Pasadena, CA Public Health Rules: Restaurant Grade Cards (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- Pasadena Municipal Code Chapter 8.13, adopted 2003
- Posting location
- Within 5 feet of the front door
- Covered businesses
- Restaurants, delis, fast food, bars, bakeries, markets
- Violation
- Misdemeanor or administrative citation under Chapter 1.26
- Removal penalty
- Suspension or revocation of health permit
- Report validity
- Until the next routine inspection
Summary
Every retail food establishment in Pasadena, from restaurants to bakeries and markets, must post the health department's inspection summary report where patrons can see it. Chapter 8.13 requires posting within 5 feet of the front door, bars removal of the report, and lets inspectors close a business immediately if public health is at risk.
Upon completion of a routine inspection by the health officer or his/her designee, the city shall issue to the retail food establishment an inspection summary report which the business owner or representative shall cause to be posted inside the site so as to be conspicuous to the general public and to patrons entering or using the establishment. ... It shall be unlawful for an establishment to operate unless the inspection summary report is posted as set forth in this section. Removal of the inspection summary report is prohibited and may result in the suspension or revocation of the establishment's public health permit.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 79 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Pasadena adopted the health inspection report posting ordinance in 2003 (Ord. 6959) after a city Public Health Department survey showed strong resident interest in a grading program like Los Angeles County's. 040, once a routine inspection is complete, the city issues the establishment an inspection summary report that the owner or a representative must post inside the site so it is 'conspicuous to the general public and to patrons,' meaning visible on the front door or window, or in a display case, within five feet of the front door, or wherever the health officer directs.
Shared-entrance businesses get the report posted in the initial patron contact area. The underlying public health department inspection report must be kept on site and shown to any patron who asks. 050 makes it unlawful to operate unless the summary report is posted, and bars removing, defacing or hiding it, warning that doing so can lead to suspension or revocation of the establishment's public health permit. 060 keeps the posted report valid until the next routine inspection replaces it. The health officer and the environmental health division manager enforce the chapter and may enter the premises to inspect.
Violations & Fines
Operating without the required posting, or removing, defacing or hiding the inspection summary report, is a misdemeanor under Section 8.13.080, though the city can instead pursue it through the administrative citation process in Chapter 1.26 before a city-appointed hearing officer. Removal alone can also cost the business its public health permit through suspension or revocation, independent of any criminal or citation track.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do all Pasadena restaurants have to post inspection results?
What happens if a Pasadena restaurant removes its posted report?
Can the public see the full inspection report, not just the summary?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pasadena
California rules heatmap·Compare Pasadena to another location·View the California public health rules overview
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Restaurant Grade Cards in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle restaurant grade cards.