Section 3717.07. Uniform methodologies for calculating costs of licensing

(A) For purposes of establishing a licensing fee under sections 3717.25 and 3717.45 of the Revised Code, the director of agriculture and the director of health shall adopt rules establishing uniform methodologies for use in calculating the costs of licensing retail food establishments in the categories specified by the director of agriculture and the costs of licensing food service operations in the categories specified by the director of health. In adopting the rules, the director of agriculture and the director of health shall consider any recommendations received from advisory boards or other entities representing the interests of retail food establishments and food service operations.

(B) The rules shall include provisions that do all of the following:

(1) Provide for calculations to be made according to fiscal years rather than licensing periods;

(2) Limit the direct costs that may be attributed to the use of sanitarians by establishing appropriate statewide averages that may not be exceeded;

(3) Limit the indirect costs that may be included in the calculation of fees to an amount that does not exceed thirty per cent of the cost of the licensing program;

(4) Provide for a proportionate reduction in the fees to be charged if a licensor included anticipated costs in the immediately preceding calculation of licensing fees and the total amount of the anticipated costs was not incurred;

(5) Provide for a proportionate reduction in the fees to be charged if it is discovered through an audit by the auditor of state or through any other means that the licensor has charged or is charging a licensing fee that exceeds the amount that should have been charged;

(6) Provide for a twenty per cent reduction in the fees to be charged when the reduction is imposed as a penalty under division (C) of section 3717.071 of the Revised Code;

(7) With regard to any fees charged for licensing vending machine locations, the rules shall prohibit a licensor from increasing fees by a percentage of increase over the previous year's fee that exceeds the percentage of increase in the consumer price index for all urban consumers (United States city average, all items), prepared by the United States department of labor, bureau of labor statistics, for the immediately preceding calendar year.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.127, HB 487, §101.01, eff. 9/10/2012.

Amended by 128th General AssemblyFile No.9, HB 1, §101.01, eff. 10/16/2009.

Effective Date: 11-21-2001