Boise, ID Public Health Rules: Restaurant Grade Cards (2026)
Key Facts
- Grades
- A, B or C only
- Max infraction fine
- $100
- Fixed license term
- 1 yr from June 30
- Mobile license term
- 1 yr from Feb 28
- Inspections
- every 6 months minimum
- Temporary Grade C window
- 30 days max
Summary
Boise requires every restaurant to carry a City Clerk license and a Central District Health Department permit, and the Health Officer grades each one A, B or C under Boise City Code section 4-3-4. The grade must be posted where customers can see it, and a restaurant that fails inspection can run on a temporary Grade C for only 30 days before its permit is pulled.
4-3-4: GRADING OF RESTAURANTS: A. Standards For Grading: The grading of all restaurants shall be based upon the following standards: 1. Grades A And B: All grade A restaurants shall comply with all of the following items of sanitation: ... Item 1 ... 8: Grade B restaurants are those which fail to comply with item 1, 2, 4, 5 or 17 of this subsection, but which conform with all other items of sanitation required for grade A restaurants. 2. Grade C: Grade C restaurants are those which fail to comply with either the grade A or grade B requirements. ... B. Grade A Or B Required; Temporary For Grade C; Revocation: No restaurant shall be operated within the City, unless it conforms with the grade A or grade B; provided, that when any restaurant fails to qualify for any of these grades, the Health Officer is authorized to revoke the permit or in lieu thereof, the Health Officer may degrade the restaurant to a grade C restaurant and permit its operation during a temporary period of and not exceeding thirty (30) days.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-31: Code current through: Ord. 20-26, passed 6-9-2026).
Full Breakdown
To operate in Boise, a restaurant needs two separate approvals: an unrevoked, unsuspended City Clerk business license posted in a conspicuous place, and a valid health permit under state law and Boise City Code section 4-3-3. Fixed-location restaurant licenses run for one year starting June 30; mobile restaurant licenses run for one year starting February 28. Neither license is transferable, and the annual fee is set by the City Council on the current Clerk license fee schedule. The Health Officer assigns a letter grade under section 4-3-4 based on a checklist covering floor and wall construction, fly screening, restroom access for employees, lighting and ventilation, hand-washing stations, holding perishable food at or below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, sourcing grade A milk and approved shellfish, and keeping premises free of litter.
A restaurant meeting every item earns Grade A; missing only the floor, wall, lighting, ventilation, or general-cleanliness items (items 1, 2, 4, 5 or 17) drops it to Grade B; failing to meet either standard is Grade C. No restaurant may legally operate below Grade B, but the Health Officer can degrade a failing restaurant to a temporary Grade C for up to 30 days instead of revoking its permit outright, giving the owner a window to fix the violations. A downgraded or suspended restaurant can apply for regrading; once it submits a signed statement that the cited items are corrected, the Health Officer must reinspect within one week, and as many times after that as needed, before restoring the higher grade or reinstating the permit.
Every restaurant must display its current grade, in a format the Health Officer approves, in a conspicuous public spot. The Health Officer must also inspect every restaurant at least once every six months, posting one copy of the latest inspection report on an interior wall and filing a second with the Health Department; if a violation is found, a second inspection follows once time has passed to fix it.
Violations & Fines
Operating without a valid license or health permit, or letting the license lapse, is a City Clerk infraction under section 4-3-8, punishable by up to $100 plus court costs, with no jury trial and no jail time. Separately, the City Clerk must suspend or revoke the business license the moment Central District Health suspends or revokes the health permit itself, and a restaurant that keeps operating below Grade B after the 30-day temporary window closes risks that permit revocation.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Boise
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