Does Nebraska Require a Food Handler Card?

Not statewide — no statewide food-handler-card requirement. What food workers actually need, county by county — verified from official sources.

Legal basis

No statewide food-handler-card statute. State framework: the Nebraska Department of Agriculture adopts the 2022 FDA Food Code as the Nebraska Food Code (named verbatim on the NDA food-safety program page) under the Nebraska Pure Food Act (named on the NDA Regulations page); the FDA Food Code requires the person in charge to be a Certified Food Protection Manager (FDA Food Code § 2-102.12) — a manager credential, not an employee handler card. (Per DCHD, a CFPM requirement was also enacted by the Nebraska Legislature in April 2025.) County mandates: Lincoln — the Lincoln Food Code, enforced by LLCHD ("everyone who works in a food establishment must have a food handler or manager permit"); Omaha — Omaha Municipal Code ch. 11 (Food and Food Handlers), § 11-264, updated by the Aug 26, 2025 Omaha City Council ordinance (as cited by the official DCHD page). EXEMPTIONS / CFPM (added 2026-07-11): the statewide CFPM mandate is traced to Neb. Rev. Stat. Sec. 81-2,244.01 as amended by Laws 2025, LB245 - the Food Code is now the 2022 FDA edition and sections 2-102.12 and 2-102.20(B) were STRUCK from the excluded-sections list, so the CFPM requirement now applies. Operations outside the state food law are listed at Neb. Rev. Stat. Sec. 81-2,245.01. The Lincoln handler-permit exemption is Lincoln Municipal Code Sec. 8.20.235 (Ord. 21680 Sec. 16, Dec. 9 2024); Lincoln establishment-permit exemptions are at LMC Sec. 8.20.120.

Nebraska does not require an individual statewide food handler card. Where you work matters: at least one county or city health department imposes its own requirement — the verified local rules are below.

No statewide food-handler-card requirement; individual employee handler cards are mandated only in Lincoln-Lancaster County and in the City of Omaha/Douglas County. Statewide, Nebraska requires only a Certified Food Protection Manager — a per-establishment MANAGER credential — not an employee handler card.

What it’s called

Nebraska has no statewide food handler card. It is required only in Lincoln-Lancaster County, under the Lincoln Food Code enforced by the county health department, which issues it. “Food handler license,” “food handlers permit” and “food safety certificate” are common informal names for that local card — distinct from the food-MANAGER credential (a Certified Food Protection Manager, often ServSafe Manager).

What Nebraska requires instead

Statewide: no individual employee is required to hold a food handler card; each establishment must have a Certified Food Protection Manager (person in charge), which is a manager credential, not an employee handler card. Lincoln-Lancaster County: the Lincoln Food Code states that everyone who works in a food establishment must have a food handler or manager permit; per LLCHD, “employees must have a food handler permit before starting to work,” and “one-hundred percent (100%) of employees … must have current and appropriate permits” (a missing permit is a critical-item violation). Handler-permit tiers are assigned by job duties — Serve/Clean, Prep/Cook, and Restricted/Shift Manager — with a separate Food Protection Manager permit for the person in charge. City of Omaha (Douglas County): per DCHD, “all food handlers in the City of Omaha must obtain a Food Handler’s Certification within 30 days of employment,” at one of three levels (Serve Clean, Prep Cook, Shift Manager) determined by job duties. The only exemption DCHD states is verbatim: “Volunteers and employees of educational institutions that have received training in proper food safety practices and that are supervised by a CFPM are exempt from the food handler certification requirements.”

Who does NOT need this — exemptions

There is no statewide Nebraska food handler card, so outside Lincoln and Omaha no employee needs one. Statewide the only mandated credential is the Certified Food Protection Manager: LB245 (2025) amended Neb. Rev. Stat. Sec. 81-2,244.01 so that the Nebraska Food Code is now the 2022 FDA Food Code AND struck sections 2-102.12 and 2-102.20(B) from the list of excluded provisions - i.e. the CFPM requirement, previously excluded from Nebraska law, now applies. (This is the requirement DCHD describes as “passed by the Nebraska State Legislature in April of 2025.”) OPERATIONS OUTSIDE THE STATE FOOD LAW ENTIRELY - Neb. Rev. Stat. Sec. 81-2,245.01 provides that “food establishment” “does not include”: (1) an establishment or vending machine operation offering only listed non-TCS prepackaged items (soft drinks, canned/bottled juices, prepackaged ice, candy, chewing gum, potato or corn chips, pretzels, cheese puffs and curls, crackers, popped popcorn, nuts and edible seeds, and cookies, cakes, pies and other pastries); (2) a produce stand offering only whole, uncut fresh fruits and vegetables; (3) a food processing plant; (4) a salvage operation; (5) “a private home where food is prepared or served for personal use, a small day care in the home, or a hunting lodge, guest ranch, or other operation where no more than ten paying guests eat meals in the home”; (6) a private home or other area preparing non-TCS food “for sale or service at a religious, charitable, or fraternal organization’s bake sale or similar function”; (7) a private home producing cottage food that meets Sec. 81-2,280, sold direct to the consumer (farmers market, fair, festival, craft show, pick-up or delivery); (8) a private home or other area preparing food for a charitable fundraising event, with the required not-inspected placard (this does not cover a paid caterer); (9) the location where a caterer’s food is served if the caterer “only minimally handles the food at the serving location”; (10) “Educational institutions, health care facilities, nursing homes, and governmental organizations which are inspected by a state agency or a political subdivision other than the regulatory authority”; (11) a pharmacy (Sec. 71-425) or similar facility selling only non-TCS/listed foods; and (12) a non-commercial establishment selling only commercially packaged non-TCS foods. CITY OF OMAHA (Douglas County) - the ONLY stated exemption from the food handler certification, verbatim from DCHD: “Volunteers and employees of educational institutions that have received training in proper food safety practices and that are supervised by a CFPM are exempt from the food handler certification requirements.” Everyone else handling food must certify within 30 days of employment. CITY OF LINCOLN - Lincoln Municipal Code Sec. 8.20.235 (“Food Handler Permits; Exemption”) is the single handler-permit exemption, verbatim: “A food handler permit shall not be required for any volunteer person(s) who only serves food at an itinerant temporary food establishment or itinerant temporary event if, prior to working, the volunteer food server: a. Receives training in proper hand washing, no bare hand contact, and safe food practices by the Food Protection Manager in charge using training approved by the Health Director, and b. Signs a form affirming that he or she has not had diarrhea or vomiting in the past 48 hours, and that he or she understands and will practice no bare hand contact.” (Ord. 21680 Sec. 16, Dec. 9, 2024.) Note how narrow it is: it covers volunteers who ONLY SERVE, and only at an itinerant temporary establishment/event - a paid employee, or a volunteer who preps or cooks, is NOT exempt. Separately, LMC Sec. 8.20.120 exempts certain nonprofit operations from needing a food establishment permit at all: occasional bake sales of non-TCS food; sales of manufactured, prepackaged non-TCS food prepared in an approved facility; service of non-TCS food limited to the organization’s members and guests; and occasional TCS service on the nonprofit’s own premises or at a permanent food service facility (a kitchen at “a church, meeting hall, or other place of public assembly”) - though a nonprofit selling TCS food to the public where there is no permanent food service facility must still get an itinerant temporary food establishment permit. NOT EXEMPT (commonly assumed otherwise): in Lincoln, front-of-house staff are NOT exempt. The Serve/Clean permit expressly covers “bakers, bussing staff, dishwashers, wait staff, convenience store clerks who do not prepare or cook potentially hazardous foods, bartenders, hosting staff, and baristas,” LLCHD requires “One-hundred percent (100%) of employees” to hold current and appropriate permits, and “Employees must have a food handler permit before starting to work at a food establishment.”

Local requirements

Lincoln-Lancaster County (Lincoln): under the Lincoln Food Code, enforced by LLCHD, everyone working in a food establishment must hold a food handler or manager permit; the food handler permit is required before starting work and 100% employee compliance is enforced (a missing permit is a critical-item violation and, per LLCHD, the number-one reason establishments receive Notices of Violation). The Prep/Cook (PC) food handler permit costs $20, is good for 2 years, and is earned in an ~1.5-hour LLCHD class (also available online at foodhandlers.unl.edu); handler tiers are Serve/Clean, Prep/Cook, and Restricted/Shift Manager. City of Omaha (Douglas County): an Aug 26, 2025 Omaha City Council update to the Omaha Municipal Code requires all food handlers in the City of Omaha to obtain a DCHD Food Handler’s Certification within 30 days of employment — $20 (one payment covers all three levels; waived for applicants under 18), valid 2 years, with three levels (Serve Clean, Prep Cook, Shift Manager) assigned by job duties, obtained only through DCHD/UNL training. Only stated exemption: volunteers and employees of educational institutions who have received food-safety training and are supervised by a CFPM. Separately, starting January 2026, any NEW food-permit application requires proof of a staff member holding a CFPM certification. These requirements are set out in Omaha Municipal Code ch. 11 (Food and Food Handlers), § 11-264, as linked by the official DCHD page.

Where to check

No state-issued food handler card exists. Statewide food safety is regulated by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, which adopts the 2022 FDA Food Code as the Nebraska Food Code and requires a Certified Food Protection Manager (person in charge) — a manager credential, not an individual handler card. Where a county mandate applies, the handler credential is issued by the county health department: the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department (LLCHD) issues the Lincoln food handler permit, and the Douglas County Health Department (DCHD) — in partnership with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln — provides the City of Omaha food handler certification.

Frequently asked questions

Does Nebraska require a food handler card?

Not statewide — but a food handler card is required in certain Nebraska counties or cities. Statewide: no individual employee is required to hold a food handler card; each establishment must have a Certified Food Protection Manager (person in charge), which is a manager credential, not an employee handler card. Lincoln-Lancaster County: the Lincoln Food Code states that everyone who works in a food establishment must have a food handler or manager permit; per LLCHD, “employees must have a food handler permit before starting to work,” and “one-hundred percent (100%) of employees … must have current and appropriate permits” (a missing permit is a critical-item violation).

How long is a food handler card valid in Nebraska?

No statewide card. County handler credentials are valid 2 years — Lincoln-Lancaster Prep/Cook (PC) food handler permit “good for 2 years” (LLCHD class schedule); City of Omaha food handler certification “valid for two years” (DCHD).

How much does a food handler card cost in Nebraska?

No state-set fee. County-set: Lincoln-Lancaster — $20 for a Prep/Cook (PC) food handler permit (LLCHD class schedule). City of Omaha (Douglas County) — $20 for the DCHD food handler certification (a single $20 payment covers all three levels; the $20 cost may be waived for applicants under 18) (DCHD).

Where do you get a food handler card in Nebraska?

No statewide rule. Lincoln-Lancaster: the food handler permit is issued by LLCHD and obtained through LLCHD’s own training — live classes at the LLCHD training center (3131 O Street) or online through LLCHD’s web pages (foodhandlers.unl.edu). (The separate Food Protection Manager permit — the manager credential, NOT the handler permit — requires passing an accredited ANSI/CFP exam such as ServSafe, Prometric, or National Registry, plus a $30 LLCHD fee; the ANSI/CFP-accreditation rule applies to that manager permit, not to the food handler permit.) City of Omaha (Douglas County): per DCHD, “food handler certifications must be obtained through the training provided by the Douglas County Health Department” (delivered online via the DCHD/University of Nebraska-Lincoln platform at foodhandlers.douglascountyhealth.com).

Which Nebraska counties require a food handler card?

See every license and certification LicensingAtlas covers in Nebraska.

Sources & verification

Last verified against these sources: July 22, 2026.

LicensingAtlas states licensing and certification requirements categorically from official sources. It is a reference, not legal or career advice, and requirements change frequently — confirm details with the issuing board before you act.