|
|
Thinking of opening a restaurant or
food service in the state of Alaska? Below are the steps you need to
follow.
CONTACT
THE APPROPRIATE REGULATORY AGENCY
The entire state of Alaska, with the exception of the
Municipality of Anchorage, is under the jurisdiction of the Alaska
Department of Environmental Conservation/ Environmental
Health/Environmental Sanitation and Food Safety Program.
- If your proposed restaurant is to be
located in the state of Alaska and outside of the Municipality of
Anchorage, contact the Environmental
Health Office assigned to the area in which the restaurant will be
established.
- If your proposed restaurant is to be
located within the Municipality of Anchorage, you may find information
at the Municipality
of Anchorage Environmental Sanitation Program web site, or contact
them by phone at (907) 343-6509 for further information.
SUBMIT
PLANS FOR REVIEW
- Plans and specifications need to be
submitted to the department before construction or operation if:
 Construction
of an establishment is proposed;
Conversion of an existing structure is
proposed for use as an establishment;
Significant changes to the types of food,
methods of food preparation, or style of service are proposed; or
Extensive remodeling of an existing
establishment is proposed.
- Plans and specifications need to
include:
A plot plan
of the entire premises showing the location of appropriate
buildings, refuse storage equipment and site, approved water supply,
approved waste disposal system, and access for deliveries;
A detailed, to-scale drawing of the
facility showing the type, model, and location of equipment and
plumbing fixtures;
Construction and design specifications
for equipment;
A finish schedule for floors, walls, and
ceilings;
A plumbing schematic that depicts hot and
cold lines, waste lines, floor drains, and grease traps;
Types and locations of lighting and
ventilation;
A description of food items, projected
volume, methods of food preparation, and style of service;
Seating capacity; and
A description of equipment used by
caterers to maintain temperatures during transportation, display and
service.
APPLY
FOR A PERMIT
Forms
you may need
A permit application must:
- Identify each type of operation within
an establishment;
- Be accompanied by the applicable
permit fee for each type of operation, as required by 18 AAC 31.050;
- Include a Hazard Analysis Critical
Control Point (HACCP) plan, if required under 18 AAC 31.710; and
- Must include a statement that required
plans have been submitted for department review and approval, if
applicable, for
a) The drinking water supply and
treatment under 18 AAC 80;
b) The wastewater disposal system under 18 AAC 72; and
c) Solid waste disposal under 18 AAC 60.
The department will review the submitted
plans and the permit application within 30 days. If all items are in
compliance, an opening inspection will be conducted. If all items are not
in compliance, the department will send a letter outlining further action
needed. If an opening inspection is not feasible, compliance will be
confirmed during the next routine inspection.
BASIC
REQUIREMENTS FOR A FOOD SERVICE
- Water/Sewage/Solidwaste:
Water must
be potable, and must be from an approved source.
There must be an adequate and potable
running water supply with hot and cold running water to all sinks.
There must be properly designed and
approved sewage and solid waste disposal.
There must be easily cleanable, covered
containers for trash disposal located inside and outside.
There must be an adequate number of
containers provided to hold garbage and refuse between pickup
service.
- Plumbing:
There
should be no cross connections between potable and nonpotable water
supplies.
A nonpotable water system may only be
used for fire protection or air conditioning. Pipes carrying
nonpotable water must be clearly labeled.
The potable water system must have
devices to prevent backflow and back-siphonage at fixtures and
equipment unless a permanent air gap at least twice the diameter of
the water-supply inlet separates the water-supply inlet and the
equipment or fixture's flood rim.
Grease traps must be accessible for
cleaning.
Dishwashing machines, refrigerators,
steam kettles, potato peelers, or ice-storage bins may not be
connected directly to the sewage system. When a dishwashing machine
is located next to a floor drain, the waste outlet from the machine
may be connected directly on the inlet side of the floor drain trap.
Equipment drain lines cannot discharge
wastewater directly on a floor.
- Sinks:
There must
be a three-compartment sink with attached, self-draining drainboards
with hot and cold water under pressure to all three sinks.
There must be a handwashing sink in the
food preparation area to be used exclusively for handwashing.
There must be a utility sink located
outside of the immediate food preparation area.
A food preparation sink is required if
the proposed menu or method of food preparation requires routine
soaking, rinsing, culling, or cleaning of raw ingredients or
produce.
An automatic dishwashing machine is not
required but may be used as long as it is a commercial-style
dishwasher which automatically cleans and sanitizes equipment and
utensils.
- Toilet Facilities:
If seating
for patrons is provided, then separate facilities are needed for
each sex.
Employees and patrons may use the same
toilet facilities, if patrons can do so without entering the food
preparation, food storage, dishwashing, or utensil storage areas.
Restrooms must be mechanically vented to
the outside.
Restroom doors must be installed with a
self-closing device.
- Lighting:
There must
be at least 50 footcandles of light measured 30 inches from the
floor on food preparation surfaces and equipment-washing or
utensil-washing work areas.
There must be at least 20 footcandles of
light, measured 30 inches from the floor or other areas. Dining
areas must meet this standard only during cleaning operations.
There must be protective shielding for
lighting located over or within food preparation, service, display
areas, and over or within the dishwashing area.
- Floors/ Walls/ Ceiling:
There must
be smooth and easily cleanable (washable, free of cracks and seams)
walls, ceiling, and floors. Acoustical tile which is not washable is
not acceptable for ceiling in food preparation areas or in
bathrooms.
There must be coved molding between floor
and wall junctions.
- Ventilation:
All rooms
must be ventilated to keep them free of excessive heat, steam,
condensation, vapors, obnoxious odors, smoke, and fumes.
Equipment which produces grease vapors
must be vented through a hood and a grease-collection system.
- Miscellaneous:
All work
surfaces must be free of cracks and difficult-to-clean areas.
There must be a clothes closet, locker,
or dressing room for storage of coats, purses, shoes, and other
employee belongings.
For more detailed information, look at
the Alaska Food
Code. 
Environmental
Health Offices
|