The City and County of San Francisco Environmental Health Branch will join the other nine Bay Area Cities & Counties in using a green, yellow, and red placard system in early 2020. We will no longer be using the current numerical score card system. This will help create a consistent way for the public to make informed decisions when eating out and a consistent process for food operators who may have food facilities in different cities or counties. The placard will reflect the assessed food safety conditions during inspections, including after compliance is achieved.

The new placard system is based on the number of imminent health hazards (major violations) observed during a routine inspection. The placard must be posted in public view.

Please be aware that the numerical score will remain valid up until you are issued a color placard at the next unannounced food safety inspection.

Below will outline what each placard means for the new system:

Green Placard:
The facility has 0 – 1 major violations observed at time of inspection and the major violation was corrected at the time of the inspection.

Yellow Placard:
The facility has 2 or more major violations observed at the time of the routine inspection and the major violations were corrected at the time of the inspection. A re-inspection will be conducted and the placard will be reissued based on inspection results.

Red Placard:
The facility is closed due to violations that are an imminent health hazards or major violations which cannot be corrected immediately. The facility must remain closed until the unsafe conditions are corrected.