How to Check a Restaurant's Health Inspection Record — Free
The letter grade in the window is a summary. The inspection report behind it is the actual record.
That letter grade or score card in a restaurant window is a summary of a real document: a health inspection report filed by your local health department. Most departments publish those reports online, including the specific violations found and any closures — and reading the report tells you far more than the grade.
Find your local health department's database
Food inspections are run at the county or city level, so there is no single national site. Search "[your county or city] restaurant inspection scores" or "[county] environmental health food inspections." Most jurisdictions have a searchable map or list by restaurant name.
- Search for your county/city health department food-inspection portal.
- Look up the restaurant by name or address.
- Open the actual report, not just the score — read the violations and dates.
A B grade after a fixed one-time issue is not the same as a B from repeat critical violations. Only the report tells you which.
Read violations by severity
Inspections separate critical violations (temperature abuse, cross-contamination, pest activity, sick-worker handling) from minor ones (a missing label, a worn surface). A recent critical violation, or the same violation across multiple visits, matters far more than a single minor mark. Look at the pattern over the last several inspections, not one visit.
If the report is not online
Some jurisdictions still keep reports on paper or partially online. You can request them under your state's open-records law — the same mechanism NU covers in how to file a FOIA request. Health inspection reports are almost always releasable public records.
The takeaway
The window grade is the trailer; the inspection report is the film. Find your local health department's portal, read the violations and their severity, and weigh the pattern over time. It is free, and it is the record — the same "verify before you trust" instinct as checking any business.