Why This Site Exists
Kentucky and Ohio leave food handler card requirements to individual counties — which creates a confusing patchwork of rules that no single government website explains clearly. A new restaurant employee in Lexington faces a mandatory in-person test at the health department. The same employee working across the county line in Nicholasville faces no such requirement. A food worker in Cincinnati faces no county requirement at all, while their colleague who later takes a job in Louisville needs to verify what Louisville Metro Public Health currently requires.
Commercial training vendors have filled this information gap — but not in a neutral way. Their business model depends on selling certifications, so their content implies everyone in every state must have a paid food handler card. That isn't accurate, and it costs food workers real money for certificates they don't legally need.
FoodHandlerGuide was built to provide the specific, verified, county-level information that food workers and food business owners actually need: what is required, where to get it, what it costs, and what the actual state-level requirements are that apply everywhere.
What This Site Is
- A free, independent informational directory
- A research resource based on county health department sources
- An AdSense-supported publication — we display advertising to cover operating costs
- A continuously updated resource — requirements change when local boards of health act
What This Site Is Not
- Not affiliated with any Kentucky or Ohio government agency
- Not affiliated with any food safety training vendor (ServSafe, StateFoodSafety, eFoodHandlers, or others)
- Not a legal advice resource — nothing on this site constitutes legal advice
- Not a substitute for verifying current requirements directly with your county health department
Editorial Approach
Every county page is based on information gathered directly from county health department websites, public health records, and published fee schedules. Where information is uncertain or subject to change, we note it explicitly and provide the direct contact information for the relevant health department so you can verify.
We do not accept payment from training vendors for inclusion, placement, or favorable mention. We do not have affiliate relationships with any certification provider. Our only revenue source is Google AdSense display advertising.
Coverage and Updates
We currently cover 20 Kentucky counties and 15 Ohio counties, with more being added regularly. Kentucky has 120 counties; Ohio has 88. Not every county has detailed information available through public sources — where we lack verified data, we link to the appropriate health department rather than publish guesswork.
If you are a county health department employee and notice inaccurate information about your county on this site, please contact us so we can correct it promptly.
Contact
For questions, corrections, or feedback: Contact page