Does New Hampshire require a food manager certification?
Yes. New Hampshire food establishments must have a certified food protection manager, and the state’s rules define that person as the person in charge — someone “who has shown proficiency of required information through passing a test that is part of an accredited program”.
New Hampshire operates on the 2017 edition of the FDA Food Code, which is the edition that first required the person in charge to be a certified food protection manager.
When you need one by
- Opening a new establishment: you have 45 days. The rule requires an establishment “shall have a certified food protection manager within first 45 days of the initial licensing inspection”.
- Your certified manager leaves: “the establishment shall have 90 days to come into compliance”.
The 45-day window is more forgiving than several states — South Dakota, for instance, requires the certified manager in place before opening. New Hampshire lets you open and then certify, provided you do it inside the window.
⚠️ The presence rule is tied to cooking, not to opening hours
This is where New Hampshire is unusual, and where most summaries get it wrong.
Some states require a person in charge present during all operating hours. New Hampshire ties the requirement to whether food preparation is actually happening, and then carves out two situations where the certified manager need not be there at all:
- Establishments with a certified manager on staff “shall not be required to have the certified food protection manager present during hours of operation when no food preparation is taking place”.
- Nor are they required to have that person “present when food preparation is limited to reheating commercially prepared food or ready to eat food”.
Read together, the implication is that the certified manager is expected to be present while genuine food preparation is going on — but a shift that only serves, reheats commercially prepared items, or handles ready-to-eat food does not require them on site.
Small establishments have a lighter rule
If you run a small operation, the requirement softens further. Establishments “having 5 food employees or less on duty are required to have only one certified food protection manager on staff who is available, although not required to be present, during all hours of operation”.
Note the word available. The rule does not define it, and it is plainly a lower bar than present — but it is not nothing. If you are relying on this provision, being genuinely reachable during opening hours is the sensible reading, and it is worth asking your inspector what they expect rather than guessing.
Keep the certificate to hand
A food establishment “shall have available the exam certificate of each certified food protection manager for review by inspection staff”. Keep it on the premises — a certificate filed at head office is not much use during an inspection.
What it costs to get this wrong
New Hampshire publishes a schedule of fines, and failure to comply with the certified food protection manager requirement carries a fine of $250.
Few states attach an explicit figure to this, which makes the calculation unusually clear: the fine is comparable to the cost of certifying a manager in the first place, and it is per failure rather than one-off.
Who is exempt
The rules list nineteen categories of establishment that do not need a certified food protection manager. They are mostly low-risk or non-preparation operations — food processing plants of certain sizes, retail stores selling only pre-packaged ice cream, arena and theatre concessions serving non-TCS food, sellers of pre-packaged frozen meat or poultry from USDA-inspected plants, and similar.
If your operation sounds like it might fall into one of these, check the category list in He-P 2303.02(a) against the licence category you were actually issued — the exemptions are written in terms of those categories, not in terms of what you think you do.
Where to get certified
New Hampshire’s definition requires “a test that is part of an accredited program”, which is the standard national accreditation route rather than a state-run course or an approved-vendor list.
One accredited option is EduClasses / FMC Food Managers Certification. ANAB lists this program as accredited under the ANAB-CFP Accreditation Program, as FMC® Food Managers Certification, accreditation ID 1135 — confirmed September 2026. Accreditation is a live status rather than a permanent one, so if you are reading this well after that date, check ANAB’s accredited-program directory before you pay.
Does this apply in Merrimack County or Strafford County?
Yes. New Hampshire’s certified food protection manager requirement (He-P 2300, under NH RSA 143-A) is a statewide rule. It applies in Concord (Merrimack County), Dover and Rochester (Strafford County), Manchester and Nashua (Hillsborough County), Portsmouth and Salem (Rockingham County), and everywhere else in the state. No New Hampshire county issues its own separate food manager certification, and an ANAB-CFP accredited certificate from any provider qualifies statewide.
What does change by location: who licenses and inspects you
New Hampshire has no county health departments. The NH DHHS Food Protection Section licenses and inspects roughly 5,000 food establishments across most of the state — but 15 communities are “self-inspecting”, meaning the local authority issues your food licence instead of the state.
The self-inspecting communities are Bedford, Berlin, Claremont, Concord, Derry, Dover, Exeter, Keene, Manchester, Merrimack, Nashua, Plaistow, Portsmouth, Rochester and Salem. If you operate in one of them, you apply to the city or town, not to DHHS, and the local health officer runs your inspections. The certified-manager rule itself does not change — only who checks it.
Manchester and Nashua (Hillsborough County)
Both are self-inspecting. The Manchester Health Department’s Environmental Health Branch inspects 750+ licensed establishments in the city under Ordinance 117.27, and Nashua runs its own division likewise. Bedford and Merrimack, also in Hillsborough County, are self-inspecting too. Your certified food protection manager requirement is the same statewide 45-day rule; the licence and the inspector are municipal.
Strafford County (Dover, Rochester, Durham)
There is no Strafford County food manager certification — the statewide rule applies. What varies is the licensing office: Dover and Rochester are self-inspecting, so establishments there hold a municipal food licence and answer to the city health officer. Durham and the rest of Strafford County are licensed and inspected by the state Food Protection Section. The 45-day certification window and the 90-day replacement window apply identically either way.
Merrimack County (Concord)
Concord is self-inspecting; the rest of Merrimack County is licensed by the state. One naming trap: the town of Merrimack — also self-inspecting — is in Hillsborough County, not Merrimack County. Searching for a “Merrimack County food manager certification” finds nothing to obtain: the certified food protection manager credential is statewide, and no county in New Hampshire issues its own.
Portsmouth, Salem, Derry, Exeter, Plaistow (Rockingham County)
Rockingham County contains five of the fifteen self-inspecting communities — more than any other county. Portsmouth, Salem, Derry, Exeter and Plaistow each license locally. Smaller Rockingham towns are licensed by the state.
Keene (Cheshire County), Claremont (Sullivan County), Berlin (Coös County) and the rest of the state
Keene (Cheshire County), Claremont (Sullivan County) and Berlin (Coos County) are self-inspecting. Everywhere else — including Grafton County (Lebanon, Hanover), Belknap County (Laconia) and Carroll County (North Conway) — DHHS Food Protection issues the licence and conducts inspections. The certified manager requirement is unchanged in all of them.
Renewal and recertification
Food manager certifications are typically valid for 5 years. Renewal requires retaking an accredited exam — there is no shortened recertification pathway that replaces the full exam. Start the renewal process 60–90 days before your expiration date to avoid scheduling delays that could put your establishment out of compliance.
If your certification has already lapsed, you can retake the exam immediately with no waiting period. EduClasses offers an online renewal prep course that’s shorter than the initial course and focused on updated regulations.
Summary
| Question | New Hampshire |
|---|---|
| Certified manager required? | Yes — the person in charge |
| New establishment deadline | 45 days from initial licensing inspection |
| If your manager leaves | 90 days to come into compliance |
| Must they be present? | During food preparation — not when no prep, or only reheating |
| 5 or fewer employees on duty | One manager available, not required present |
| Certificate on site? | Yes — for inspection staff |
| Fine for non-compliance | $250 |
| Food Code edition | 2017 |
| Governing rules | He-P 2301.01(g), He-P 2303.02 |
Not a manager? See New Hampshire Food Handler Card for what applies to individual workers.
Or compare every state we have covered so far on the food manager certification by state index.
Provider and cost comparison
Any ANAB-CFP accredited programme qualifies. All major providers offer fully online, self-paced study with remote proctoring — no travel to a testing centre required.
| Provider | Exam only | Course + exam | Remote proctoring | Retake policy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ServSafe (NRA) | ~$36 | ~$150–$180 | Yes | Separate fee per attempt |
| StateFoodSafety | ~$69 | ~$99 | Yes | Free retake with some packages |
| Prometric (NRFSP) | ~$99 | ~$149 | Yes | Separate fee per attempt |
| Learn2Serve (360training) | ~$59 | ~$99 | Yes | Free retake included |
| Always Food Safe | ~$55 | ~$95 | Yes | Varies by package |
What the exam covers
All ANAB-CFP accredited exams test the same six core domains:
- Employee health and hygiene — illness exclusion, handwashing, bare-hand contact rules
- Temperature control — cooking temperatures, cooling parameters, cold and hot holding limits
- Cross-contamination prevention — storage order, allergen management, surface sanitation
- Cleaning and sanitizing — chemical concentrations, contact times, ware-washing procedures
- Pest control and facilities — exclusion, approved materials, plumbing basics
- HACCP principles — hazard analysis, critical control points, corrective actions, record-keeping
80 questions · 2-hour limit · 75% passing score · closed-book · remote proctoring available.
Practice test and study materials
Before sitting the exam, a timed practice test is the most reliable way to find weak spots. EduClasses includes chapter quizzes and a full-length practice exam in their online prep course — see the food manager certification course.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to get certified after opening?
45 days from the initial licensing inspection. If your certified manager leaves, you have 90 days to replace them.
Does the certified manager need to be on site during all hours?
No — New Hampshire’s presence rule is tied to cooking operations specifically, not to all operating hours. This is unusual and differs from states like Vermont that require a person in charge on site at all times.
Is a certification from another state valid in New Hampshire?
Yes — ANAB-CFP accreditation is national. Any accredited certificate is valid in New Hampshire regardless of where it was issued, as long as it has not expired.
What is the difference between a food handler card and food manager certification?
New Hampshire requires neither a universal worker card nor a manager cert for all staff — only the person in charge role must be filled by a certified manager within 45 days of opening. A food handler card is a basic worker credential; the manager cert is the management-level exam.
Summary
| Requirement | New Hampshire’s rule |
|---|---|
| Certified manager required? | Yes — person in charge must be certified |
| Deadline after opening | 45 days from initial licensing inspection |
| Replacement deadline | 90 days if certified manager leaves |
| Presence during all hours | Not required — tied to cooking operations |
| Food Code edition | 2017 FDA Food Code |
| Accreditation standard | ANAB-CFP |
| Validity | 5 years |
| Exam cost | ~$36–$99 exam only; ~$95–$180 with course |
Looking for the worker card instead? See New Hampshire Food Handler Card.