North Andover Board of Health Approves New Food Code Rules and First-Ever Permit Late Fees

NORTH ANDOVER -- January 22, 2026, North Andover Board of Health adopts revised food regulations and a new permit late-fee structure at its January 22 meeting. The board unanimously approved an overhaul of the town's food regulations aligning them with the FDA's 2022 Food Code, replacing a flat two-inspections-per-year standard with a four-category risk-based schedule ranging from one annual inspection for low-risk convenience stores to four per year for nursing homes and schools. New requirements include an on-site certified food-protection manager at higher-tier establishments, expanded choking-response certification to any seated Category 2-and-above venue, and allergen-awareness training at all applicable tiers. The 2026 fee schedule, also approved unanimously, introduces the department's first late-fee mechanism: a doubled permit fee on the day of expiration, followed by a $25-per-day surcharge beginning one week later, intended, the Health Director said, as "not a budget additive at all" but a tool to stop months-long permit-renewal delays. The board also received a first draft of a proposed town-wide curbside trash-collection regulation, driven by rising rodent complaints and businesses placing loose bags on sidewalks, that would require covered receptacles for all properties and dumpsters for buildings with five or more residential units; no vote was taken and further revisions are planned.