Reviewed by Randy Powelson, founder of CertiFlow · Last updated 2026-09-03 against the FDA Food Code and CDC foodborne-illness risk-factor data
This reflects general FDA Food Code practice — it is not a substitute for your local health code, the classification and consequences of a violation vary by jurisdiction, and it is not legal advice. Confirm the specifics with your regulatory authority.
Groups 1 through 5 are the CDC’s five foodborne-illness risk factors. Groups 6 and 7 — facilities and records — are common citations that sit outside those five; records and certifications is where multi-location operators are cited most, because the work is usually being done but cannot be shown. Related reading: the section-by-section inspection checklist.
01Food from an unsafe or unapproved source
You cannot serve safe food you cannot trace.
Food from an unapproved or unsafe source
Why it’s cited: Home-prepared items, unlicensed suppliers, or products with no paper trail cannot be verified as safe.
The fix: Buy only from licensed, inspected suppliers; do not serve anything prepared in a private home.
No source records — invoices, shellstock tags, or supplier information
Why it’s cited: An inspector cannot confirm a safe source without the records. Shellstock tags in particular are checked, and must be kept for 90 days from the last date the product was served.
The fix: Keep purchase invoices on file; retain shellstock tags in order for 90 days; be able to name the supplier for any product on hand.
Damaged commercial product in use
Why it’s cited: Dented, bulging, rusted, or leaking cans and torn packaging can mean the contents are compromised.
The fix: Cull damaged stock on receiving and again in storage; segregate anything questionable for return or disposal.
02Inadequate cooking
Whether the food actually reached a safe internal temperature.
Inadequate cooking temperatures
Why it’s cited: Poultry, ground meat, stuffed items, and reheated food each have a required minimum internal temperature; not reaching it is a priority violation.
The fix: Verify final temperature with a calibrated thermometer, not by color or time; log cook temperatures for high-risk items.
No consumer advisory for undercooked items
Why it’s cited: Menu items served raw or undercooked to order require a written disclosure and a reminder statement on the menu; missing it is a common citation.
The fix: Add the disclosure (an asterisk or footnote identifying the items) and the reminder statement about the risk of consuming undercooked animal foods.
03Improper holding, time & temperature
The category cited most often, because it depends on monitoring that never stops.
Cold or hot holding outside safe temperatures
Why it’s cited: Time-and-temperature-control-for-safety (TCS) food between 41°F and 135°F grows bacteria fast. Inspectors probe holding units on almost every visit.
The fix: Check and log unit temperatures on a fixed schedule; keep calibrated probe thermometers at every station; pull and discard anything out of range rather than trying to recover it.
Cooked food cooled too slowly
Why it’s cited: Large batches left to cool at room temperature or in deep covered pans sit in the danger zone for hours. The Food Code allows 135°F to 70°F in two hours, then to 41°F within a further four.
The fix: Use shallow pans, ice baths, or a blast chiller; portion large batches; log cooling start and end times.
Improper thawing
Why it’s cited: Thawing on the counter or in standing warm water leaves the outer surface in the danger zone while the center is still frozen.
The fix: Thaw in the refrigerator, under cold running water, or as part of the cooking process.
04Contaminated equipment & cross-contamination
How pathogens move from raw product, hands, or surfaces onto ready-to-eat food.
Raw protein stored above ready-to-eat food
Why it’s cited: Drips from raw chicken or beef onto produce or cooked food is a classic cited hazard.
The fix: Store by final cook temperature: ready-to-eat on top, then seafood, whole cuts, ground meat, poultry on the bottom.
Sanitizer missing or at the wrong concentration
Why it’s cited: Wiping-cloth buckets and the third sink compartment are checked with test strips; too weak does not sanitize, too strong is a chemical hazard.
The fix: Make up sanitizer to the label concentration, test it with strips, and change it on a schedule as it gets soiled or diluted.
Dish machine or three-compartment sink not sanitizing
Why it’s cited: A dish machine below its final-rinse temperature, or a sink skipping the sanitize step, leaves food-contact surfaces contaminated.
The fix: Verify final-rinse temperature or chemical concentration daily; set up the three-compartment sink as wash, rinse, sanitize and use it that way.
05Poor personal hygiene
Employee practices are behind a large share of foodborne-illness outbreaks.
Inadequate handwashing or blocked hand sinks
Why it’s cited: A hand sink used for storage, or missing soap or paper towels, means handwashing does not happen. This is one of the most frequent critical citations.
The fix: Keep every hand sink stocked and clear; train the specific moments handwashing is required; put a hand sink within reach of each work area.
Bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food
Why it’s cited: The Food Code prohibits bare-hand contact with food that will not be cooked again.
The fix: Use gloves, tongs, deli tissue, or utensils for all ready-to-eat handling; change gloves between tasks and after any contamination.
Working while ill
Why it’s cited: An employee with any of the reportable symptoms — vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, a sore throat with fever, or an infected, uncovered wound or lesion — or a diagnosis with one of the "Big Six" pathogens is an outbreak risk, and inspectors ask about the exclusion policy.
The fix: Have a written employee health and exclusion policy, make sure staff know they must report those symptoms and diagnoses, and hold to it.
06Facilities, pests & chemicals
Outside the CDC’s five risk factors
Commonly cited, but outside the CDC’s five foodborne-illness risk factors.
Plumbing, backflow, and no hot water
Why it’s cited: Cross-connections and backflow can contaminate the potable supply; no hot water shuts down handwashing and warewashing.
The fix: Fit backflow prevention on hose bibs and equipment connections; treat any loss of hot water as a stop-service event and call it in.
Pest activity
Why it’s cited: An active infestation is frequently treated as an imminent health hazard warranting closure. Isolated evidence — droppings or gnaw marks — is a critical violation with a short correction deadline.
The fix: Keep a current pest-control contract with visit reports on hand; seal gaps, fit door sweeps, and remove harborage and food debris.
Chemicals stored near or above food
Why it’s cited: Cleaners and pesticides beside food, or in unlabeled bottles, are a poisoning hazard.
The fix: Store chemicals in a dedicated area below and away from food and food-contact items; label every working container.
07Records & certifications
Outside the CDC’s five risk factors
Not a foodborne-illness risk factor — a documentation citation. It is the category multi-location operators lose points on most, and the easiest to keep perfect: the practice may be fine, the violation is for not being able to show it.
No certified food protection manager available
Why it’s cited: Most jurisdictions require a certified manager, and many expect one reachable whenever the establishment operates.
The fix: Track each manager certification and its expiry date; recertify before it lapses; keep enough certified staff that a shift is never uncovered.
Expired or missing employee food handler cards
Why it’s cited: Where food handler cards are required, an expired card is cited the same as no card, and copies must be produceable on request.
The fix: Record every card, its issue and expiry date, and where the copy is; get renewals done before expiry rather than after a citation.
Missing temperature, cleaning, or pest-control logs
Why it’s cited: If it is not written down, the inspector treats it as not done.
The fix: Keep logs current and retrievable; assign a specific owner per location; retain them for at least the period your jurisdiction requires.
Lapsed permits or hood-cleaning records
Why it’s cited: An expired health permit or business license, or no record of the last suppression-system and hood cleaning, is a straightforward avoidable citation.
The fix: Track renewal and service dates alongside employee credentials so nothing quietly expires.
For multi-location operators
Stop losing points on the records category
CertiFlow tracks every employee credential and required document across all your locations — food handler cards, manager certifications, allergen training, permits, and hood-cleaning records — with escalating email alerts as each expiry date approaches, so nothing lapses unnoticed.
- Every credential, every location, one view
- Escalating alerts from 30 days out
- Each manager sees only their location
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common health code violation in restaurants?
Time and temperature control — food held in the danger zone between 41°F and 135°F, or cooked food that cools too slowly. It is consistently among the most-cited findings because it depends on constant monitoring across every shift.
What is the difference between a critical (priority) and a non-critical violation?
A critical or "priority" violation directly contributes to foodborne illness — bad holding temperatures, cross-contamination, sick employees, contaminated equipment. A non-critical violation is a general sanitation or maintenance issue, like a cracked floor tile or an unlabeled spray bottle. Critical violations carry shorter correction deadlines and weigh more heavily on the score.
Can a single violation close a restaurant?
Yes, if it is an imminent health hazard — no hot water, a sewage backup, an active pest infestation, or no working refrigeration. Most other violations, including a missing certified manager, come with a correction window and a re-inspection rather than immediate closure.
How many violations does it take to fail an inspection?
It varies by jurisdiction — some use a numeric score with a passing threshold, others fail an establishment on any uncorrected critical violation. What is consistent is that repeat violations across inspections escalate the consequences faster than a one-time finding.
Which of these violations are really just paperwork?
No certified food protection manager on shift, expired employee food handler cards, and missing temperature, cleaning, or pest-control logs. The underlying practice may be fine — the citation is for not being able to show it. That category is the easiest to keep clean with a system that tracks every credential and its expiry date across locations.