Palm Springs, CA Public Health Rules: Restaurant Grade Cards (2026)
Key Facts
- Grade A threshold
- 90% or higher (§ 6.06.040(a))
- Grade B range
- 80% to 89% (§ 6.06.040(a))
- Grade C threshold
- Below 80% (§ 6.06.040(a))
- Reinspection right
- Within 5 days of written demand (§ 6.06.020)
- Card removal
- Only the health officer may remove it (§ 6.06.040(c))
Summary
Palm Springs restaurants are graded A, B, or C on the health officer's inspection score sheet under § 6.06.020 and § 6.06.040, with A meaning 90% or higher, B meaning 80-89%, and C meaning below 80%. A restaurant scoring under 90% may demand reinspection within five days, and only the health officer may remove a posted grade card.
The health officer shall inspect and grade each restaurant in the city from time to time as he shall deem proper, and shall inspect and grade any restaurant within five days after written demand therefor by the owner, operator or person in charge of any restaurant which received a grade of less than ninety percent on the last inspection. ... The letter A shall indicate a grade of ninety percent, or higher. The letter B shall indicate a grade of less than ninety percent but not less than eighty percent, The letter C shall indicate a grade of less than eighty percent.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4923139; v14 updated 2026-06-24).
Full Breakdown
020 requires the health officer to inspect and grade every restaurant in the city periodically, and to reinspect and re-grade within five days after a written demand from the owner, operator or person in charge, but only if the last inspection scored below ninety percent. 030 through a uniform score sheet the health officer applies to every restaurant. 040(a) sets the letter-grade thresholds by averaging the equipment and methods scores: A for ninety percent or higher, B for 80 to 89%, and C for anything below eighty percent.
Subsection (b) governs the physical card: no more than nine by eleven inches, letters no taller than five inches, with A cards printed in blue, B cards in green, and C cards in red, all on white stock. The card must be posted near a patron entrance where it is conspicuous to entering customers but not unduly conspicuous from outside, and subsection (c) makes it unlawful for anyone but the health officer to remove it; the card form itself carries a printed 'PENALTY FOR REMOVAL' warning, though the chapter does not itself set a dollar fine for removal.
050 lets the health officer charge a fee, set by City Council resolution, to offset the cost of posting cards and related functions beyond what the California Restaurant Act already funds.
Violations & Fines
Removing a posted grade card without authority is unlawful under § 6.06.040(c); the card itself is printed with a 'Penalty for Removal' notice, though Chapter 6.06 does not specify a fine amount for that offense directly in the text reviewed. A restaurant that disputes its posted grade may demand reinspection within five days under § 6.06.020 if its last score fell below ninety percent.
Frequently Asked Questions
What grade does a Palm Springs restaurant need to post an "A" card?
Can a Palm Springs restaurant request a re-inspection to improve its grade?
Can a restaurant owner take down their own grade card in Palm Springs?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palm Springs
California rules heatmap·Compare Palm Springs to another location·View the California public health rules overview
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How other cities in Riverside County handle restaurant grade cards.