Health inspectors focus on the factors most likely to make people sick: food temperature, employee hygiene, cross-contamination, pest activity, and sanitation of surfaces that touch food. Most inspections follow a standardized checklist based on the FDA Food Code, which serves as the model for state and local food safety rules across the country. Every item on that checklist ties back to one question: could this practice cause a foodborne illness?
Food Temperature Controls
Temperature is the single biggest area of focus. The “danger zone” for bacterial growth falls between 41°F and 135°F. Food sitting in that range gives pathogens ideal conditions to multiply, so inspectors check cold-holding units, hot-holding stations, and cooling procedures throughout the kitchen.
Cold foods need to be stored at 41°F or below. Hot foods must be held at 135°F or above. Inspectors carry calibrated probe thermometers and will check the internal temperature of items on buffet lines, in steam tables, and inside walk-in coolers. A container of soup cooling on a prep counter or a tray of chicken sitting at room temperature will get flagged immediately.
Cooling cooked food is where many restaurants stumble. The FDA Food Code requires a two-step process: cooked food must drop from 135°F to 70°F within two hours, then from 70°F down to 41°F or below within the next four hours. That six-hour total window is strict. If a large pot of chili is just sitting in the walk-in without being broken into smaller containers or placed in an ice bath, an inspector will note it as a critical violation.
Employee Hygiene and Handwashing
Inspectors watch what staff do with their hands. Touching raw poultry and then handling lettuce, skipping a handwash after using the restroom, or using bare hands on ready-to-eat food like sandwich bread or salad greens are all high-priority violations. Ready-to-eat food must be handled with gloves, tongs, or other utensils.
Hand sinks get their own scrutiny. They need to be accessible, stocked with soap and paper towels, and supplied with hot water of at least 85°F. A hand sink blocked by a garbage can or used for rinsing produce is a problem. Inspectors also look for posted signage reminding employees to wash their hands, though a missing sign is considered a lower-level violation compared to actually failing to wash.
Cross-Contamination Prevention
The way food is stored in coolers tells an inspector a lot about a kitchen’s habits. Raw proteins must be stored below ready-to-eat foods, and the proteins themselves follow a specific vertical order based on the temperature needed to cook them safely. From top to bottom, the hierarchy is:
- Top shelves: Ready-to-eat items, cooked food, and produce
- Middle shelves: Fish and eggs (cooked to 145°F), then whole cuts of beef and pork (also 145°F), then ground meat (155°F)
- Bottom shelf: Poultry, including chicken, turkey, and duck (165°F)
The logic is simple: raw chicken requires the highest cooking temperature and poses the greatest contamination risk, so it goes on the bottom where it can’t drip onto anything else. An inspector opening a reach-in cooler and finding raw chicken stored above a container of sliced tomatoes will write a critical violation.
Cutting boards and prep surfaces matter too. Using the same board for raw meat and then for vegetables without sanitizing it between uses is one of the most commonly cited critical issues.
Sanitization of Food-Contact Surfaces
Every surface that touches food, from cutting boards and knives to the interior of a slicer, needs to be cleaned and sanitized. Inspectors check that the establishment uses an approved sanitizing solution at the correct concentration. The two most common options are chlorine bleach at 50 to 100 parts per million and quaternary ammonium at 200 ppm (or per the manufacturer’s label). Test strips should be on hand so staff can verify the concentration, and inspectors will ask to see them.
Three-compartment sinks get a close look. The wash-rinse-sanitize sequence needs to be followed correctly, with the sanitizer at the right strength and contact time. Dishwashers, whether chemical or high-temperature, are checked for proper function. Inspectors also verify that toxic chemicals like cleaners and pesticides are stored away from food, utensils, and food-contact surfaces. Storing a bottle of degreaser on the same shelf as cooking oil is a critical violation.
Pest Activity
Inspectors look for physical evidence of pests, not just live ones. Cockroach droppings, rodent droppings or urine stains, egg casings, and fly activity all signal an infestation. They’ll check behind equipment, under sinks, near garbage areas, and along walls.
Prevention matters as much as evidence. Any holes for piping or other equipment should be sealed. Cracks in walls or flooring that could serve as entry points get noted. Exterior doors should be self-closing and kept shut. A severe pest infestation is one of the violations that can result in an immediate closure, because the risk to public health is considered too urgent to allow continued operation.
Facility Condition and Equipment
The physical condition of the building reflects how seriously management takes food safety. Inspectors check that floors, walls, and ceilings are clean and in good repair. Ventilation systems need to be properly installed and functioning to remove grease, steam, and odors. Lighting must be adequate in prep areas and inside walk-in units, and light fixtures above food areas typically need shatter-resistant covers.
Plumbing is another checkpoint. There should be no backflow risk between the sewage system and the water supply. A sewage backup is treated as an emergency and can shut a restaurant down on the spot. Restrooms need to be clean, stocked, and have self-closing doors.
Record Keeping and Documentation
Inspectors don’t just look at the kitchen. They may ask for paperwork. Temperature logs showing that coolers and hot-holding equipment are monitored regularly demonstrate a culture of food safety. If the restaurant serves shellfish like oysters, clams, or mussels, it must maintain identification tags, labels, or invoices for every batch. These records need to include the dealer’s name and certification number, the harvest location, the harvest date, the type and quantity, and a sell-by date. The establishment must also record the date when the last shellfish from a container is sold or served. All of these records must be kept for at least 90 days so that regulators can trace the source quickly during an outbreak.
Employee health policies can also come up. Many jurisdictions require written agreements from food workers confirming they’ll report certain illnesses, like norovirus or hepatitis A, to management before working a shift.
How Violations Are Weighted
Not all violations carry equal weight. Inspections use a point system where issues more likely to cause foodborne illness receive higher penalty values. Critical violations include storing food at unsafe temperatures, bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food, failure to wash hands after handling raw meat, and chemical storage near food. These directly threaten customer safety and can significantly lower a restaurant’s score.
Non-critical violations still count but carry fewer points. Examples include a missing handwashing sign, an inaccurate thermometer inside a refrigerator, or improperly thawing food. They reflect lapses in best practices rather than immediate danger, though repeated non-critical violations suggest deeper operational problems.
When inspectors find egregious conditions, like a major pest infestation or active sewage backup, they have the authority to close the establishment immediately. In less severe cases, the restaurant receives its score and a timeline for correcting violations, often with a follow-up inspection scheduled to confirm the fixes are in place.
Recent Changes to Watch For
The 2022 FDA Food Code introduced several updates that may affect what inspectors check. Sesame is now recognized as the ninth major food allergen, effective January 2023, so restaurants need to disclose it alongside the other eight. Pet dogs are now permitted in outdoor dining areas where local authorities approve it. The code also added provisions encouraging food donation by restaurants, clarifying when unsold food can safely be offered to food banks rather than discarded. And the minimum hot water temperature required at hand sinks dropped from 100°F to 85°F, a practical change that makes compliance easier without compromising hand hygiene.