Food Handler Card Requirements in Colorado
Colorado takes a different path: there is no individual food handler card here at all. This page explains what the state requires instead, and who actually needs a food safety certification — every fact checked against the official sources cited below.
Colorado Food Handler Card at a Glance
- Card required?
- Not required — no food handler card exists here
- Cost
- No state-set fee - there is no card to buy. Optional county courses are priced locally (for example Boulder County runs a food handler training class and issues a training card to attendees), and commercial ANSI-accredited online courses are priced by the provider.
This table shows only facts we could verify from official pages or Colorado law. If a detail you need is missing, confirm it with the agency above before you rely on it.
FoodHandlerTest is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the National Restaurant Association (ServSafe) or any certifying organization.
Does Colorado Require a Food Handler Card?
Every state writes its own food safety rules. Of the 25 states we have published so far, 8 require food handler training statewide, 6 leave the decision to counties, and 11 require no individual card at all. Colorado sits in the last group: line employees need no card, and the state's training rules attach to supervisors and managers instead.
What Colorado Requires Instead
No food handler card exists in Colorado, so no training programme is mandated for line staff. The Colorado Retail Food Establishment Rules (6 CCR 1010-2) adopt the FDA Food Code 2022 by reference, which requires only that the person in charge ensure employees are properly trained in food safety as it relates to their assigned duties - training the establishment delivers and documents itself, with no card, exam or state-approved provider involved. Where an employer or local agency asks for a course anyway, an ANSI/ANAB-accredited food handler course meeting ASTM E2659 is the usual choice, but nothing in Colorado law names one.
FoodHandlerTest is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the National Restaurant Association (ServSafe) or any certifying organization.
Statewide vs. County Rules in Colorado
No Colorado county was found to mandate a food handler card. Local public health agencies enforce the same state rules (6 CCR 1010-2) and several offer voluntary training instead: Jefferson County states outright that no health cards are required there, while issuing a card to people who complete its 'Excellence in Food Safety' course; Boulder County notes the Colorado Food Code does not require food handlers to complete a food safety course but recommends the training and gives attendees a food handler training card; Denver, the state's largest jurisdiction, runs a Basic Food Safety Class through Denver Public Health & Environment and enforces the Denver Food Establishment Rules, but no mandatory individual food handler card requirement could be confirmed from Denver's primary sources - its 2017 food rules PDF is a scanned image with no machine-readable text layer, so this was not verified either way and should be checked with DDPHE at 720-913-1311 before publishing any claim about Denver. Several commercial sites assert 'Denver County requires food handler training'; that claim is not supported by any primary source reviewed here.
Food Manager Certification in Colorado
Colorado does not issue food handler cards, but it does have a separate requirement for certified food protection managers:
Yes. 6 CCR 1010-2 adopts FDA Food Code 2022 subpart 2-102.12, and the state rules specify at sec. 2.3(D) that 'Subpart 2-102.12 (A) (Certified Food Protection Manager), will be effective March 1, 2025.' At least one employee with supervisory and management responsibility and the authority to direct and control food preparation and service must be a Certified Food Protection Manager who has passed an exam from a programme accredited by a Conference for Food Protection-recognised accrediting agency. Since the March 1, 2025 effective date the person in charge on duty is the position the requirement attaches to, rather than merely having a certified person associated with the business.
Preparing for a manager exam?
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Free Food Manager Practice TestColorado Food Handler Card FAQs
Do you need a food handler card in Colorado?
No. Colorado has no individual food handler card requirement. The state's food safety training rules apply to the person in charge and managers instead.
What food safety training does Colorado require?
No food handler card exists in Colorado, so no training programme is mandated for line staff. The Colorado Retail Food Establishment Rules (6 CCR 1010-2) adopt the FDA Food Code 2022 by reference, which requires only that the person in charge ensure employees are properly trained in food safety as it relates to their assigned duties - training the establishment delivers and documents itself, with no card, exam or state-approved provider involved. Where an employer or local agency asks for a course anyway, an ANSI/ANAB-accredited food handler course meeting ASTM E2659 is the usual choice, but nothing in Colorado law names one.
Does Colorado require a certified food manager?
Yes. 6 CCR 1010-2 adopts FDA Food Code 2022 subpart 2-102.12, and the state rules specify at sec. 2.3(D) that 'Subpart 2-102.12 (A) (Certified Food Protection Manager), will be effective March 1, 2025.' At least one employee with supervisory and management responsibility and the authority to direct and control food preparation and service must be a Certified Food Protection Manager who has passed an exam from a programme accredited by a Conference for Food Protection-recognised accrediting agency. Since the March 1, 2025 effective date the person in charge on duty is the position the requirement attaches to, rather than merely having a certified person associated with the business.
Sources
Last reviewed July 26, 2026. Every fact on this page was checked against the primary sources below on the dates shown.
- 6 CCR 1010-2 Colorado Retail Food Establishment Rules (adopts FDA Food Code 2022; sec. 2.3(D) CFPM effective 2025-03-01) - Colorado Secretary of State Accessed July 26, 2026
- CDPHE - Food safety and licensing Accessed July 26, 2026
- Boulder County - Food Handler Training (course not required by the Colorado Food Code) Accessed July 26, 2026
- Jefferson County Public Health - Food Safety (no health cards required) Accessed July 26, 2026
- Denver Public Health & Environment - Restaurant & Food Establishment Compliance Accessed July 26, 2026
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FoodHandlerTest is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the National Restaurant Association (ServSafe) or any certifying organization.