Clifton, NJ Public Health Rules: Restaurant Grade Cards (2026)

The Health Officer or another enforcing official designated under Chapter 245 inspects every retail food-handling establishment as often as deemed necessary, and operators must give inspectors access to all areas plus food-purchase records on request. When a reinspection is needed for any reason during the calendar year, the fee is tiered to the establishment's initial permit fee: $100 for permits up to $155, $175 for permits from $156 to $299, $225 for permits over $299, and $300 for permits over $499. Section 245-6C sets four acceptable placard locations, all chosen so a patron sees the grade before entering: the main entrance door between four and six feet off the ground, a front window within three feet of the main entrance, an outside display case within three feet of the main entrance, or, lacking any of those, directly below a wall-mounted menu.

The placard cannot be defaced, marred, camouflaged or hidden from public view; concealment is treated as its own violation. Chapter 245 also lets the enforcing official close an establishment immediately and post a notice under Section 245-8 if it may be a source of food-borne disease. The placard requirement was last amended by Ord. No. 7458-18 on 7-3-2018, following earlier amendments in 2007 and 2017 that built out the reinspection fee schedule.