Cleveland, OH Public Health Rules: Restaurant Grade Cards (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 241.061, Cleveland Codified Ordinances
- Compliant sign color
- Green, zero critical violations
- Worst-tier sign
- Red, 7+ uncorrected critical violations
- Posting spot
- Within 5 ft of front door, 4-6 ft high
- Council notice
- Within 1 week of any red sign
Summary
After every routine inspection, Cleveland's Health Department issues a color-coded placard, green for compliant, white/yellow/red graded by uncorrected critical violations, that must be posted within 5 feet of the front door, and Council gets notified within a week of any red sign, per § 241.061.
At the completion of each standard inspection or reinspection of a licensed facility, the Cleveland Department of Public Health shall issue and deliver a public health information sign to the proprietor... The public health information sign shall designate whether the licensed facility is inspected and in compliance, inspected and in need of a follow-up inspection or in the enforcement process. The public health information sign which designates that a licensed facility is in compliance shall be the color green... shall have no critical violations and shall have the word 'INSPECTED.' The public health information sign which designates that a licensed facility is in the enforcement process shall be the color white if the facility has one (1) to four (4) uncorrected critical violations, yellow if the facility has five (5) or six (6) uncorrected critical violations, and red if the facility has seven (7) or more uncorrected critical violations or any critical issue(s) that pose(s) an imminent risk to public health... If the Cleveland Department of Public Health issues a red sign, the Department must notify the Council within one (1) week of issuing the red sign.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-28: Current through legislation passed September 1, 2026).
Full Breakdown
061 requires the Department of Public Health to issue a public health information sign to every licensed food facility after each standard inspection or reinspection, and the proprietor must continuously display the most recent one until a newer sign is issued. The sign designates one of three statuses: inspected and in compliance, inspected and needing a follow-up, or in the enforcement process. A compliant facility gets a green sign reading 'INSPECTED' with zero critical violations. ' If the Department issues a red sign, it must notify City Council within one week.
07 then governs display: the sign must go in the front window, visible from outside, within 5 feet of the front door and between 4 and 6 feet off the floor, or in a display case on the outside wall meeting the same placement, or wherever else the Health Department directs. Shared-entrance businesses must post it in the initial patron contact area. No proprietor may alter, deface, cover, duplicate, or hide the sign, and food vehicles must display both the sign and the vehicle permit plate.
Violations & Fines
Failing to display the license, permit, or public health information sign, or altering/hiding/duplicating the sign, violates § 241.07 and, effective January 1, 2016, is a minor misdemeanor under § 241.99(b), each day a separate offense, enforceable by citation under Ohio Criminal Rule 4.1. Persisting after a warning escalates the charge to a first-degree misdemeanor, and unspecified chapter violations carry up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail under § 241.99(c).
Frequently Asked Questions
What do the colors on a Cleveland restaurant's health sign mean?
Where does a Cleveland restaurant have to post its inspection sign?
Is Cleveland City Council told when a restaurant gets a red sign?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cleveland
Compare Cleveland to another location·View the Ohio public health rules overview
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