Counseling Center of Illinois
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How to obtain your Food
Service Sanitation Manager Certification
Register for Course

How can I obtain food service sanitation manager certification (FSSMC) in Illinois?

In Illinois, there are three ways a person can be certified as a food service sanitation manager:

  1. Complete a Department approved 15-hour FSSMC course, successfully pass a state examination with a score of at least 75 percent and pay a $35 certificate fee to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

  2. Obtain a written waiver from IDPH for a course you have taken elsewhere. Then, complete the Illinois FSSMC examination with a score of at least 75 percent and pay the $35 certificate fee to IDPH. A person may qualify for a course waiver if he/she has completed a course that was at least 15 hours in length and contained, at a minimum, the same material content as the Illinois course. The course must have been completed within the last five years.

  3. Qualify for a certificate through reciprocity. If a person holds a food service manager certificate issued by the Chicago Department of Public Health, submit a copy, along with a completed FSSMC request form, to IDPH and ask that an Illinois food service sanitation manager certificate be issued through reciprocity. Send no money with the FSSMC request form. After the Department verifies the authenticity of your certificate from the city of Chicago, you will be mailed a FSSMC application, which should be completed and returned to IDPH along with the $35 certificate fee.


What do I have to submit to IDPH to obtain a waiver for a course I completed in another state?

  1. Submit a copy of the certificate of completion or a copy of the grade report for the course and a copy of the course agenda or syllabus. If you completed a 15-hour ServSafe course, submit only the certificate of completion (no agenda or syllabus is required).

  2. Provide the name and address of the instructor and the company or institution where the course was completed.
  3. Include your name, current home address and a daytime telephone number where you may be reached. It is frequently difficult to verify your status through colleges, universities, ServSafe or others without additional identification – such as social security number.



CERTIFICATE HOLDER INFORMATION SHEET

What must I do to renew my Food Service Sanitation Manager Certification (FSSMC) certificate?

There are five steps to successful renewal of your certificate:

1. Complete continuing education or a renewal examination during the 5 years after your certificate is issued, but before that certificate expires. This may not be done after the certificate expires (There are no exceptions). Your specific options are

a. Complete an approved 5 hour refresher course, or

b. Complete an approved 15 hour FSSMC course, or

c. Complete an IDPH pre-approved course that is at least 5 hours long, or

d. Complete a renewal examination with a score of 75% or above. That test may not be retaken, if failed. One of the options above must be completed.

2. Submit a written request to renew the certificate to Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). This is your responsibility, whether you receive a printed application in the mail or not.

3. Submit a certificate fee in a check or money order payable to “IDPH” for $35. This is not included in fees paid for courses described above.

4. Complete and submit a signed and dated child support statement.

5. Mail the application, certificate fee and child support statement to IDPH so that it is postmarked no later than 30 days after the certificate expires. No exceptions are made to this requirement.


I am not able to find a course that starts before my certificate expires, but a course is offered during the 30 day period after the certificate expires. Will that course complete the continuing education requirement?

The course or exam must be completed before the certificate expires. There are no exceptions. Courses are sometimes canceled, are postponed, or may not be available at a convenient location if you wait until the last minute to complete the requirement. If you cannot find a course, contact an IDPH regional office or your local health department and schedule to take the renewal exam.


Will IDPH notify me that they have credited my record if I successfully complete the renewal exam or continuing education.

No. You will not be sent a separate mailing verifying that you have completed the course. This information is sent to your instructor, who makes any corrections with IDPH. You will receive a notice that you passed or failed the renewal exam. Grading and notification take about 5 weeks.


Will I receive an application automatically from IDPH?

Your application is printed by us about 3 months before your certificate expires and is mailed to the address that the Department has on file for you. If IDPH does not have your current address on file at the time the application is printed, you may not receive it. If an address change is made after that application is printed, you must request that another application be sent to you. Another application is not automatically sent to you.


If I have not received an application two months before my certificate expires, what should I do?

It is your responsibility to renew your certificate on time. Failure to receive an application from IDPH is not an acceptable reason for failing to renew your certificate on time.


I have married and changed my name and have changed my address. Will the scan sheet I complete when I take the course or exam, update this information in Springfield?

The information will be updated, but remember that an application is printed 3 months before the certificate expires. It takes 4-6 weeks to receive that scan sheet and process the information into the computer. Do not depend on this method of address change to receive an application, if the scan sheet is completed fewer than 6 months before your certificate expires. Name changes must be accompanied by a copy of a legal document that verifies the change (such as a copy of a drivers’ license or marriage certificate).