Hours of Operation: Mon-Fri, 8AM-4:30PM Phone: (859) 623-7312
Madison County Health Department
Registered Sanitarians in the Environmental Services Branch inspect many different types of public facilities and enforce health and sanitation regulations in Madison County. They can also provide environmental health information and advice on a variety of topics to individuals and businesses in the community.
Our Mission is to promote and protect the health of people living in and visiting our community by ensuring a safe living environment.
All people who work in food service establishments in Madison County are required to have a food handler card issued by the Health Department. Restaurants and other establishments must keep a copy of the card on file for every employee that handles food and drink. This includes waiters, bartenders, dishwashers, cooks, and kitchen workers. Certified food managers are not required to have a food handler card. Please note that this test and certification is valid in Madison County, Kentucky only and may not be recognized by other county health departments. It is your responsibility to check acceptability with the health department in your county.
Applicants for Food Handler Testing are given a Food Handler booklet ( click here for Spanish) to review, then a short written multiple-choice test. Topics include food preparation, cooking and holding temperatures, dishwashing and sanitation, hand washing procedures, chemical storage, and other information related to safe storage, preparation, and serving of food and drink. Effective July 1, 2019, tests cost $15.00, and permits are good for 3 years. Duplicate or replacement cards can be purchased for $5.00 per card.
MCHD offers Food Handler Testing at the Environmental Health office on 216 Boggs Lane in Richmond, and at the Martha Pride Community Health Center on 1001 Ace Drive in Berea.
Richmond hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm.
Berea hours are Monday through Wednesday, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm.
Call 859-626-4249 for more information
The Food Handler test and certificate is now available online, 24 hours a day, 7 days per week!
The course fee is paid through PayPal with either a PayPal account or a credit/debit card. You do NOT have to have a PayPal account to use a credit card; the payment is simply processed through PayPal. If you pay the fee and cannot complete the course online, bring a printout of your PayPal transaction to our office to complete it in person.
The certificate is your food handler’s card. Print two copies of the certificate, one for you and one for your employer. If you have any questions call Environmental Services at 859-623-7312.
Madison County Health Regulation 400:200 requires that all food service establishments in Madison County be operated by a certified food service manager. At least one (1) certified food service manager must be on duty during all hours of operation. Restaurants and other food service establishments may certify as many managers as they need to meet that requirement.
Failure to comply with MCHR 400:200 will result in legal action being taken against the permit holder of the establishment. This may include fines ranging from $10 to $100 per day for each day the violation has occurred.
In order to become certified or re-certified, food service managers must go through our online Food Manager Certification course and pass the test at the end of the course. The fee for the class is $80 per person and the certification is valid for three (3) years. In this course we will discuss the principles of food safety that a Certified Food Manager must be proficient in
Training topics include:
By law, food service establishments (this includes bars, restaurants, etc.) operating in Kentucky are required to have a permit to operate. These permits are issued by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. In Madison County, the Health Department issues food permits on behalf of the state.
One of the requirements for a permit is that the establishment must be inspected regularly. This is done by a registered sanitarian, commonly known as a health inspector.
Frequency
The inspections are conducted based upon items related to general sanitation and food safety. They are done twice a year, unless otherwise needed (for example, a restaurant having a food safety/sanitation complaint may be inspected more than twice in one year. Also, establishments that only operate for a short period of time during the year may only receive one inspection each year).
The inspections are typically unannounced—the establishment does not know ahead of time when the inspection will take place. The exception to this is in cases where it is necessary to schedule an inspection due to an establishment’s hours of operation or for other establishments that are not open to the public on a walk-in basis.
Purpose
The purpose of the inspections is to assure that the food is being properly handled and protected when stored, prepared, displayed, served and transported. Inspectors observe various aspects of a food service operation including:
Scores: What Do They Mean?
Inspections involve a report containing 58 potential items of violation, each of which is assigned a point value based on how it can affect a person’s health. The point values range from one to three, with one being least severe and three being most severe.
Most of the items on the inspection are weighted at one or two points and are characterized as “non-critical” violations. Others are considered a higher threat and are characterized as “critical” violations.
An example of a non-critical violation is a hand washing sink in an establishment that is dirty or a refrigerator that doesn’t have a thermometer provided in or on it to monitor the temperature inside.
An example of a critical violation is an employee failing to use a hand sink, whether dirty or not; failure to wash hands between handling raw chicken and cutting up vegetables for use in salad; or potentially hazardous food items stored at a temperature above 41 degrees Fahrenheit inside a refrigerator that is not cooling properly due to a mechanical failure, whether a thermometer is present or not.
To calculate an establishment’s final score, the total of the points for all violations marked is subtracted from a total point value of 100. An establishment is considered to have passed its routine inspection if a score of 85% or above is received with no critical violations noted. An establishment that scores below 85% or receives a critical violation debit fails its inspection.
Follow-up Inspections
Generally, follow-up inspections are necessary within 10 days if an establishment has any critical violations or within 30 days if it has a total score below 85 without critical violations. Follow-up inspections can be conducted on the same visit, if the problem is something the restaurant staff can correct immediately. A food establishment can also require more than one follow-up inspection. Some violations may warrant immediate correction.
In any case, if the total score received is below 70, more immediate enforcement measures are taken involving imminent or immediate suspension of the establishment’s permit. Scores below 70 may require administrative actions, including conferences with officials from the Kentucky Department for Public Health, which may result in later follow-up dates. The food establishment may be required to close during this time period. If you have questions about a particular situation, you may request the complete inspection report by calling Environmental Health Services at 859-626-4249.
Inspection Reports
Please keep in mind that the inspection scores only represent the conditions present at the time of the inspection. Conditions in a restaurant as well as other types of food service establishments can change from hour-to-hour and day-to-day.
Foods may be prepared and served in conjunction with gatherings or events, such as fairs and festivals. Food items and methods of preparation may be restricted during these temporary events. All temporary food vendors must have a permit from the local health department prior to commencing operations. For more information and applications, please contact Environmental Services at (859) 626-4249, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Inside plumbing permits, water heater or water meter permits can ONLY be obtained from the PLUMBING INSPECTOR – SEE BELOW FOR CONTACT INFORMATION.
PLUMBING INSPECTOR: Isaac Clark
859-302-4135 (NO VOICEMAIL)
*Isaac cannot be reached by calling the Environmental Office phone number*
A plumbing permit is required on inside plumbing/water heater and water lines. State plumbing regulations require that the sewage permit be obtained before the inside plumbing permit can be issued. Both the sewage permit and the inside plumbing permit are to be obtained before a water meter can be set by Madison County Utilities.
To obtain information regarding Madison County’s Onsite Sewage Program, you will need to contact the Madison County Health Department’s Environmental Office. The MCHD Environmental office is the office to apply for an onsite septic evaluation (soil test), sewage permit or existing septic system inspection.
*Environmentalists office hours are 8:00 – 9:30 am, Monday – Friday *
* MCHD Environmental Office will assist you with Steps 1 & 2 *
Note: Other steps are necessary on all types of business or commercial building, such as submission of plans.
Contact the health department before starting any work regarding plan approval. Also feel free to call about any related questions or problems on new construction.
The Madison County Planning and Development Commission, through the office of the building inspector, will issue the home builder a building permit. The electrical inspector, also of the building inspector’s office, will issue the electrical permit. Once all components of the home have been inspected and approved (i.e., sewage, plumbing, electrical etc.), the homeowner will receive a certificate to occupy their home.
Madison County Health Department
214-216 Boggs Lane
P.O. Box 1208
Richmond, KY 40476
859-623-7312
Clinic Fax: 859-626-4298
Temporarily Closed.
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Hours of Operation: Mon-Fri, 8AM-4:30PM Phone: (859) 623-7312