Section 3717.11 - Board of health surveys(A) Each board of health shall be surveyed for the purpose of determining whether the board is qualified and has the capacity to administer and enforce this chapter and the rules adopted under it and to abide by the Ohio uniform food safety code. If the board licenses or proposes to license retail food establishments, the survey shall be conducted by the director of agriculture. If the board licenses or proposes to license food service operations, the survey shall be conducted by the director of health. Each board shall be surveyed by each director at least once every three years. Surveys shall be conducted in accordance with rules adopted under sections 3717.33 and 3717.52 of the Revised Code, as applicable. The directors shall schedule and conduct their surveys in a manner that minimizes, to the extent practicable, intrusion on and inconvenience to the board.
If a survey demonstrates that the board is qualified and has the requisite capacity, the director conducting the survey shall approve the board as the licensor of retail food establishments or food service operations, whichever is being considered, for the district the board serves. If a survey demonstrates that a board is not qualified or does not have the requisite capacity, the director conducting the survey shall not approve the board as a licensor, or shall revoke the director's approval, whichever is appropriate. The board may appeal the decision to deny or revoke approval to the director taking the action. The appeal shall be conducted in accordance with rules adopted under section 3717.33 or 3717.52 of the Revised Code, as applicable.
If approval is denied or revoked, the director taking the action shall designate an alternative licensor for the health district served by the board. The alternative licensor shall be a board of health that is qualified and has the requisite capacity to serve as alternative licensor, except that if a qualified and capable board is not available from a health district within reasonable proximity, the director that denied or revoked the board's approval shall act as the alternative licensor.
(B) When the approval of a board is revoked, all valid licenses issued by that board for retail food establishments or food service operations, whichever have been affected, shall be treated as though issued by the alternative licensor. The licenses shall remain valid until scheduled to expire unless earlier suspended or revoked by the alternative licensor.(C) All fees charged under section 3717.25 or 3717.45 of the Revised Code that have not been expended by a board that has had its approval revoked shall be transferred to the alternative licensor. A board of health acting as alternative licensor shall deposit the fees into a special fund it establishes for receipt of funds pertaining to the district for which it is acting as licensor. If the director of agriculture is acting as licensor, the director shall deposit the fees in the food safety fund created in section 915.24 of the Revised Code. If the director of health is acting as licensor, the director shall deposit the fees in the general operations fund created in section 3701.83 of the Revised Code. All subsequent fees charged in the district by the alternative licensor shall be deposited in the same manner. Moneys deposited under this division shall be used solely for the administration and enforcement of this chapter and the rules adopted under it in the district for which the alternative licensor is acting as licensor.(D)(1) A board that has had its approval to act as a licensor revoked may submit a request to the director who revoked the approval to be reinstated as a licensor. The request shall be in writing and shall specify the corrective measures the board has taken and a proposed plan of action to remedy any remaining causes of the revocation. The director may reinstate the board as a licensor if all of the following occur: (a) The board pays or arranges to pay the alternative licensor or director, as applicable, for costs incurred in acting as licensor for the district and in transferring responsibility for the district to the board, if those costs exceed the moneys available under division (C) of this section for the district;(b) The board corrects all causes of the revocation;(c) The alternative licensor consents to the reinstatement.(2) The reinstatement of a board as a licensor shall be conducted in accordance with procedures established in rules adopted under this chapter by the director who revoked the approval.Effective Date: 11/21/2001.