Ohio Revised Code
Chapter 3717 | Retail Food Establishments; Food Service Operations
Section 3717.23 | Applying for License or Renewal of License.

Effective: October 16, 2009
Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 128th General Assembly
(A) Each person or government entity seeking a retail food establishment license or the renewal of a license shall apply to the appropriate licensor on a form provided by the licensor. A licensor shall use a form prescribed and furnished to the licensor by the director of agriculture or a form prescribed by the licensor that has been approved by the director. The applicant shall include with the application all information necessary for the licensor to process the application, as requested by the licensor.
An application for a retail food establishment license, other than an application for a mobile retail food establishment license, shall be submitted to the licensor for the health district in which the retail food establishment is located. An application for a mobile retail food establishment license shall be submitted to the licensor for the health district in which the applicant's business headquarters are located, or, if the headquarters are located outside this state, to the licensor for the district where the applicant will first operate in this state.
(B) The licensor shall review all applications received. The licensor shall issue a license for a new retail food establishment when the applicant submits a complete application and the licensor determines that the applicant meets all other requirements of this chapter and the rules adopted under it for receiving the license. The licensor shall issue a renewed license on receipt of a complete renewal application.
The licensor shall issue licenses for retail food establishments on forms prescribed and furnished by the director of agriculture. If the license is for a mobile retail food establishment, the licensor shall post the establishment's layout, equipment, and items to be sold on the back of the license.
A mobile retail food establishment license issued by one licensor shall be recognized by all other licensors in this state.
(C)(1) A retail food establishment license expires at the end of the licensing period for which the license is issued, except as follows:
(a) A license issued to a new retail food establishment after the first day of December does not expire until the end of the licensing period next succeeding issuance of the license.
(b) A temporary retail food establishment license expires at the end of the period for which it is issued.
(2) All retail food establishment licenses remain valid until scheduled to expire unless earlier suspended or revoked under section 3717.29 or 3717.30 of the Revised Code.
(D) A retail food establishment license may be renewed, except that a temporary retail food establishment license is not renewable. A person or government entity seeking license renewal shall submit an application for renewal to the licensor not later than the first day of March, except in the case of a mobile or seasonal retail food establishment, when the renewal application shall be submitted before commencing operation in a new licensing period. A licensor may renew a license prior to the first day of March or the first day of operation in a new licensing period, but not before the first day of February immediately preceding the licensing period for which the license is being renewed.
If a person or government entity does not file a renewal application with the licensor postmarked on or before the first day of March or, in the case of a mobile or seasonal retail food establishment, the first day of operation in a new licensing period, the licensor shall assess a penalty if the licensor charges a license renewal fee. The amount of the penalty shall be twenty-five per cent of the fee charged for renewing the license. If an applicant is subject to a penalty, the licensor shall not renew the license until the applicant pays the penalty.
(E)(1) A licensor may issue not more than ten temporary retail food establishment licenses per licensing period to the same person or government entity to operate at different events within the licensor's jurisdiction. For each particular event, a licensor may issue only one temporary retail food establishment license to the same person or government entity.
(2) A licensor may issue a temporary retail food establishment license to operate for more than five consecutive days if both of the following apply:
(a) The establishment will be operated at an event organized by a county agricultural society or independent agricultural society organized under Chapter 1711. of the Revised Code.
(b) The person who will receive the license is a resident of the county or one of the counties for which the agricultural society was organized.
(3) A person may be granted only one temporary retail food establishment license per licensing period pursuant to division (E)(2) of this section.
(F) The licensor may place restrictions or conditions on a retail food establishment license, based on the equipment or facilities of the establishment, limiting the types of food that may be stored, processed, prepared, manufactured, or otherwise held or handled for retail sale. Limitations pertaining to a mobile retail food establishment shall be posted on the back of the license.
(G) The person or government entity holding a license for a retail food establishment shall display the license for that retail food establishment at all times at the licensed location.
(H) With the assistance of the department of agriculture, the licensor, to the extent practicable, shall computerize the process for licensing retail food establishments.