Franklin, TN Public Health Rules: Restaurant Grade Cards (2026)
Key Facts
- Grading placards
- Explicitly deleted from code
- Base code
- 1962 US PHS food-service ordinance
- Oversight
- Permit + inspection, no public grade
- Code section
- § 13-111
Summary
Franklin adopted the federal food-service sanitation code but expressly struck its grading language, so restaurants operate under permits and inspections without a public letter-grade placard system.
shall be regulated in accordance with the unabridged form of the 1962 edition of the United States Public Health Service Food Service Sanitation Ordinance and Code, [2] three copies of which are on file in the office of the city recorder, provided that the words "municipality of _______" in said unabridged form shall be understood to refer to the City of Franklin, Tennessee; provided further, that in said ordinance all parenthetical phrases referring to grading and subsection H. 2. e. shall be understood to be deleted; and provided further, that subsections H. 7. and H. 8. shall be replaced respectively by subsections (2) and (3) below.(2)Any person who violates any of the provisions of this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine as specified in appendix A, comprehensive fees and penalties. In addition thereto, such persons may be enjoined from continuing such violations. Each day upon which such a violation occurs constitutes a separate violation.(3)This ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its adoption as provided by law and all ordinances and parts of ordinances in conflict with this ordinance are hereby repealed. (1976 Code, § 8-411; Ord. No. 2010-18, § I, 4-13-2010)
Footnotes: --- (2) ---
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 30 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Franklin Municipal Code § 13-111 adopts the 1962 U.S. Public Health Service Food Service Sanitation Ordinance and Code by reference to govern definitions, inspections, and permit issuance, suspension, and revocation for food-service establishments. The adopting ordinance goes further than most: it expressly directs that all parenthetical phrases referring to grading in the model code shall be understood to be deleted. That local amendment means Franklin regulates restaurants through permits and health-officer inspection rather than through a posted letter-grade or numeric score placard system.
Violations & Fines
Operating a food-service establishment without the required permit, or violating the adopted sanitation code, is a misdemeanor punishable by the fine set in the city's fee schedule; each day is a separate violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Franklin post letter grades in restaurant windows?
How does Franklin regulate food-service sanitation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Franklin
Compare Franklin to another location·View the Tennessee public health rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.