3701-21-26(B) Appeal procedures

In the case of a proposal to deny, suspend, or revoke a food service operation license, the licensor will provide the license holder with written notice of the proposed action and the cause for the action. The notice is to describe the procedure for appealing the proposed denial, suspension, or revocation.

(1)

The licensor will provide written notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, or by hand delivery. If the notice is returned because of failure of delivery, the licensor is to send the notice by regular mail to the food service operation location listed on the license or conspicuously post the notice at an entrance of the operation, and posting or mailing constitutes notice.

(2)

After receiving the notice, to obtain a hearing, the license holder will submit a written request that the licensor receives within fifteen days.

(3)

The licensor will schedule a hearing before the licensor or a hearing officer designated by the licensor. If the licensor provides a hearing officer, he or she will be licensed to practice law in Ohio and cannot have participated in any manner in the decision to take the action against the license holder.

(4)

The licensor will mail or hand-deliver notice of the date, time, and place of the hearing to the license holder no less than ten days before the scheduled date.

(5)

At the hearing, the license holder will be provided an opportunity to present its case orally or in writing and to confront and cross-examine witnesses. The license holder may be represented by legal counsel and may review the case record before the hearing. If the licensor is a board of health of a city or general health district or the authority having the duties of the board of health under section 3709.05 of the Revised Code, and a hearing officer has been designated, a member of that board does not have to be present at the hearing.

(6)

If the hearing is before a hearing officer, he or she will prepare a written recommendation as to the validity of the licensor's action, which will rest solely on the evidence presented at the hearing and the statutory and regulatory provisions governing the licensor's action. The hearing officer will describe the basis for his or her recommendation, but need not prepare a full opinion or formal findings of fact and conclusions of law. The hearing officer will mail by certified mail, return receipt requested, or hand-deliver the recommendation to the licensor and the license holder. Either party may file objections to the recommendation provided that the objections are received by the licensor within five days of receiving a copy of the recommendation from the hearing officer.

(7)

After reviewing any timely objections, the licensor may by motion take additional evidence or approve, modify, or disapprove the hearing officer's recommendation and will enter an order in the record of its proceedings.

(8)

If the licensor does not receive a timely request for a hearing, the licensor may immediately enter an order as proposed in the notice.