Retail Food Establishment Licensure And Inspection

The act makes the following changes to the laws governing retail food establishments:

• Increases annual license fees for retail food establishments, phasing in the increase over the next 3 years, at minimum;
• Creates a new fee category for retail food establishments that sell a limited range of specified foods, and limits the annual license fee exemption to certain specified entities;
• Prohibits a county from spending the increased revenue from the fee increase on anything other than retail food health-related activities;
• Requires the department of public health and environment (CDPHE) to create a uniform system to communicate health inspection results to the public and sets limitations on the development of the uniform system;
• Requires CDPHE to attain certain targets, including significant statewide compliance with the federal food and drug administration's voluntary national retail food regulatory program standards. To reach these targets, the bill requires CDPHE to audit certain local public health agencies and requires local public health agencies to audit CDPHE in certain situations.
• Decreases the maximum period of suspension of a license or certificate of license from 6 months to one month, except in cases of closure due to an imminent health hazard; and
• Authorizes CDPHE and a county or district board of health to issue a cease-and-desist order if a person or licensee has been issued a civil penalty and remains in noncompliance.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)