Getting Your Food Handlers Card Online: What's Legit and What Isn't

Updated July 9, 2026

Yes, you can get a real food handlers card online — millions of food workers do it every year, and in most states it’s the normal way. But “online food handler course” is also a market full of look-alike sites selling certificates that health inspectors won’t accept. The difference comes down to two questions: does your state accept online training, and is this specific course on the approved list?

States where online courses are the standard route

In Texas, any course that’s ANSI/ANAB-accredited or licensed by DSHS counts, and dozens of online options are on the official registry. In most of California, the law requires providers to be ANAB-accredited, and typical online courses run $7–$15 (with at least one option capped at $15 by statute — and your employer pays since 2024). In Arizona, state law goes further: any county that requires a card must accept online, unproctored ANAB courses and can’t limit your test attempts.

For these states, an accredited online course is not a workaround — it’s exactly what the law asks for.

States where the “normal” online course won’t work

This is where workers waste money:

• Washington accepts only its own state-run course at foodworkercard.wa.gov ($10, offered in 13 languages). The Department of Health explicitly warns that other sites selling “Washington food worker cards” are not valid — even nationally accredited ones.
• Oregon accepts only providers approved by the Oregon Health Authority: the county-designated sites (orfoodhandlers.com for most counties, Multnomah County’s own site for Portland), efoodcard.com, and the Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association. Generic ANAB courses — including ServSafe Food Handler — are not accepted.
• San Diego, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties in California run their own programs. A standard California ANAB card is not valid there.
• Some county-run programs involve an in-person step: Yuma County, Arizona does walk-in testing at the health district office (though it accepts ANAB certificates as an alternative).

The pattern: states that run their own program keep the fee low ($10, sometimes fixed by law) but give you no choice of provider.

What ANAB accreditation actually is

ANAB — the ANSI National Accreditation Board — audits certificate programs against ASTM E2659, a standard covering how the course is built, how the exam works, and how certificates are issued. When Texas law says “accredited program” or California law says providers must be accredited, this is what they mean. You’ll see “ANSI-accredited” and “ANAB-accredited” used interchangeably; ANSI’s accreditation arm became ANAB.

What ANAB accreditation is not: a guarantee your state accepts the course. Oregon and Washington prove that — both reject ANAB handler courses in favor of their own programs.

How to verify a course in 60 seconds

1. Start from your state’s page on this site or your health department’s website — not from an ad.
2. If your state accepts accredited courses, confirm the provider appears on the official registry (Texas DSHS publishes one) or in ANAB’s public directory.
3. If your state runs its own program, use only the official site — check the URL carefully. Washington’s is foodworkercard.wa.gov; Oregon’s counties use orfoodhandlers.com or the Multnomah County site.
4. Be suspicious of government-style seals and words like “official state card” on commercial sites. Real training providers advertise their accreditation, not fake authority.

What you’ll actually do in an online course

Registration takes a minute (name and email). The training runs 60–120 minutes, self-paced, covering hygiene, cross-contamination, temperature control, cleaning, and allergens. You’ll pass a multiple-choice test (70–80% depending on the program, retakes included) and download your certificate immediately. Total cost in accredited-course states: usually $7–$15.

Ready to start? Find your state in the A–Z list — every guide names the exact courses your health department accepts, with links to the official source so you can verify it yourself.

Common questions