Resources · Inspections and grades

SNHD Inspection Grades Explained: Demerits, Grade Cards, and Downgrades

Every SNHD inspection ends in a demerit count, and the count sets the grade: 0 to 10 demerits is an A, 11 to 20 is a B, 21 to 40 is a C, and 41 or more closes the kitchen until the problems are fixed. That's the whole system on one line. The details underneath it, which violations cost what, why a repeated violation is worse than a new one, and what the clock looks like after a downgrade, are what this guide explains. I spent years applying these rules as a county health inspector. Here's how they actually work.

The demerit scale

Demerits come in two main sizes. Critical violations carry 5 demerits each: these are the ones tied directly to foodborne illness, like cold food above 41°F, improper cooling, handwashing failures, and contamination of ready-to-eat food. Major violations carry 3 demerits each: conditions that aren't hurting anyone yet but will become critical if nobody intervenes.

Now do the math the way an inspector does. Two critical violations is 10 demerits: still an A, with zero room to spare. Two criticals and one major is 13, and the card in your window changes color. Most downgrades I saw weren't dirty kitchens. They were decent kitchens having a bad morning, three small habits failing at once.

The repeat rule: why the same mistake twice costs more

Here's the part of the system that surprises owners most: repeating the identical violation from your previous inspection forces a downgrade, even when your demerit total would otherwise earn an A. The logic is simple from the district's side. A violation on one inspection is a mistake; the same violation on the next inspection is a system that never got fixed, and inspectors are required to treat it that way.

This is why quick fixes on inspection day aren't enough. If cold holding got written up last time, the question next time isn't whether the cold table is at 41°F during the inspection. It's whether the habit changed. Fix the system behind the violation (the training, the log, the maintenance), not just the finding, because the finding is exactly what the next inspector will check first.

What the grade card in your window actually shows

Your grade card is posted where customers can see it, and it does more talking than most owners realize. Current SNHD grade cards carry a QR code: anyone with a phone can scan it and see your inspection information on the spot. Beyond the card, SNHD publishes inspection results online with records going back to 2005. Customers, reporters, and anyone thinking about buying your restaurant can look up your history in about a minute.

I tell owners to treat this as good news, honestly. The system is transparent in both directions, which means a strong record is public proof you can't buy any other way. Every clean inspection you earn is sitting in that database working for you.

What happens after a downgrade

A downgrade starts a clock, and knowing the clock is half the battle. Calmly, in order:

• Fees are due within 10 business days. For the numbers: SNHD's fee for an inspection resulting in a C downgrade is $1,524, and a closure is $1,826, on top of the business you lose while the B or C card hangs in the window.
• The re-inspection is scheduled after 15 business days, or sooner if you request it and you're ready.
• The re-inspection has to score at A level: 10 demerits or fewer, with no repeats of the violations that caused the downgrade.
• Failing a re-inspection on a C means closure. That's the step where the stakes stop being a fee and start being the doors.

The honest good news: the problems behind almost every downgrade are fixable, and usually fast. What most kitchens are missing in those 15 days isn't effort. It's knowing exactly what the inspector needs to see, in what order to fix things, and how to keep the fixes standing when SNHD walks back in. That's precisely what my Re-Inspection Rescue service is built for: a violation-by-violation correction plan mapped to your inspection report, staff briefed on the why behind each fix, and a walkthrough before the re-inspection.

Questions owners ask me about grades

Keep going

Now that you know how the scoring works, the next step is knowing what gets scored. My station-by-station guide, How to Pass an SNHD Health Inspection: The Complete Checklist, walks every part of the kitchen an inspector checks and explains the why behind each item.