Santa Ana restaurants are inspected by the Orange County Health Care Agency, which posts an A, B, or C placard at the entrance based on routine inspection scores.
Every food facility operating in Santa Ana falls under OC Health Care Agency Environmental Health jurisdiction. Inspectors visit restaurants at least twice a year and score them against the California Retail Food Code. Scores convert into a colored placard: A (90-100), B (80-89), or C (below 80) that must be posted in clear public view at the main entrance. Violations involving rodents, sewage, or unsafe holding temperatures can trigger immediate closure until reinspection. Operators may request a regrade after correcting cited items.
Removing or hiding the placard, refusing entry to inspectors, operating after a closure order, or failing to correct major violations within the timeframe given on the inspection report.
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