Hello Food Service Establishment Operators,

Invoices are going out now for those of you whose annual permit expires on 12/31. The Health District understands that food service establishments may still be experiencing financial hardships due to the restrictions in place for COVID-19. We want to be sensitive to those hardships, and we want to remind you that the Board of Health allows for a 90 day grace period before a late fee will be applied for those facilities who are unable to pay on time.

Your permit due date will not change because of this 90 day grace period. If your full permit fee, plus late fee, has not been paid by 4/1/22, enforcement actions will proceed and a Health Officer’s Order of closure will be served.

If your establishment is currently temporarily closed due to COVID-19, please call our office at 425-339-5250 or email foodsafety@snohd.org to let us know. We will place your account on temporary hold and your annual permit will not be due until such time as you seek to reopen. A annual permit must be obtained prior to any facility reopening.

We’d also like to take this opportunity to inform all of you that changes to the Washington State Food Code will take effect in March of 2022. There are several new changes to the code, but there are three significant ones we’d like you all to be immediately aware of. First, establishments must have written procedures for employees to follow when responding to events that involve the discharge of vomit or fecal matter onto surfaces in the food establishment. Second, new information regarding employee health must be communicated to all employees and documented by the establishment. Third, select refrigerated, ready-to-eat, perishable foods that are prepared in-house or in open packages will need to be marked and used within 7 days. More information will be coming from the Health District on each of these new requirements soon, so please watch for communications. In the meanwhile, the full text of the updated food code can be accessed here: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/4400/FoodCodeRuleRevision-WAC246215-EffectiveMarch12022.pdf.

Thank you for your attention to these matters, and thank you for feeding the residents of Snohomish County!

-Snohomish Health District Food Program


Snohomish Health District
3020 Rucker Ave., Everett, Washington
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