Foodborne Illness Reporting
If you think you got sick from eating at a food establishment in Larimer County, please complete the Ilness Complaint Form below. Keep in mind it may take hours or days before you develop symptoms so the source of your illness may NOT be the last place that you ate. Make sure the provided contact information is accurate so we can contact you to verify the submitted information.
Illness Complaint Form
Restaurant Complaint Reporting
If you have concerns about a restaurant, please complete the Restaurant Complaint form below.
Restaurant Complaint Form
If interested in starting a food business in Larimer County
You will need to submit a plan review application, a set of plans with outlined specifications and $100 application fee to the health department. Plans and specifications must be reviewed and approved before any construction is started. A plan review is needed to insure the establishment will be constructed to meet the current food safety regulations and to help prevent costly construction changes.
Getting a license to operate a restaurant or a grocery store
Contact the health department to obtain a license application. When your facility receives approval from the health department to operate, the license application will be approved and the license will be mailed to the establishment. Licenses must be renewed in January of each year, and are valid through December 31 of the licensing year. They are not transferable from one operator to another or from one location to another.
Restaurant and Retail Markets
Submit your license and plan review application here. NOTE: Users will be directed to create an account or log in.
Guide to Starting a Food Business (English) (Spanish)
The Health Department staff is there to help you from the beginning. Since compliance with all applicable regulations is necessary, it is much more cost effective for you to clearly understand what must be done and to do it right the first time.
Plan Review Application
Colorado Revised Statutes require plans and specifications be submitted to the Health Department for review and approved prior to starting construction or remodeling of any restaurant, grocery store, concession stand or any other type food service operation
Change of Ownership
Retail food licenses are tied to the current owner and location, so they cannot be transferred. If you’re buying or have bought an existing food business and don’t plan to change the building, menu, or equipment, you might not need a full plan review.
Submit your change of ownership application here. NOTE: Users will be directed to create an account or log in.
Mobile Units and Push Carts
Mobile retail food establishments include food trucks, trailers, carts and mobile food vending operations that sell prepackaged foods requiring temperature control for food safety. Mobile units are intended to be just that, mobile and move from one operating site to another. They have a limited operating capacity compared to typical “brick and mortar” establishments that are plumbed to water and sewer systems, wired to the electrical grid, and can support more foodservice equipment, such as refrigeration. In addition, mobile units may not have the capability to operate in cold or hot weather conditions that can impact plumbing and refrigeration equipment.
Because of this limited capacity, a mobile unit’s menu needs to be relatively simple. Restricted to cook/heat and serve and simple assembly. Due to the described limitations, mobile units are expected to operate from a commissary or base kitchen for advanced food preparation, servicing, restocking, and maintenance each day they operate.
Food trucks and trailers where the service of food is from the interior of the unit are called mobile units. Units that are designed so food is served from the exterior of the unit are considered to be a cart. Mobile food vending operations that sell prepackaged foods requiring temperature control for food safety, such as packaged frozen meats from a cooler or freezer, or packaged burritos from a hot holding cabinet, are considered prepackage mobile units. Booth setups that may include cooking at a grill and the service of food from a table, under a tent that often operate at a festival or temporary event are not considered to be mobile retail food establishments.
Submit your mobile plan review application here. NOTE: Users will be directed to create an account or log in.
Requirements
Mobile Plan Review
The following procedures and guidelines will apply for all retail food operations held at temporary special events in Larimer County. Special events or temporary events are single organized community events or celebrations that operate for a period of not more than 14 consecutive days. They may include community farmers’ markets, town celebrations, fairs, and festivals. Temporary special events do not include regularly scheduled events at venues such as sporting arenas, concert settings, flea markets, or sporadic promotional events such as grand openings or events serviced by licensed caterers.
Applications and Resources
Procedures and Guidelines
- Vendors must hold a current Retail Food Establishment License issued by Larimer County
Department of Health and Environment. Licensed mobile food trucks/trailers or carts that hold
a valid Colorado Retail Food Establishment License are approved provided they operate under the
original conditions of approval. Non-profit organizations based in Larimer County are exempt from
licensing requirements. - A Vendor Application for Temporary Food Events must be completed by prospective food
vendors. Vendors wanting to operate multiple booths or points of sale must complete an
application for each. - Vendors operating at events that are more than 1 day in duration must operate from an
approved commissary that is within 60 minutes or 60 miles of the event. Vendors must
provide a written commissary agreement with their vendor application. - Preparation of food at the event site is to be limited to the service of pre-prepared foods,
simple assembly of prepared foods or cook and serve only. Advanced, multi step food
preparation that includes cooking and cooling or complex assembly, must be conducted in a
commissary kitchen. Service of food prepared, cooked or stored at home is prohibited. - To allow workers to wash their hands, a hand washing station must be provided within the
food booth. Use of hand sanitizers is not a replacement for required hand washing. - The following supplies are required: food probe thermometer, food handlers gloves, sanitizer,
sanitizer test strips, trash bins, means to protect food and clean equipment from the elements. - All liquid waste from cooking processes, hand washing, and sanitizer buckets must be
collected and disposed of in a sanitary sewer. - Vendors with full service operations that conduct cooking, reheating unpackaged foods, or
assemble orders must hold a current food safety managers certification. A copy of the
certification must be on site.
If you have any questions concerning these requirements, please contact the health department at 970-498-6776.
Food Safety, Preparation and Preservation
The common goal of food establishment operators and regulators is to assure safe food is provided to consumers. The implementation of an Active Managerial Control (AMC) program can help achieve this goal. AMC is a proactive approach to control foodborne illness risk factors and to minimize the occurrence of food safety violations.
Regulatory inspections emphasize the recognition and correction of violations that exist at the time of inspection. Recurring violations have traditionally been handled through re-inspections, assessment of fines or other enforcement actions. Operators of food service establishments routinely respond to inspection findings by correcting violations, but often do not implement proactive systems to prevent them from recurring. While this type of inspection and enforcement system has done a great deal to improve basic sanitation and to upgrade facilities, it emphasizes reactive rather than preventive measures to food safety.
Using AMC concepts, establishments can develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to address food safety issues. Once the SOPs are developed, staff can be trained on how to follow these procedures. A proactive approach to food safety can be made to monitor food temperatures, reheating techniques, cooling procedures, address employee illnesses, hand washing and glove use, as well as schedules for cleaning. Using AMC can lead to an empowered staff that can take an active role in the overall operation of the establishment and is able to handle food safety issues when they arise.
Please complete the AMC assessment to identify strengths and weaknesses in your food safety program.
Food Establishment Logs
Policies
Enforcement
Signs
Other Website Resources
ALLOWED: SERVICE ANIMALS
A service animal is a dog or miniature horse that is individually trained to perform a task or service for a person with a disability. Employees may ask a customer: 1) "Is the animal required because of a disability?" and 2) "What task does it perform?" If any animal, even a service animal, is out of control of the owner or not housebroken, that animal can be asked to leave the business. However, the business owner must make it's services or goods available to the person with a disability.
NOT ALLOWED: Pets, assistance, companion, and emotional support animals.
In section 25-4-1615 of Colorado Revised Statutes, pet dogs are allowed to be on outdoor patio areas of food establishments, at the establishment's discretion. This means that some restaurants may allow dogs on patios and others may not. There are requirements to ensure safety and sanitation if a restaurant decides to allow pet dogs on outdoor patios.
Location: Pet dogs may only be in outdoor/patio/dining areas.
Entrance: There must be a separate entrance to allow easy access for pet dogs that do not allow the pet dogs to pass through the indoor seating area or allow access to the food production area.
Leash: Pet dogs must always be on a lease or in a pet carrier. Pet dogs must always be under control of the owner.
Furniture and Seating: Pet dogs are not allowed on benches, chairs, tables, bars or any other furniture.
Food Preparation: The outdoor dining area must not be used for food preparation. Filling drink glasses from a pitcher is allowed.
Dog Waste: Pet dog-friendly patios must be free of dog waste at all times. The establishment must provide dog waste bags and a separate waste receptacle for dog waste to go into. Dog waste receptacles must be discarded at least once a day. Staff must monitor the areas to ensure cleanliness and areas free of waste.
Staff and Dogs: Staff are not allowed to feed, pet, or hold dogs.
Signs: Clear signage must be posted for the following: separate entrance, dogs must remain on leash, dogs are not allowed on furniture, and for owners of pet gods to clean dog waste with provided cleaning supplies.
Glassware and Dishware: Pet dogs are not allowed to eat, lick, or drink off dishes or glassware.
