• Licensing Information, click here
• Environmental Health Specialists inspect restaurants, public and private schools, taverns, bakeries, grocery stores, vending machines, and temporary food stands.
• Staff also perform food-borne illness investigations.
• All restaurants and nearly all retail food establishments must obtain a license before opening for business in the City and County of Eau Claire.
  • Contact an Environmental Health Specialist at 715-839-4718 for information about plan review requirements and to obtain a license application form.
• Temporary Foodservice Licenses are required when food is served to the public at special events and occasional sales promotions. The cost of this license may vary according to the type of food service, duration or location of the event, and type of organization holding the event.
  • An application for this license is required.
  • The application can be brought to the Health Department. Please call 839-4718 for an appointment before coming in.

The Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act of 1998 requires annual mandatory health inspections of all school food service facilities participating in the National School Lunch and/or Breakfast Programs. This federal law requires a state or local governmental agency responsible for food safety to conduct the inspections annually through Section III of the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, Congress decided that beginning July 1, 2005, each school participating in the National School Lunch or Breakfast Programs must obtain at least two safety inspections each school year. In addition, schools must post, in a publicly visible location, a report on the most recent food safety inspection and provide a copy of the food safety inspection report to the public upon request.

Schools participating in the National School Lunch or Breakfast Programs are required to comply with a HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) system established by the Secretary of Agriculture. Several HACCP training sessions have been offered jointly through DHFS and DPI throughout the state. The majority of the school districts have developed or are in the process of developing their HACCP programs. Additional staff time was spent advising school staff in HACCP implementation.

Inspections are conducted at public and private elementary, middle and high schools in Eau Claire County. All public and private schools that participate in the National School Lunch and/or Breakfast programs are inspected twice a year, and non-participants are inspected annually. The entire facility is evaluated for general safety and maintenance, and inspections are usually performed near lunchtime to evaluate food handling techniques and kitchen sanitation in the same inspection. Private wells and septic systems are also inspected for rural schools. Violations are noted on the inspection sheets and copies are sent to the school administration for each school building. Consultation takes place at the time of the inspection to insure that potentially hazardous conditions are understood and corrected.

Additional Information

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• Department of Public Instruction (DPI) Website
• DPI Food Safety Website
• DPI Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) booklet