Restaurant inspections

About restaurant inspections

The Mutlnomah County Health Department is responsible for inspection about 2,500 restaurants, including those in the city of Portland. In this section of EveryBlock, you can find out how the restaurants near you fared, according to the health inspectors.

Each inspection report includes the establishment's name, its location, the date it was inspected, its score (out of 100 possible points) and the inspection type (such as semiannual or annual). If any violations occurred, each record details what inspectors found, what corrective actions were ordered and what corrective actions were taken while the inspector was on the premises.

Source

The data comes from the Food Establishment Inspection Search page maintained by the Multnomah County Health Department. The data is updated each day, and we at EveryBlock publish new inspection reports daily.

What else should I know about restaurant inspections?

As is common with health departments across the country, Multnomah County notes that each inspection report is a "snapshot in time." An inspection result

In most cases, restaurants in Multnomah County are inspected twice a year — but those with past violations can be inspected more frequently. Facilities that fail to comply on two consecutive inspections are inspected quarterly until they complete four inspections without failing, according to this food inspection FAQ provided by the county.

Restaurants pass inspection with scores of 70 or above. If they score below a 70 or there is an uncorrected critical violation, the establishment will be shut down. Critical violations are defined as "items noted during inspections that can directly affect the health and well being of the consumer," according to the county. The FAQ outlines the different types of critical violations.

Such violations must be corrected within 14 days and a reinspection must be performed. In the interim, "a safe, alternative procedure must be in place until the final correction is completed," according to the county.

Inspections are unannounced, and inspectors evaluate food workers' practices, including the manner in which foods are received and stored, how food is processed and cooked. Cooling, holding and reheating temperatures are evaluated. Food establishments in Oregon are regulate by the state's Food Sanitation Rules.