodHandlerGear is not affiliated with or endorsed by it. This is general information, not legal advice.
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