Illinois — statewide
Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Food, Drugs and Dairies
In short
Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Food, Drugs and Dairies issues 3 permits we publish for Illinois — statewide, last verified 2026-09-03. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Food Establishment Permit | Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Food, Drugs and Dairies | No state fee — the permit and its price are set by the local health department | set by the local health department | 2026-09-03 |
| Food Handler Training | Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Food, Drugs and Dairies | No fee | 3 years | 2026-09-03 |
| Certified Food Protection Manager | Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Food, Drugs and Dairies | No fee | 5 years | 2026-09-03 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Retail Food Establishment Permit
The Department of Public Health's Retail Food page states that retail food establishments in Illinois, 'including restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores, and food trucks, are regulated by local health departments serving the jurisdiction where the establishment is located', and directs anyone starting a retail food business to the local health department, so the permit and its fee are set locally and depend on the county or city. The state reserves permitting to itself only for food processing plants, which it splits with the Department of Agriculture. The code itself is the 2022 FDA Food Code as adopted by Illinois, and inspection findings are graded as priority, priority foundation or core rather than by a numeric score.
Food Handler Training
The state charges nothing and issues nothing — it says so in as many words, that it does not issue food handler certifications — but the training is still mandatory for every paid food handler who is not already a certified food protection manager, within thirty days of hire. Providers set their own prices, and the Act requires at least one option to be available at $15 or less. A restaurant must use a course with ANSI approval; other food businesses may use any course IDPH has registered. The certificate belongs to the employee, not the employer, so it travels with them and the employer is not obliged to pay for it. Note the term differs from the manager certification: three years here, five there.
Certified Food Protection Manager
No state fee, because the state does not run the certification — an accredited body does, and its course and exam fees are what you actually pay. Illinois food establishments must be under the supervision of a certified manager, which is a higher bar than food handler training: it needs an accredited course and a passed exam, and it lasts five years rather than three. Chicago runs its own parallel certification, so an operator inside the city must check city rules and not only state ones. The older name, food service sanitation manager certificate, still appears on some guidance.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Illinois — statewide
- Phone
- (217) 782-4977
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Illinois Department of Public Health — certified food protection manager certificationIllinois Department of Public Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Illinois Department of Public Health — food handler training frequently asked questionsIllinois Department of Public Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Illinois Department of Public Health — retail foodIllinois Department of Public Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
Other Illinois statewide offices
- Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Professional Regulation
- Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services
- Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
- Illinois Department of Early Childhood
- Illinois Department of Public Health, Plumbing Program
- Illinois Department of Revenue, Central Registration Division
Illinois jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.