Reference · Florida DBPR
Florida Restaurant Inspection Violations Explained
A Florida inspector records every problem found during a visit and sorts each into one of three tiers. The tier decides how much it matters. This page explains what each tier means and which specific violations turn up most often across the restaurants we publish.
Coverage: we publish inspection records for 2,316 of the 5,997 licensed food service establishments across 8 Central Florida counties. Every figure on this page describes the 2,316 we publish, not the full licensed roster. 2 restaurants are excluded from grade percentages, having no recent scoreable inspection on file; 2,314 are graded.
This grade is calculated by us from Florida DBPR public inspection records — Florida does not issue official grades. How we calculate it →
The three violation tiers
Every violation an inspector records belongs to exactly one tier. The tier determines the deduction in our calculated score.
| Tier | Deduction | Recorded | Restaurants affected |
|---|---|---|---|
| High-priority | −8 points each | 1,433 | 819 (35.4%) |
| Intermediate | −3 points each | 1,898 | 1,098 (47.4%) |
| Basic | −1 points each | 7,966 | 1,904 (82.2%) |
- High-Priority Violations — what they are, how many, and where
- Intermediate Violations — what they are, how many, and where
- Basic Violations — what they are, how many, and where
- Emergency Orders — when the state suspends a licence, and the 39 restaurants with one on record
Most commonly cited violations
Ranked across every inspection on file for the restaurants we publish. The official DBPR wording is given first, then what it means in practice.
DBPR does not publish a priority tier per violation code in this dataset, so these are ranked by frequency rather than sorted into the three tiers above.
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1 Code 36 1,256 restaurants (54.2%) · 4,149 citations
Floors, walls, ceilings clean & maintained; proper ventilation
Floors, walls or ceilings were dirty or in disrepair, or ventilation was inadequate — a housekeeping failure rather than a direct food risk.
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2 Code 14 1,406 restaurants (60.7%) · 3,707 citations
Food-contact & nonfood-contact surfaces properly designed/maintained
Equipment or work surfaces were damaged, worn or built in a way that cannot be properly cleaned.
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3 Code 22 1,330 restaurants (57.4%) · 3,205 citations
Food-contact surfaces clean and sanitized
Surfaces that touch food were not clean and sanitised — one of the most direct routes to contamination.
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4 Code 08 1,087 restaurants (46.9%) · 2,223 citations
Cross-contamination: raw foods separated; food protected during prep/storage
Raw and ready-to-eat foods were not kept apart, or food was left unprotected during prep or storage — the classic cross-contamination failure.
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5 Code 31 1,030 restaurants (44.5%) · 2,015 citations
Handwash sinks accessible; handwashing supplies & sign provided
A handwash sink was blocked, or missing soap, towels or its required sign, so staff could not wash hands properly.
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6 Code 23 1,091 restaurants (47.1%) · 2,013 citations
Nonfood-contact surfaces clean
Surfaces that do not touch food directly — shelving, cabinet exteriors, equipment housings — were dirty.
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7 Code 03 988 restaurants (42.7%) · 1,819 citations
Temperature control of foods (cold/hot holding, cooking, cooling, reheating)
Food was held, cooked, cooled or reheated outside safe temperatures. This is the violation most often linked to foodborne illness.
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8 Code 29 972 restaurants (42%) · 1,789 citations
Plumbing installed & maintained; mop sink; backflow prevention
Plumbing faults: leaks, missing backflow prevention, or a mop sink problem.
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9 Code 16 692 restaurants (29.9%) · 1,205 citations
Dishwashing facilities; sanitizer test kits; gauges
The dishwashing setup fell short — sanitiser strength untested, missing test kits, or faulty gauges.
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10 Code 35 590 restaurants (25.5%) · 1,134 citations
Insects/rodents/pests; outer openings protected against pests
Evidence of insects or rodents, or gaps in the building that let pests in.
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11 Code 10 659 restaurants (28.5%) · 1,049 citations
In-use food dispensing utensils properly stored
Scoops and serving utensils were stored where they could pick up contamination between uses.
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12 Code 53 584 restaurants (25.2%) · 1,005 citations
Food manager certification; employee food-safety training
Required food-manager certification or employee food-safety training was missing or out of date.
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13 Code 02 602 restaurants (26%) · 950 citations
Consumer advisory, date-marking & labeling of ready-to-eat foods
Ready-to-eat food lacked required date marking or labelling, or a consumer advisory was missing.
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14 Code 01 588 restaurants (25.4%) · 946 citations
Food from approved source; safe, unadulterated, sound condition
Food came from an unapproved source, or was spoiled, damaged or otherwise unsound.
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15 Code 24 632 restaurants (27.3%) · 925 citations
Storage & handling of clean equipment and utensils; air drying
Clean equipment and utensils were stored or air-dried improperly, risking re-contamination.
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16 Code 12 585 restaurants (25.3%) · 819 citations
Handwashing; employee eating/drinking/smoking practices
Staff handwashing was inadequate, or eating, drinking or smoking happened where it should not.
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17 Code 41 538 restaurants (23.2%) · 773 citations
Chemicals / toxic substances properly stored & used
Cleaning chemicals or other toxic substances were stored or used unsafely near food.
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18 Code 21 472 restaurants (20.4%) · 651 citations
Wiping cloths; clean & soiled linens; laundry
Wiping cloths or linens were dirty, or stored outside sanitiser between uses.
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19 Code 13 412 restaurants (17.8%) · 591 citations
Clean clothes; hair restraints; jewelry; fingernails
Staff clothing, hair restraints, jewellery or fingernails did not meet hygiene requirements.
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20 Code 33 328 restaurants (14.2%) · 553 citations
Garbage and refuse; premises maintained
Garbage handling or the general upkeep of the premises fell below standard.
Related
- How we calculate health grades — the formula, and answers to common questions about Florida inspections
- Every guide on the site
Common questions about Florida inspection violations
- What are the three types of restaurant inspection violation in Florida?
- High-priority, intermediate and basic. High-priority violations can cause foodborne illness directly. Intermediate violations remove a safeguard that would have prevented one. Basic violations are maintenance and housekeeping problems. Inspectors record all three at the same visit.
- How many violations does a typical Florida restaurant have?
- Across the 2,316 restaurants we publish, the most recent inspections recorded 11,297 violations in total — 7,966 basic, 1,898 intermediate and 1,433 high-priority. Most restaurants carry several basic violations and no high-priority ones.
- Does a violation mean a restaurant is unsafe?
- Not by itself. Basic violations are common and describe upkeep rather than danger. What matters is the tier and the number: a restaurant with several basic violations and no high-priority findings is in a different position from one with repeat high-priority violations.