Are LA restaurant health inspections announced?

No. Routine inspections are generally unannounced, so records and sanitation readiness need to be continuous.

Do grease trap records impact health grades?

Yes. Missing manifests or overdue maintenance can contribute to deductions and corrective actions.

What happens after a low inspection score?

Facilities may face re-inspections, associated fees, and tighter enforcement timelines depending on severity.

Regulations for Dummies

LA Restaurant Health Inspections 101: What Inspectors Actually Check

No jargon. Just what the LACDPH inspector is looking for when they walk into your kitchen — and where grease traps fit into your score.

LA Restaurant Services · Field Technician Notes

Who is doing the inspecting

In Los Angeles County, restaurant health inspections are conducted by Environmental Health Specialists (EHS) employed by the LA County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) — specifically its Environmental Health division. These are trained inspectors, not generalists. They know exactly what they are looking for, and they have seen every excuse in the book.

Inspections are unannounced. You do not get a 48-hour notice. The inspector can show up on your busiest lunch service or on a quiet Tuesday morning. The condition of your kitchen on that specific day determines your score — not how clean it was the week before.

How the grading system works

LA County uses a 100-point scoring system. Each violation deducts points based on severity. Major violations (directly related to public health risk) deduct 4–7 points each. Minor violations deduct 1–2 points. The score at the end of the inspection determines your letter grade, which must be posted visibly at your entrance.

A (90–100)

Permitted to post the A grade placard at your entrance. This is the standard. Anything short of it is visible to every customer who walks in.

B (80–89)

Must be posted publicly. Customers notice. A B grade often comes from accumulation of minor violations — missed cleaning intervals, inadequate documentation — not just one big failure.

C (70–79)

Must be posted. Triggers a follow-up inspection within 14 days. Your establishment is now in active enforcement monitoring.

Below 70 / Closure

LACDPH can issue an immediate closure order. You cannot reopen until the inspector signs off on a re-inspection. No advance notice is required.

Exactly how your grease trap affects your score

Grease trap compliance is evaluated as part of the facility maintenance and equipment section of the inspection form. Here is what gets checked and what it costs you if it is wrong:

Service records on file

Up to 4 points deducted if missing

Inspectors ask for your last grease trap service receipt and waste manifest. If you can't produce them, that is a documented violation — regardless of whether the trap looks full.

FOG layer depth at or below 25%

Up to 4 points deducted if over threshold

Inspectors carry depth-measurement tools. If your trap is over the 25% threshold, the violation is recorded on the spot. Being close to the threshold is not a defense.

Grease trap lid accessible and secured

1–2 points

A lid buried under equipment, a lid with a broken gasket, or a lid that has been sealed with caulk instead of a proper gasket are all citable conditions.

No visible grease backup or overflow evidence

Up to 7 points (major violation)

Grease residue around the trap lid, on the floor nearby, or in floor drains indicates an overflow has occurred. This is a major violation that can force an immediate re-inspection.

What triggers a re-inspection — and what it costs

Any score below 90 automatically places your facility in a follow-up cycle. A B grade (80–89) typically results in a re-inspection within 30 to 60 days. A C grade triggers a re-inspection within 14 days. A closure order requires the inspector to return and physically verify corrections before you reopen — sometimes the same day, sometimes the next morning.

Re-inspections are not free. LACDPH charges a re-inspection fee currently set at $185–$245 per visit, depending on your permit tier. A single failed inspection can cascade into two or three follow-up visits before the record is cleared — adding up to several hundred dollars in fees on top of any civil penalties assessed.

The fastest path to a re-inspection is a grease trap violation — specifically, being over the 25% FOG threshold or having no service records. It is also one of the most preventable. A predictable service schedule eliminates both risks in a single step.

The one thing that takes 10 minutes to fix in advance

Before any inspection — announced or not — you should be able to put your hands on your last grease trap service manifest and receipt in under 60 seconds. That is it. That single document answers three of the most common grease-related inspection questions simultaneously: Was the trap serviced? When? Where did the waste go?

Keep a physical folder in your office and a digital backup. Date-name the files so you can sort by service date instantly. Every time we complete a service, we hand you the manifest before the truck leaves. Your only job is to file it.

Stay inspection-ready year-round

Scheduled service, documentation on every visit, and no surprises when the inspector walks in.

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