Food Businesses and Permits
All facilities providing food to the public in the Municipality of Anchorage must have a food permit. This includes grocery stores, restaurants, warehouses, temporary food booths, catering, mobile food vendors, and food carts. Permits and inspections within the Municipality of Anchorage are handled by the Anchorage Food Safety and Sanitation Program (FSS).
Food Permit Applications:
Click here for Frequently Asked Questions
Food Worker Cards
Food workers in Anchorage are required to have a food worker card. You can obtain a food worker card by passing the food worker online test (Click here).
Cost: $10.
Employees in food establishments that do not handle food or clean dishes and utensils are not required to have a food worker card. These include individuals responsible only for greeting, seating, or transacting the exchange of money or credit with customers; grocery checkers or grocery baggers; delivery drivers; patients or residents in an institution; those who assist patients or residents in an institution with meals; volunteers; stockers; those responsible for receiving, stocking, shipping, delivering, or picking a product in a warehouse; and those under the age of 18 assisting in a school kitchen with school meal service.
Opening a New Food Establishment
If you are building a new food facility in Anchorage or remodeling an existing food facility in Anchorage, the first step is gathering information to be submitted for Plan Review. After plans are approved, you must apply for a food establishment permit before opening to the public. Once a passing opening inspection is completed, the facility may open to the public for service.
Change of Ownership
Be aware that food facility permits are not transferable. For a change of ownership, an application for a health permit must be approved no less than 7 days before the change of ownership, accompanied by the appropriate fees. If you are buying an existing establishment in Anchorage
without remodeling or changing the menu extensively, a plan review may not be required. This will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Complete a health permit application, submit a business license, current Serve Safe certificates, and a detailed menu for a full change of ownership. If you have questions about the change of ownership, please read the Change of Ownership Requirements or contact our customer service office at 907-343-4200.
Food Protection Manager Certification
Each facility with a Risk Type 2 or Risk Type 3 permit must have at least one person certified as a food protection manager. To learn more about the ANAB-CFP Accreditation Program, click here.
Food Code
The
Anchorage Food Code was updated in December 2017. The Food Code establishes definitions; sets standards for management and personnel, food operations, and equipment and facilities; and provides for food establishment plan review, permit issuance, inspection, employee restriction, and permit suspension within the Municipality of Anchorage.
Click here to read more.
Language Support
The Anchorage School District states that 107 different languages are spoken in the school district. We recognize that many languages are spoken in food establishments, sometimes leading to communication challenges for inspectors and establishment operators. To help us communicate better, we developed a booklet called "Let Your Fingers Do The Talking." This booklet translates common phrases used during inspections into the most common languages spoken in food establishments: English, Spanish, Korean, and Chinese. Much more than a common translation book, this booklet allows for "live" translation during inspections. If you have suggestions for this booklet, please discuss them with your inspector or contact our customer service office at 907-343-4200.