Health Inspection Checklist, 12 Important Areas to be Monitored
A health inspection checklist for restaurants covering the 12 areas inspectors check most, from food storage and temperatures to pest control and training.
Key takeaways
- Keep cold food at 41°F or below and hot food at 135°F or above, the holding limits in the FDA Food Code.
- Store food at least 6 inches off the floor, labeled with its name and date, and throw out expired or leaking cans.
- Walk through the same checklist every day, so a surprise inspection finds nothing you haven't already fixed.
- Grading differs by city, and in New York City 0 to 13 points earns an A, 14 to 27 a B, and 28 or more a C.
On this page
A health inspection checklist covers the 12 areas inspectors look at most: food storage, food safety, food handling, storage temperatures, sanitation, employee hygiene, ventilation, garbage disposal, pest control, food contamination, toilets and sinks, and staff training. Walk through it every day, and a surprise visit from the health inspector becomes routine instead of a scramble.
Imagine a health inspector walking into your restaurant unannounced while the dining room is dusty and the kitchen is nowhere near well-maintained. That’s a nightmare for managers and staff alike.
A daily health inspection checklist makes sure you never have to face that day. Below, you’ll find what inspectors check, how to prepare, and all 12 areas with what to look for in each.
What is Health Inspection?
Health inspections are regular evaluations by your local health department to make sure shops, markets, restaurants and food plants meet the basic safety requirements set by local and national laws. Inspectors assess food, staff and equipment for anything that could make customers sick.
Many health departments inspect restaurants one to three times a year, often more for higher-risk kitchens, and most visits are unannounced. Check your local health department for the schedule that applies to you.
What is a Health Inspection Checklist?
A health inspection checklist is a form, on paper or in an app, used to check that a food business meets safety rules. Health inspectors use their own version to grade an inspection by the number and severity of the violations they find. You use yours to find and fix those same problems first.
Who is a Health Inspector?
A health inspector is a public health professional who visits restaurants and other food service businesses to check health and sanitation standards. They check whether managers and staff are following food safety rules, and they record any violations they find.
How to prepare for a Health Inspection?
To do well in an inspection, prepare in every area, not just the kitchen.
- Learn the most common restaurant health code violations so you know what inspectors look for first.
- Do daily maintenance and cleaning, so the restaurant is always inspection-ready.
- Train staff to take sanitation and food safety seriously.
- Follow your HACCP plan to identify and control contamination risks.
- Create a digital checklist and do daily self-inspections. Digital checklists can improve your restaurant in other ways too, from accountability to training.
- Build those self-inspections into a regular health and safety audit program, so problems are tracked until they’re fixed.
Health Inspection Checklist
Not confident about a surprise health inspection that could happen any day?
These 12 points will help you ace your restaurant health inspection. To get through an inspection without health code violations, work through each area below and fix anything that falls short.
1. Store food in a proper way
Store food and food supplies at least 6 inches above the floor. Label all food with its name and delivery date. Don’t keep expired or leaking canned food in storage. Clean storage surfaces and floors regularly.
2. Food safety
Food is not adulterated or spoiled, and it is protected from dust, dirt and other contamination. Food stored in containers is tightly sealed, and all food containers are food-safe, non-toxic and have proper lids. See the 4 basic food safety principles for more tips.
3. Food handling
Keep cold food at 41°F or below and hot food at 135°F or above, the holding limits in the FDA Food Code. Food shouldn’t sit between those temperatures for more than four hours in total. A new edition of the Food Code came out in September 2026; our summary of the 2026 FDA Food Code changes explains what it adds and when it applies to you.
Prevent bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food by using clean gloves or utensils, and handle utensils so your hands don’t touch the parts that touch food.
4. Maintain storage temperatures
The thermometer in each unit is visible and accurate, and refrigerators hold food at 41°F or below. Food is kept out of the temperature danger zone, and stock is rotated first in, first out (FIFO).
Record readings in a digital temperature log, so you can show the inspector when each unit was checked and by whom. These are the main temperatures inspectors check against the FDA Food Code:
| What | FDA Food Code standard |
|---|---|
| Cold holding | 41°F (5°C) or below |
| Hot holding | 135°F (57°C) or above |
| Cooling cooked food | From 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours, then to 41°F within the next 4 hours |
| Reheating for hot holding | To 165°F for 15 seconds, within 2 hours |
| Hot-water dish machine final rinse | At least 180°F (165°F for stationary-rack, single-temperature machines) |
5. Sanitation
Clean equipment and utensils after every use. Water is hot enough for sanitizing, and a hot-water dish machine’s final rinse reaches the temperature in the table above.
Use tested chemicals and cleaning supplies to clean surfaces often, and store them in a separate area away from food.
6. Enforce employee hygiene
Employees are properly dressed, with hair restraints and gloves where needed. Hands are washed thoroughly for at least 20 seconds, following a step-by-step hand washing guide. Employees who are coughing, sneezing or sick use masks and disposable tissues, or stay home.
7. Proper ventilation
Install proper ventilation to remove odors and irritants from the air. Clean the ventilation system regularly to remove the dust, grease and kitchen particles that build up over time.
For kitchen hoods and exhaust systems, NFPA 96 sets inspection intervals by cooking volume: monthly for solid-fuel cooking, quarterly for high-volume cooking, semiannually for moderate volume and annually for low volume.
8. Garbage disposal
Empty garbage and recycling bins before they’re full. Remove waste from food handling areas often, and keep bins covered and clean so they don’t attract pests or grow mold.
9. Strict pest control
Air curtains or screens on doors and windows help keep pests out. Doors are self-closing and shut tightly. Work with a licensed pest control operator who uses approved pesticides.
No evidence of pests, such as droppings, gnaw marks or live insects, should be found.
10. Food contamination
Watch for sources of contamination. Store raw and cooked food separately, and don’t share cooking equipment between them without cleaning it. Clean and sanitize food prep surfaces properly. Check the plumbing in refrigerated equipment for leaks.
11. Toilets and sinks
Toilets and sinks work properly. Employees have their own handwashing sink, and toilet facilities are clean and stocked with soap, paper towels and toilet paper. Ventilation filters are clean and well-maintained.
12. Staff training
Because health inspections are usually unannounced, your team needs to be ready every day. Train employees on proper procedures, sanitation and food handling, and prepare them for questions a health inspector might ask.
Download Health Inspection Checklist
What to do during a Health Inspection?
- Ask the inspector if the inspection is routine or caused by a customer complaint.
- Go with the inspector throughout the inspection.
- Have your permits, recent inspection reports, temperature logs and pest control records ready.
- Take notes, and ask questions about any violation you don’t understand.
- Fix what you can on the spot, and ask when a follow-up inspection will happen.
What not to do during a Health Inspection?
- Don’t refuse an inspection.
- Don’t offer food or drinks to the inspector.
- Don’t argue about findings during the visit. Ask questions, and use the appeal process if you disagree.
How does the grading system work?
Grading systems vary. Many cities and counties use letter grades, some use a percentage score, and others use pass or fail. In New York City, for example, inspectors add up points for violations, and fewer points is better:
| GRADES | POINTS | MEANING |
|---|---|---|
| A | 0-13 | Clean and Safe |
| B | 14-27 | Needs Improvement |
| C | 28+ | Poor/At Public risk |
Check your local health department’s website to see how your area scores restaurants.
Why is Health Inspection important?
Health inspections keep cleaning and safety practices in place that might slip if nobody checked. They help you find potential hazards and risks and get rid of them.
They also remind your whole team why food safety and cleanliness matter.
Conclusion
A health inspection checklist is one of the most helpful ways to prepare for health inspections. It reminds your team to put safe food practices first, and it protects public health by preventing hazards and foodborne illness. It also saves money you would otherwise spend fixing violations and dealing with their fallout.
A health inspection checklist is an effective tool for keeping restaurants safe and healthy.
MaintainIQ, an operations app for single and multi-location operators, lets you run this checklist on phones and tablets at every location, with due times and a record of who completed each check. Failed items can become follow-up tasks, and the app keeps each location’s last health inspection date, status and score in one place.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good health department inspection score?
It depends on where you are, because each state or city sets its own scoring system and grade ranges. In New York City, for example, lower scores are better, and 0 to 13 points earns an A grade.
What is the lowest health inspection score a restaurant can be given before shutting down?
Your state or local health department sets the ranges. In New York City, 28 points or more earns a C, the lowest grade. A low grade on its own doesn't always close a restaurant, but it usually means more frequent inspections.
What health inspection score closes a restaurant?
There is usually no single closing score. Most health departments can close a restaurant right away for an imminent health hazard, such as no hot water, a sewage backup or a serious pest problem, whatever the score. Repeated poor inspections can also lead to fines, more frequent inspections or closure, so check your local health department's rules.
How to pass a health inspection audit for a restaurant?
Know the rules your state or local health department enforces, and check yourself against them every day. Keep food at safe temperatures, train staff on hygiene and food handling, clean on a schedule, and keep records such as temperature logs ready to show the inspector. Fix anything a self-inspection finds before the inspector finds it.
Are restaurants required to post health inspection scores?
It depends on your location. Some cities and counties, such as New York City, require restaurants to post their grade where customers can see it, while others only publish results online. Check with your local health department.
Do all restaurants have health inspection scores?
All restaurants in the US are subject to health inspections by their state or local health department, but not every area uses a numeric score. Some use letter grades, some use pass or fail, and some simply list the violations found.