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.