Bowie, MD Public Health Rules: Restaurant Grade Cards (2026)

Section 20-1, the City's entire restaurant chapter, is a prerequisite statute rather than a grading system: it names covered establishments broadly ("restaurant, oyster house, cook shop, ice cream parlor, dairy lunch, or eating house, by whatsoever name designated") where food, meals, or refreshments are eaten on the premises where sold. None of them may be established, maintained, or continued without three things at once: a sanitary-condition certificate from the City or County Health Officer, a permit issued by the Council itself, and conformance of the building, frame, or structure with the City's existing building regulations.

Because Chapter 20 is not among the chapters the Council has declared municipal infractions under § 1-6C(8), operating without the certificate or Council permit defaults to the general misdemeanor penalty in § 1-6B: a fine of up to $500, imprisonment of up to 30 days, or both, with each day of continued operation counted as a separate offense. The Council permit requirement gives Bowie's legislative body, not just Code Compliance staff, a direct sign-off on whether a new eating establishment may open, on top of the health certificate.