Tennessee Food Manager Certification: What the Rules Require

Quick answer: No. Tennessee doesn't require a certified food manager. Instead, every restaurant, food truck, and other permitted food establishment must have a person in charge on site during all hours of operation who can show food safety knowledge in one of three ways: an inspection with no priority violations, an accredited food protection manager certificate, or correct answers to the inspector's questions. The certificate is the one route that doesn't depend on how the inspection goes. Any accredited exam counts, including ServSafe, NRFSP, and EduClasses, and there's no state registration, fee, or renewal rule.

This is general information, not legal advice. When in doubt, check with the Tennessee Department of Health or your county health department.

The Rule

The Department of Health's food service rules (Rule 1200-23-01), updated June 14, 2026 with changes from newer editions of the FDA Food Code (sesame as a major allergen, 155°F for 17 seconds for ground meat, written vomit clean-up procedures), say the person in charge "shall demonstrate this knowledge by" one of three routes:

1. "Complying with these rules by having no violations of Priority Items during the current inspection;"
2. "Being a certified food protection manager who has shown proficiency of required information through passing a test that is part of an Accredited Program;" or
3. "Responding correctly to the inspector's questions as they relate to the specific food operation."

The FDA model code goes further and says the person in charge "shall be a certified food protection manager," but Tennessee didn't adopt that section. The department's 2026 fact sheet sums it up: "At least one of these measures must be achieved to demonstrate knowledge."

• A person in charge at all hours: the permit holder must be the person in charge or designate one, and "ensure that a person in charge is present at the food establishment during all hours of operation." That person doesn't need a certificate.
• Owners count: the permit holder can be the person in charge. One person in charge can also cover several separately permitted operations on the same premises.
• Grocery stores: retail food stores, regulated by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, follow the same three-route rule (Rule 0080-04-09), which is still based on the 2009 FDA Food Code.
• No local twists: Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Jackson run their own inspections, but state law requires their programs to be "identical to those of the state law and to rules and regulations," and we found no local manager rule.
• Not on the way: a 2020 bill to make certification the only route died in committee, and we found no 2025 or 2026 bill to require it.

Why Get Certified Anyway

The rules deem a certified person in charge to comply with the knowledge requirement, whatever else the inspector finds. Without a certificate, a single priority violation means the person in charge has to answer the inspector's questions correctly, on topics such as employee health, cooking temperatures, and the major food allergens. That's why the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department "highly recommends food workers and managers get an ANSI approved food safety certification."

How to Get Certified

1. Pick an accredited exam

The Department of Health accepts any program accredited under ANAB's Conference for Food Protection standards and links to ANAB's directory instead of keeping a list of its own. That includes ServSafe, NRFSP, StateFoodSafety, Learn2Serve (360training), Always Food Safe, Trust20, and EduClasses. An older department sheet listing "approved" courses "as of December, 2014" is out of date.

2. Decide whether you need a course

You don't: the rules define an accredited program as the certification itself and say it "does not refer to training functions or educational programs." A course helps if HACCP, cooling, and employee health rules are new to you.

3. Pass the exam

Each provider sets its own passing score. ServSafe requires 70%, NRFSP a scaled score of 75, StateFoodSafety 750 of 1,000 points, and Learn2Serve 75%. Try our free Food Manager Practice Test first.

4. Keep it ready for inspections

Tennessee has no registration, fee, or posting requirement for manager certificates; just be ready to show yours to the inspector. The rules require posting the establishment's permit and its most recent inspection report.

Free Food Safety Classes

Several health departments teach food safety free. These classes aren't certification exams, but they prepare a person in charge for the inspector's questions:

Knox County emails a certificate to anyone who scores 70 or higher on its online quiz, and it also offers in-person classes in English and Spanish each quarter. Chattanooga-Hamilton County schedules trainings by appointment.

Where to Take the Exam Online

If you decide to get certified, these providers are accredited, and all offer an online-proctored exam. Prices are from each provider's website, checked September 27 and rechecked October 5, 2026; confirm at checkout.

Always Food Safe's package is $84 plus $48 for the online proctor. 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 explains each price, including cheaper in-person options.

Taking it in Spanish? ServSafe, NRFSP, StateFoodSafety, Always Food Safe, and EduClasses offer the manager exam in Spanish; 360training lists its exam in English only.

How Long It Lasts

Tennessee doesn't set a term or a renewal rule, so your certificate's own date applies. Accredited certificates last no more than five years, and ServSafe's and EduClasses' are issued for five. The certificate belongs to you and moves with you to a new job.

What Inspectors Check

The person in charge is item 1 on Tennessee's inspection report, "Person in charge present, demonstrates knowledge, and performs duties," worth 5 of 100 points. Not having a certified manager isn't a violation on its own; what counts is whether a person in charge is there and can show knowledge one of the three ways. Knowledge failures are priority foundation items, which must be fixed at the inspection or within 10 days. Operating in violation of the food safety law is a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail, a $50 fine, or both, and the department can suspend or revoke a permit for serious or repeated violations.

Allergen Rules

Since June 14, 2026, food service establishments have had to tell customers in writing which major food allergens are ingredients in unpackaged food, through a menu, table tent, placard, brochure, or electronic notice, and sesame now counts as a major allergen. The person in charge must also make sure employees are trained in food allergy awareness for their duties, though no certificate or specific course is required. Our Food Allergen Policy for Restaurants: What the 2026 Food Code Requires covers both.

Food Handlers on Your Team

A manager certificate is a separate credential from a food handler card, and Tennessee has no food handler card requirement, state or local. The person in charge has to make sure employees are properly trained in food safety for their duties, in any format. Our Food Handler Card Requirements by State: The 2026 Guide compares states that do require cards.

How to Study

The manager exam goes deeper than basic food safety training: 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.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does Tennessee require a certified food manager?

No. Tennessee requires a person in charge on site during all hours of operation who can show food safety knowledge. Holding an accredited food protection manager certificate is one of three ways to do that; the others are an inspection with no priority violations or correct answers to the inspector's questions.

Is ServSafe required in Tennessee?

No exam is required. If you get certified, any accredited program counts, including ServSafe, NRFSP, StateFoodSafety, Learn2Serve, Always Food Safe, and EduClasses.

Why get certified if Tennessee doesn't require it?

A certified person in charge meets the knowledge requirement no matter what else the inspector finds. Without one, any priority violation leaves the person in charge relying on correct answers to the inspector's questions.

How long is Tennessee food manager certification good for?

Tennessee doesn't set a term, so your certificate's own date applies. Accredited certificates last no more than five years, and most are issued for five.

Do food handlers in Tennessee need a card?

No. There's no state or local food handler card requirement, but employees must be trained in food safety, including allergy awareness, for their duties.

How much does Tennessee food manager certification cost?

There's no state fee. Online exams with a proctor cost about $65 to $99, and health departments in Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville offer free food safety classes that aren't certification exams.

Bottom Line

Make sure a person in charge is on site whenever you're open and can show food safety knowledge. A manager certificate is the surest way, since the rules treat a certified person in charge as meeting the requirement, and any accredited exam works. Start with our free Food Manager Practice Test.

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