Cook County Department of Public Health inspects suburban food establishments under the Food Service Sanitation Ordinance and Illinois Food Code. Inspectors record priority, priority foundation, and core violations on a numerical risk-based scoresheet rather than the LA County style A/B/C letter grade.
The Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) Food Protection Program licenses and inspects roughly 7,000 retail food establishments across more than 120 suburban municipalities in unincorporated and contracting Cook County. Inspections follow the Illinois Food Code (77 Ill. Adm. Code 750), which is aligned with the FDA Food Code and uses a risk-based numerical scoresheet rather than letter grades. Inspectors flag priority, priority foundation, and core violations; priority items must be corrected on-site or trigger reinspection. Pass/fail results are posted to the CCDPH online inspection portal. Chicago facilities are inspected by the separate Chicago Department of Public Health, which runs its own pass/conditional pass/fail system.
Operating without a valid CCDPH food service license, refusing inspector entry, or failing to correct priority violations can lead to permit suspension, civil fines, and emergency closure under the Cook County Food Service Sanitation Code and Illinois Food Code §750.130.
See how Arlington Heights's restaurant grade cards rules stack up against other locations.
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