Inspection FAQS

The Livingston County Environmental Health Division inspects food service establishments. Examples include:

• Restaurants
• Bars
• Night Clubs
• School Cafeterias
• Worksite Cafeterias
• Coffee Shops
• Donut/Bagel Shops
• Ice Cream Shops
• Concessions
• Rental Halls
• Catering Kitchens
• Private organizations serving the public

Establishments can be fixed or mobile, and long-term or temporary.

• Normal Inspection Frequency: Establishments that operate year-round shall be inspected once every six months.
• Seasonal Inspection Frequency: Establishments that operate nine or fewer months each year shall be inspected once per season of operation.

The inspections described above are routine inspections. One or more follow-up inspections may take place shortly after a routine inspection to verify that violations have been corrected. No matter the inspection frequency, routine inspections are unannounced. The dates of follow-up inspections, however, may be told to the operator of the establishment.

The standards for all food establishments in Michigan are set by the Michigan Food Law, Act 92 of 2000. Food establishments shall comply with this law, which was updated October 1, 2012.

• Priority violations are those items that could most directly lead to contamination of food or increase the risk of transmitting a foodborne illness. Priority violations include violations that were previously called Critical Violations. Examples include improper food temperatures and lack of hand washing.
• Priority Foundation violations are those items that help keep Priority violations in compliance and support (i.e. provide the foundation for) Priority items. Examples include not having a metal stem thermometer, not having sanitizer test strips and not having soap or paper towel at a hand sink.  The Priority Foundation category is made up of violations that were previously called Critical and Non-Critical Violations.
• Core violations are those items that are related to general sanitation and facility maintenance.  Most Core violations were previously called Non-Critical violations. Examples include dirty floors and improper facility lighting.

Priority and Priority Foundation violations must be corrected immediately at the time of inspection or within 10 days, similar to how Critical violations were previously treated. If the violation cannot be permanently corrected at the time of inspection, our department will perform a follow-up inspection.  These are also violations that, if repeated, can lead to enforcement actions. Core violations must be corrected within 90 days of the inspection.

Inspections of food service establishments in Michigan are not scored. The best way to judge the results of an inspection is to read the entire inspection report.

A perfect routine inspection report would have:

• No Priority or Priority foundation violations
• No repeat violations
• No violations overall

A typical routine inspection report may have:

• A small number of Priority or Priority foundation violations that are corrected at the time of inspection
• No repeat Priority or Priority foundation violations
• A small number of repeat Core violations
• Few to several violations overall

A poor routine inspection report generally has:

• Several Priority or Priority foundation violations that are not corrected at the time of inspection
• Repeat Priority or Priority foundation violations
• Repeat Core violations
• Several violations overall

It is important to remember that the presence of violations in a past inspection report does not necessarily mean that an establishment has the same violations today. Furthermore, large establishments with extensive menus will generally have more violations than small establishments with simple menus. This does not mean that large establishments are less safe than smaller ones. So, when comparing inspection reports from different establishments, consider whether they are of similar size and have similar menus.

A food service operator shall correct all violations of the Food Code by the time allowed in the inspection report. Failure to do so results in enforcement action.

Livingston County Environmental Health Division takes enforcement action when the violations at issue pose an imminent health hazard. Summary actions include the immediate limitation, suspension, or revocation of a license to protect public health. Imminent health hazards include:

• Lack of water or electrical power
• An uncontained foodborne illness outbreak
• Severe pest infestation
• Back-up of sewage in the kitchen
• Fire
• Flood
• Any other situation in which the public may be in immediate danger

When an establishment has one or more of these imminent health hazards, the health department orders the operation closed, and the operation may reopen only after correcting the violations.

The Environmental Health Division pursues enforcement action when the violations do not pose an imminent health hazard. According to the Michigan Administrative Procedures Act, a food service license holder must be given three opportunities to correct violations before his or her license is limited, suspended or revoked:

• Opportunity #1 is to correct violations during the routine and follow-up inspection process. When this fails, the license holder is called to attend an “Office Conference.”
• Opportunity #2 is to correct violations immediately following the Office Conference. When this fails, the license holder is called to attend an “Informal Hearing.”
• Opportunity #3 is to correct violations immediately following the Informal Hearing. When this fails, the health department limits, suspends, or revokes the food service establishment license. The license holder may request a “Formal Hearing” before the Livingston County Environmental Health Food Service Board to appeal the action.