Public Health Seattle King County inspects every food establishment 1-3 times yearly, scoring violations numerically. Since 2017, restaurants must post a color-coded sign — Excellent, Good, OK, or Needs Improvement — at the entrance.
Public Health-Seattle King County (PHSKC) regulates food safety under WAC 246-215 statewide rules and King County Board of Health Code 5.04. Every Seattle restaurant, bar, food truck, school cafeteria, and grocery deli is inspected one to three times per year unannounced. Inspectors score violations numerically: red (priority) violations weighted heaviest. Since January 2017, PHSKC requires every food establishment to post one of four color/face-rated placards at the entrance based on a rolling four-inspection average — Excellent (smiley), Good, OK, or Needs Improvement (frowny). The system replaced single-inspection grades to capture sustained performance. Closures occur for sewage backups, pest infestations, or imminent health hazards.
Failed inspection: warning to closure depending on severity. Operating without permit: $300+. Refusing to post placard: $250-$1,000. Repeated red violations: license suspension or revocation.
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