Does Virginia Require a Food Handler Card?

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

Legal basis

Statewide: 12VAC5-421-55 (Virginia Food Regulations, Chapter 421) requires a Certified Food Protection Manager, NOT an employee handler card; the chapter is promulgated under Title 35.1 of the Code of Virginia (§§35.1-11 and 35.1-14 per 12VAC5-421-80; the CFPM exemption also cites §35.1-25). No statewide handler-card statute exists. Handler-card requirements rest entirely on local ordinances — e.g., Newport News City Code §§17-46 through 17-51. Exemptions: 12VAC5-421-55(B) (CFPM requirement does not apply to establishments serving only non-TCS food, or that only reheat/cold hold commercially processed fully cooked TCS foods -- and such exempt establishments may not cool TCS foods); Va. Code 35.1-25(B) (no CFPM may be required of restaurants operated by a nonprofit civic service organization, volunteer fire department, or volunteer EMS agency); Va. Code 35.1-25(A) (nine categories outside the title's restaurant provisions); 12VAC5-421-10 (exclusions from "food establishment"). Locally: Newport News City Code 17-46(c) (health director may waive the card for nonmanagerial employees of high-sanitation establishments) and 17-18(a) (health-permit exemption for prepackaged non-PHF or fresh-produce-only sellers).

Virginia 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 handler-card law; Virginia’s statewide rule requires only a Certified Food Protection Manager — a per-establishment MANAGER cert, not an employee handler card — while a cluster of Hampton Roads/Tidewater localities mandate an employee food handler’s card by local ordinance.

What it’s called

Virginia has no statewide food handler card — the statewide rule requires only a Certified Food Protection Manager per establishment. Individual food handler cards are mandated only locally (concentrated in Hampton Roads/Tidewater), issued by the local health department. “Food handler license,” “food handlers permit” and “food safety certificate” are common informal names for that local card; the statewide credential is the food-MANAGER certification, a different and higher one.

What Virginia requires instead

No one statewide must hold an employee handler card. Where locally required — e.g., Newport News (City Code §17-46): it is unlawful for any owner, employee, operator, assistant, or helper to work or serve in a food establishment without first obtaining a food handler’s card issued by the health officer, and employers may not keep unlicensed workers; the health director may WAIVE the card for nonmanagerial employees of establishments maintaining a high level of sanitation. Statewide, every food establishment must instead have at least one Certified Food Protection Manager on staff (12VAC5-421-55).

Who does NOT need this — exemptions

STATEWIDE: there is no employee food handler card in Virginia, so NO ONE statewide is required to hold one – and therefore no exemption from one exists. The statewide credential is the per-establishment Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM), and it has real exemptions:

CFPM EXEMPTIONS (rule) – 12VAC5-421-55(B) (eff. Nov. 23, 2022): “This section does not apply to food establishments that serve only non-time/temperature control for safety food and food establishments that store and prepare food only to the extent that they reheat or cold hold commercially processed, fully cooked time/temperature control for safety foods. Food establishments exempt from the certified food protection manager requirement may not cool time/temperature control for safety foods.”

CFPM EXEMPTIONS (statute) – Va. Code 35.1-25(B): “No regulation issued by the Board shall require any restaurant that is operated by (i) a nonprofit civic service organization, (ii) a volunteer fire department, or (iii) a volunteer emergency medical services agency to employ a certified food protection manager.”

OUTSIDE THE RESTAURANT REGIME ENTIRELY – Va. Code 35.1-25(A): the title’s restaurant provisions do not apply to (1) boardinghouses that do not accommodate transients; (2) cafeterias operated by industrial plants for employees only; (3) churches, fraternal or school organizations, 501(c)(3) organizations, volunteer fire departments and volunteer emergency medical services agencies that hold or participate in occasional dinners, bazaars and other fundraisers of one or two days’ duration; (4) grocery stores, including the delicatessen portion selling exclusively for off-premises consumption, and places manufacturing or selling packaged or canned goods; (5) churches serving meals to their members or invited guests; (6) convenience stores or gas stations subject to VDACS retail food regulations that have 15 or fewer seats and are not associated with a national or regional restaurant chain; (7) concession stands at youth athletic activities promoted or sponsored by a youth athletic association or a charitable nonprofit organization recognized as part of the locality’s recreational program; (8) owner-occupied or owner-agent-occupied bed-and-breakfast operations serving transient guests only, no more than 18 guests on any single day, with disclosure that the kitchen is not licensed as a restaurant; and (9) facilities or programs providing custodial care to 12 or fewer adults or children in a home (family day homes; adult day centers, assisted living facilities, children’s residential facilities and child-caring institutions; group homes, recovery residences and residential services).

OUTSIDE THE DEFINITION – 12VAC5-421-10: “food establishment” does not include (1) an establishment that offers only prepackaged food that is not time/temperature control for safety food; (2) a produce stand that only offers whole, uncut fresh fruits and vegetables; or (3) a food processing plant.

LOCAL CARD EXEMPTIONS (where a card IS required): Newport News City Code 17-46(c) – “The food handler’s card requirement may be waived by the health director for nonmanagerial employees of food establishments which maintain a high level of sanitation as determined by the health officer.” Newport News City Code 17-18(a) separately exempts from the city health permit a person who sells only non-potentially-hazardous food that has been pre-packaged and sealed in an approved food establishment, or who sells only fresh fruits and vegetables.

COMMONLY ASSUMED EXEMPT BUT NOT: in Newport News the card duty reaches “any person, whether owner, employee, operator, assistant or helper” (17-46(a)) – owners and operators are NOT exempt, and 17-46(b) makes it unlawful for an employer to keep an uncarded person employed; 17-46(d) additionally requires each food establishment to provide at least one certified manager. No exemption is published on the Norfolk Dept. of Public Health food handler class page (checked Jul 11, 2026).

Local requirements

Employee food handler’s cards are mandated only at the LOCAL level, concentrated in Hampton Roads/Tidewater. Verified by official code/agency source: City of Newport News (City Code Ch. 17 §§17-46–17-51) and City of Norfolk (Norfolk Dept. of Public Health food handler class). The Hampton & Peninsula Health District (Cities of Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, Williamsburg; Counties of James City and York) and additional Tidewater localities (e.g., Portsmouth, Suffolk, Franklin, Southampton, Isle of Wight) are reported to require food handler training/cards by local ordinance — each should be confirmed against that locality’s city/county code before citing. By contrast, Northern Virginia (Fairfax County; City of Alexandria) does NOT require a handler card and, since 2021, dropped its former Northern Virginia Food Manager’s card in favor of the statewide CFPM rule.

Where to check

No statewide handler-card issuer. In the localities that require a card, it is issued by the LOCAL health department / health officer (VDH local health districts) — e.g., the Newport News / Hampton & Peninsula Health District and the Norfolk Department of Public Health. (The statewide CFPM is not “issued” by the state either; it is earned via an accredited exam program.)

Frequently asked questions

Does Virginia require a food handler card?

Not statewide — but a food handler card is required in certain Virginia counties or cities. No one statewide must hold an employee handler card. Where locally required — e.g., Newport News (City Code §17-46): it is unlawful for any owner, employee, operator, assistant, or helper to work or serve in a food establishment without first obtaining a food handler’s card issued by the health officer, and employers may not keep unlicensed workers; the health director may WAIVE the card for nonmanagerial employees of establishments maintaining a high level of sanitation.

How long is a food handler card valid in Virginia?

Set per locality (no statewide card): Newport News — up to 3 years (Newport News City Code §17-50, “not more than three (3) years”); Norfolk — 2 years (Norfolk Dept. of Public Health).

How much does a food handler card cost in Virginia?

No state-set fee (no statewide card). Locality-set: Newport News — $5.00 per food handler’s card issued or renewed (Newport News City Code §17-48); Norfolk — $15.00 administrative/class fee (Norfolk Dept. of Public Health).

Where do you get a food handler card in Virginia?

No statewide approved-provider scheme for an employee handler card. Where a card is locally required, it is issued by the LOCAL health department after its own class/test — e.g., Newport News City Code §17-49 (passing the health officer’s oral or written test plus roughly one hour of classroom instruction in personal hygiene and food protection); Norfolk (an in-person ~90-minute VDH class). This differs from the statewide Certified Food Protection Manager, which must come from a Conference for Food Protection / ANAB-accredited program (12VAC5-421-55; VDH CFPM page).

Which Virginia counties require a food handler card?

See every license and certification LicensingAtlas covers in Virginia.

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.