(a) No person, firm or corporation shall operate or maintain any food establishment where food or beverages are served or sold to the public in any town, city or borough without obtaining a valid permit to operate from the director of health of such town, city or borough, in a form and manner prescribed by the director of health. The director of health shall issue a permit to operate a food establishment upon receipt of an application if the food establishment meets the requirements of this section. All food establishments shall comply with the food code.

Terms Used In Connecticut General Statutes 19a-36i

  • another: may extend and be applied to communities, companies, corporations, public or private, limited liability companies, societies and associations. See Connecticut General Statutes 1-1
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • License: includes the whole or part of any Department of Public Health permit, approval or similar form of permission required by the general statutes and which further requires: (A) Practice of the profession by licensed persons only. See Connecticut General Statutes 19a-13
  • permit: includes any authorization issued by the department to allow the practice, limited or otherwise, of a profession which would otherwise require a license. See Connecticut General Statutes 19a-17
  • Registration: means the required entry upon a list maintained by the Department of Public Health of the name of a practitioner or the address of a place where a practice or profession subject to the provisions of this chapter and chapters 368v, 369 to 375, inclusive, 378 to 381, inclusive, 383 to 388, inclusive, 398 and 399 may be engaged in. See Connecticut General Statutes 19a-13

(b) All food establishments shall be inspected by a certified food inspector in a form and manner prescribed by the commissioner. The Commissioner of Public Health may, in consultation with the Commissioner of Consumer Protection, grant a variance for the requirements of the food code if the Commissioner of Public Health determines that such variance would not result in a health hazard or nuisance.

(c) No permit to operate a food establishment shall be issued by a director of health unless the applicant has provided the director of health with proof of registration with the department and a written application for a permit in a form and manner prescribed by the department. Temporary food establishments and certified farmers’ markets, as defined in § 22-6r, shall be exempt from registering with the Department of Public Health.

(d) Each class 2 food establishment, class 3 food establishment and class 4 food establishment shall employ a certified food protection manager. No person shall serve as a certified food protection manager unless such person has satisfactorily passed a test as part of a food protection manager certification program that is evaluated and approved by an accrediting agency recognized by the Conference for Food Protection as conforming to its standards for accreditation of food protection manager certification programs. A certified food inspector shall verify that the food protection manager is certified upon inspection of the food establishment. The owner or manager of the food service establishment shall designate an alternate person or persons to be in charge at all times when the certified food protection manager cannot be present. The alternate person or persons in charge shall be responsible for ensuring the following: (1) All employees are in compliance with the requirements of this section; (2) foods are safely prepared in accordance with the requirements of the food code; (3) emergencies are managed properly; (4) a food inspector is admitted into the food establishment upon request; and (5) he or she receives and signs inspection reports.

(e) The commissioner shall collaborate with the directors of health to develop a process that allows for the reciprocal licensing of an itinerant food vending establishment that has obtained a valid permit or license under subsection (a) of this section and seeks to operate as an itinerant food vending establishment in another town, city or borough. Not later than December 1, 2021, the commissioner shall submit a report, in accordance with the provisions of § 11-4a, to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health, of the process developed pursuant to this subsection. Not later than January 1, 2022, the commissioner and each director of health shall implement such process.