Florida Restaurant Violation Codes

Florida law requires food service employees to complete approved food safety training within 60 days of employment. Inspectors verify that training certificates or records are available on-site for every employee who handles food.

Common examples: Missing training certificates, employees who can't demonstrate basic food safety knowledge, no record of training completion dates.

Every Florida food service establishment must have at least one certified food protection manager (CFPM) who has passed an accredited exam (ServSafe, National Registry, etc.). This person must be readily available during all operating hours.

Common examples: Expired certification, no certified manager scheduled during a shift, certificate belongs to someone who no longer works there.

Before opening or making significant changes (new equipment, remodeling, menu changes involving new processes), restaurants must submit plans to DBPR for review and approval. This ensures the facility design supports safe food handling.

Common examples: Opening without plan approval, adding a new cooking process (like smoking meat) without review, remodeling the kitchen layout without submitting plans.

Restaurants serving raw or undercooked animal products must post a consumer advisory (written disclosure on the menu) and follow good retail practices. This includes proper procedures for specialized processes like smoking, curing, or sprouting.

Common examples: Menu offers rare burgers or raw oysters without an asterisk and disclosure statement, no written procedures for specialized food preparation methods.

Every food service establishment in Florida must hold a current, valid Division of Hotels and Restaurants license. The license must be displayed in a location visible to patrons and must not be expired.

Common examples: Operating with an expired license, license not posted, operating under a different license type than the actual business activity.

Handwash sinks must be accessible at all times (not blocked by equipment or used for other purposes), supplied with soap, warm running water, and single-use towels or a hand dryer. There must be a handwash sink within the food prep area.

Common examples: Sink blocked by a cart or trash can, no soap or paper towels, sink used for dumping mop water or thawing food, no handwash sink in the prep area.

Time/temperature control for safety (TCS) foods being held hot must be maintained at 135°F or above. Inspectors use calibrated thermometers to check temperatures of items on steam tables, heat lamps, and holding units.

Common examples: Soup on a steam table at 120°F, rice held at room temperature, gravy sitting on an unheated counter, buffet items not maintaining temperature.

TCS foods being held cold must be maintained at 41°F or below. Inspectors check walk-in coolers, reach-in refrigerators, prep coolers, salad bars, and any cold holding equipment with calibrated thermometers.

Common examples: Deli meats in a prep cooler at 48°F, milk at 45°F, cut tomatoes on a salad bar at 50°F, overloaded refrigerator that can't maintain temperature.

Cooked TCS food must be cooled from 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours, and from 70°F to 41°F within an additional 4 hours (6 hours total). Restaurants must use approved cooling methods like shallow pans, ice baths, or blast chillers.

Common examples: Large pot of chili cooling at room temperature, deep containers of rice in the walk-in, no ice bath or blast chiller used, food not cooled to 70°F within 2 hours.

All animal-derived foods must be cooked to minimum internal temperatures: poultry 165°F for 15 seconds, ground meat 155°F for 15 seconds, pork/eggs/fish 145°F for 15 seconds. Inspectors may verify cooking temperatures and check procedures.

Common examples: Chicken breast only reaching 150°F, hamburger served pink without customer request, eggs cooked to order for a highly susceptible population.

Food that was previously cooked and cooled must be reheated to 165°F within 2 hours before being placed in hot holding. Reheating in a steam table or holding unit alone is not sufficient — food must be actively heated (stove, oven, microwave).

Common examples: Placing cold soup directly on a steam table to slowly warm up, reheating only to 140°F, taking longer than 2 hours to reheat, using hot holding equipment as the sole reheating method.

Toxic substances (cleaners, sanitizers, pesticides, chemicals) must be stored separately from food, utensils, and food-contact surfaces. They must be clearly labeled with the common name of the contents and kept in original containers or properly labeled spray bottles.

Common examples: Bleach stored on a shelf above food, unlabeled spray bottles, chemicals stored in food containers, pesticides stored in the kitchen, degreaser next to cooking oil.

All food must come from approved commercial sources — licensed distributors, inspected facilities, or approved suppliers. Home-prepared food, wild-caught game, and food from unapproved sources cannot be served. Shellfish must have proper tags.

Common examples: Homemade tamales sold in the restaurant, fish from a local fisherman without proper licensing, shellfish tags missing, food items with no supplier documentation.

In refrigerators and storage, raw animal products must be stored below ready-to-eat foods to prevent drip contamination. The proper order from top to bottom: ready-to-eat, seafood, whole cuts of beef/pork, ground meat, poultry.

Common examples: Raw chicken stored above lettuce in a cooler, ground beef on the shelf above cooked shrimp, raw eggs stored above fruit, thawing meat dripping onto items below.

Food found to be contaminated, adulterated, or otherwise unfit for consumption. This includes food with off-odors, mold, foreign objects, pest contamination, or food that has been rendered unsafe through mishandling.

Common examples: Moldy bread still in service, mouse droppings found near food, food with foreign objects, dented or swollen cans, food that smells spoiled but is still being used.

All surfaces that contact food (cutting boards, utensils, prep tables, slicers, mixer bowls) must be washed, rinsed, and sanitized between uses — especially when switching between raw and ready-to-eat foods, and at least every 4 hours during continuous use.

Common examples: Cutting board used for raw chicken then salad without sanitizing, slicer not cleaned between meats and cheeses, prep table not sanitized every 4 hours, dish machine not reaching proper sanitizer levels.

Food must be thawed using approved methods: in the refrigerator (41°F or below), under running water (70°F or below), in the microwave (if cooked immediately after), or as part of the cooking process. Room temperature thawing is never approved.

Common examples: Frozen chicken thawing on the counter, meat left out overnight to thaw, frozen shrimp thawing in standing water in a sink, food thawing in warm water.

Florida food service establishments must have a contract with a licensed pest control operator and maintain proof of regular service (typically monthly). Records must show dates of service and the methods/chemicals used.

Common examples: No pest control contract on file, expired contract, pest control records more than 30 days old, no documentation of pest control visits.

The presence of live roaches, rodents (mice or rats), or evidence of their activity (droppings, gnaw marks, nesting material, grease trails) anywhere in the establishment. Even a single live roach in the kitchen area triggers this critical violation.

Common examples: Live roaches in the kitchen, mouse droppings under equipment, rodent gnaw marks on food packaging, roach egg casings behind equipment, grease trails along walls.

All sewage and wastewater must be disposed of through an approved municipal sewer system or properly maintained septic system. There must be no sewage backup, standing water, or improper drainage in the establishment.

Common examples: Sewage backing up through floor drains, grease trap overflowing, wastewater pooling on the floor, broken sewer line, improper connection to the sewer system.

Employees must wash hands properly (at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water) before starting work, after using the restroom, after touching raw meat, after sneezing/coughing, after handling garbage, and after any contamination event.

Common examples: Employee not washing hands after using restroom, quick rinse without soap, not washing after handling raw meat before touching ready-to-eat food, no handwashing after sneezing.

Employees engaged in food preparation or handling must wear effective hair restraints — hats, hairnets, visors, or other approved coverings that keep hair from contacting food, equipment, and utensils. Beard restraints are required for facial hair.

Common examples: Cook with no hat or hairnet, server handling food without hair covering, long hair hanging loose over food prep area, no beard net on employees with facial hair.

Ready-to-eat TCS food prepared in-house and held for more than 24 hours must be date-marked with the day of preparation or the use-by date (7 days maximum including the preparation date, when held at 41°F or below).

Common examples: Containers of prepared salsa without dates, sliced deli meats with no prep date, opened containers of salad dressing not dated, cooked rice held for unknown number of days.

If the menu includes raw or undercooked animal-derived items (rare steak, sushi, raw oysters, runny eggs), the menu must include a consumer advisory with a disclosure (identifying the items) and a reminder (stating the health risk).

Common examples: Sushi restaurant with no raw fish advisory on menu, steaks offered rare without disclosure, brunch menu with runny eggs and no consumer advisory, raw bar with no health warning.

Food-contact surfaces (cutting boards, prep tables, utensils, equipment) must be clean to sight and touch, free of grease, food residue, and biofilm. This differs from code 16 (sanitization) — this is about physical cleanliness before the sanitization step.

Common examples: Greasy cutting boards, food residue caked on slicer blades, sticky prep tables, buildup inside mixer bowls, encrusted can opener blades.

Chemical sanitizers must be mixed at the correct concentration: chlorine (bleach) at 50-100 ppm, quaternary ammonium (quat) at 200-400 ppm per manufacturer specs. Too low is ineffective; too high can be toxic on food-contact surfaces.

Common examples: Sanitizer bucket testing at 10 ppm chlorine (too weak), quat solution at 600 ppm (too strong), sanitizer mixed by guessing rather than measuring, dish machine sanitizer dispenser malfunctioning.

The establishment must have appropriate chemical test strips or kits to verify the concentration of sanitizer solutions. These must be readily accessible and appropriate for the type of sanitizer being used (chlorine vs. quat).

Common examples: No test strips on-site, expired test strips, chlorine test strips being used for quaternary ammonium sanitizer, test kit not accessible to employees.

During food preparation, the time food spends in the temperature danger zone (41°F–135°F) must be minimized. Employees should only remove from refrigeration the amount of food that can be prepared and returned to temperature control promptly.

Common examples: All day's worth of deli meat pulled from the cooler at opening, large batch of cut tomatoes sitting at room temperature for hours during prep, ingredients left on counter throughout service.

If a restaurant uses 'time as a public health control' (TPHC) instead of temperature, they must have written procedures, food must be marked with the time removed from temperature control, and it must be discarded after 4 hours (or 6 hours with conditions).

Common examples: Food on a buffet with no time stamps, using time control without written procedures, food not discarded after the 4-hour limit, no documentation of when food was removed from cooler.

Food on display or during service must be protected from contamination. Buffets need sneeze guards, self-service areas need proper utensils, and displayed food must be covered or otherwise protected from customer contamination.

Common examples: Buffet without sneeze guards, uncovered food at a salad bar, self-service utensils with handles in the food, displayed pastries without covers, no utensils at a condiment station.

All food must be stored at least 6 inches off the floor and protected from contamination. Food cannot be stored in locker rooms, restrooms, mechanical rooms, under exposed sewer lines, or in any area subject to contamination.

Common examples: Cases of food directly on the walk-in cooler floor, produce stored under a leaking pipe, dry goods on the floor of a storage room, food stored near cleaning supplies.

All food items — especially those transferred from original packaging — must be properly labeled to identify contents. Bulk containers, squeeze bottles, and any repackaged food must have the common name of the food clearly visible.

Common examples: Unlabeled squeeze bottles, bulk containers without content labels, transferred spices without names, house-made sauces in unlabeled containers.

Non-food-contact surfaces (shelving, equipment exteriors, walls near prep areas, hood vents) must be kept clean and free of grease, dust, and food debris. These surfaces should be cleaned on a regular schedule.

Common examples: Grease-caked hood vents, dirty shelving in walk-in cooler, dusty fan covers above prep areas, food debris under equipment, grimy exterior of ovens.

Handwash sinks must have warm running water (at least 100°F), soap dispensed from a mounted dispenser, and disposable towels or an air dryer. Signage reminding employees to wash hands must be posted at each sink.

Common examples: No soap at handwash station, empty paper towel dispenser, no warm water at the sink, missing 'wash hands' sign, bar soap instead of liquid dispenser.

Single-service items (disposable cups, plates, utensils, to-go containers) must be stored in a clean, protected area off the floor, handled without touching food-contact surfaces, and not reused.

Common examples: Disposable cups stored on the floor, employees grabbing handfuls of lids by the rim, single-use items stored near chemicals, reusing plastic containers.

The establishment must have accurate food thermometers available to monitor temperatures. Thin-tipped thermometers (probe thermometers) accurate to ±2°F must be accessible. Refrigeration units must have visible thermometers.

Common examples: No probe thermometer in the kitchen, broken thermometer, thermometer not calibrated (reads 10° off), no thermometer visible in refrigerator or freezer.

Food equipment (ovens, refrigerators, freezers, grills, fryers, slicers, mixers) must be in good repair and functioning properly. Equipment must be NSF-certified or equivalent and maintained per manufacturer specifications.

Common examples: Refrigerator not maintaining 41°F, oven with broken temperature gauge, slicer with cracked blade guard, deep fryer with damaged basket, cutting boards with deep grooves.

The kitchen and food prep areas must have adequate ventilation (functioning hood system with proper airflow) and sufficient lighting (at least 50 foot-candles at prep surfaces, 20 foot-candles in walk-in coolers and handwashing areas).

Common examples: Grease dripping from non-functional hood vent, condensation on ceiling from poor ventilation, dark corners in prep areas, burned-out lights in walk-in cooler.

The establishment must have and follow a written employee health policy addressing when employees must report illness symptoms (vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, sore throat with fever) and when they must be excluded from work.

Common examples: No written employee health policy, sick employee allowed to work with food, no procedure for reporting symptoms, employees not informed of the policy.

Employees may not eat, drink (except from a covered container with a straw), or use tobacco in food preparation, food storage, or warewashing areas. Designated break areas must be separate from food handling areas.

Common examples: Employee drinking from an open cup at the prep station, food handler eating over the prep table, smoking near the kitchen entrance, open employee beverages on food prep surfaces.

All plumbing must be properly installed and maintained with no cross-connections, backflow, or leaks. There must be proper air gaps on drain lines, backflow prevention devices on hose connections, and no direct connections between sewage and potable water.

Common examples: Leaking pipes above food prep area, no air gap on dish machine drain, garden hose submerged in mop sink (backflow risk), dripping faucets, pooling water under sinks.

Garbage and refuse must be stored in durable, leak-proof, non-absorbent containers with tight-fitting lids. Garbage must be removed frequently enough to prevent odor, pest attraction, and overflow. Dumpster areas must be clean and accessible.

Common examples: Overflowing trash cans in the kitchen, garbage containers without lids, dumpster area filthy with spilled waste, infrequent trash removal, garbage juice leaking onto floor.

Interior wall surfaces, decorative elements, and other non-structural interior surfaces must be clean, smooth, and in good repair. Surfaces must be non-absorbent in food prep areas and free of peeling paint, holes, or damage.

Common examples: Peeling paint on walls near food prep, holes in walls, damaged baseboards, torn wallcovering, water-stained ceiling tiles in kitchen.

The exterior of the building must be maintained to prevent pest entry and maintain sanitary conditions. This includes doors, windows, vents, the roof, and the surrounding property.

Common examples: Gaps under exterior doors, damaged screens on windows, holes in exterior walls, overgrown vegetation against the building, standing water near the building.

Floors, walls, and ceilings throughout the establishment must be clean, in good repair, and made of appropriate materials. Kitchen floors must be smooth, non-absorbent, and easily cleanable. Cove base molding should be installed where floors meet walls.

Common examples: Cracked floor tiles, missing grout, damaged ceiling tiles, holes in walls, grease-saturated flooring, peeling paint on ceilings, missing cove base.

In addition to the DBPR food service license, the establishment must maintain all other required state and local licenses and permits (e.g., beverage license, catering license, temporary event permits).

Common examples: Expired beverage license, operating a catering business without proper licensing, missing temporary event permit.

Required signs and placards must be posted in visible locations — including the DBPR license, employee handwashing signs in restrooms and at handwash sinks, choking first aid poster, and any required consumer advisories.

Common examples: No 'employees must wash hands' sign in restroom, DBPR license not displayed, no choking poster posted, missing consumer advisory signs.

Storage areas (dry storage, walk-in cooler shelving, chemical storage) must be organized, clean, and free of clutter. Items must be stored off the floor, organized for first-in-first-out (FIFO) rotation, and in appropriate locations.

Common examples: Cluttered dry storage room, food mixed with non-food items, no FIFO rotation, items piled on the floor, dusty shelving.

Customer and employee restrooms must be clean, in good repair, and properly supplied with toilet paper, soap, warm water, paper towels or hand dryers, and self-closing doors. Restrooms must be easily accessible.

Common examples: Restroom out of soap, no paper towels, dirty toilet and sink, broken self-closing door, non-functional toilets.

The overall premises — including the dining area, kitchen exterior areas, parking lot, and grounds — must be clean, well-maintained, and free of litter, unnecessary items, and conditions that attract pests.

Common examples: Litter in the parking lot, unmaintained landscaping, standing water on property, old equipment stored outside, general appearance of neglect.

Employees must have a designated area for personal belongings (lockers, hooks, or a break room) separate from food preparation, food storage, and warewashing areas.

Common examples: Employee purses stored on prep tables, coats hanging in the kitchen, personal food items in the food storage cooler, no designated employee storage area.

The establishment must have a current fire inspection and building inspection (certificate of occupancy) on file or posted as required by local jurisdiction.

Common examples: Expired fire inspection certificate, no certificate of occupancy, building code violations not addressed.

A catch-all code for non-compliance with other applicable codes, laws, or regulations not specifically addressed by other violation codes — including local ordinances, ADA requirements, or other regulatory standards.

Common examples: ADA violations, failure to comply with local noise ordinances, building code violations, fire code non-compliance.

The original approved plans for the establishment (floor plan, equipment layout, menu, HACCP plans if applicable) must be maintained on the premises and available for inspector review.

Common examples: No floor plans available, missing HACCP plans, original approved plans lost, modifications made without updated plans.

The physical facilities of the establishment — including plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and structural elements — must be properly maintained and in good working condition.

Common examples: Leaking roof, broken HVAC system causing temperature issues, electrical hazards, structural damage, broken door hardware.

All areas of the establishment must have adequate lighting for the activities performed there. Food prep surfaces require at least 50 foot-candles; walk-in units and handwashing areas require 20 foot-candles; all other areas require 10 foot-candles. Light fixtures in food areas must have shatter-proof shields.

Common examples: Burned-out bulbs in walk-in cooler, dim prep area, no shatter shields on light fixtures above food, dark storage areas.

Adequate ventilation must be provided in all areas to remove smoke, steam, grease, heat, and odors. The kitchen hood system must be functioning properly with adequate makeup air, and grease filters must be clean and in place.

Common examples: Non-functional hood vent, missing grease filters, excessive condensation in kitchen, grease dripping from hood onto cooking surfaces.

A general category for minor violations that don't fit into other specific code categories. These are typically low-risk issues noted by the inspector that should be corrected but don't represent a significant food safety concern.

Common examples: Minor operational issues, documentation gaps, cosmetic deficiencies, other low-risk observations by the inspector.