St. Clair County, IL Public Health Rules: Restaurant Grade Cards (2026)
Key Facts
- Category I
- 3 inspections a year, high risk
- Category II
- 2 inspections a year, medium risk
- Category III
- 1 inspection a year, low risk
- Criteria source
- 77 Ill. Adm. Code 615.310(b)(3)
- Enforcing agency
- St. Clair County Health Department
- Grade system
- No public letter-grade placard
Summary
St. Clair County does not post A-B-C letter grades on restaurant doors. Instead, Sec. 19-4-4(D) has the Health Department assign every food service establishment, mobile unit, commissary, and retail food store an annual risk category, I, II, or III, and that category sets how many times inspectors show up each year.
(D) Permit Classifications The St. Clair County Health Department shall annually (at minimum) conduct a category assessment for every food service establishment, mobile food establishment, commissary or retail food store operating in St. Clair County, pursuant to the Local Health Protection Grant Rules established by the Illinois Department of Public Health. This assessment will result in the facility being placed into the appropriate category as it relates to food handling operations. A category shall be deemed an appropriate classification of an establishment when at least one criteria item describes that establishment's food handling operations, and in all cases, the highest appropriate category will apply. The criteria for the risk assessment is as determined in the Illinois Adm. Code 77, section 615.310 (b)3, and subsequent revisions.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 19-4-4(D) requires the St. Clair County Health Department to run a category assessment at least once a year on every food service establishment, mobile food establishment, commissary, and retail food store in the county, using the criteria the Illinois Department of Public Health sets at 77 Ill. Adm. 310(b)(3). An establishment lands in the highest category any of its operations qualify for. Category I covers complex handling, cooking, cooling and reheating time/temperature-control-for-safety foods, extensive raw-ingredient handling, or service to a highly susceptible population such as a nursing home or day care, and draws three inspections a year.
Category II covers food mostly prepared and served immediately, with limited hot/cold holding, and draws two inspections a year. Category III covers heating only commercially prepared food, prepackaged time/temperature-control items, or beverages and snack foods with no real preparation, and draws one inspection a year. The county layers a size class on top, large (75+ seats or 11+ employees for retail), medium, and small, which also drives the fee an establishment pays; an operator that fits two categories pays the higher one, and a concession running fewer than 95 days a year pays half the normal category fee.
Sec. 19-4-4(A) still requires the underlying permit itself, not a grade card, to be posted in a conspicuous place where every customer can see it.
Violations & Fines
Operating without the required permit, or letting a permit lapse past its December 31 expiration, is a misdemeanor under Sec. 19-4-6: a fine of $200 to $1,000, with every additional day of operation counted as its own offense. A category is not a one-time label either; the Health Department reassesses it during required inspections, and repeated violations found at reinspection can trigger permit suspension or revocation with a right to a hearing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does St. Clair County post A, B, C grades at restaurants?
How does the county decide a restaurant's risk category?
How often is a Category I establishment inspected?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Clair County
Compare St. Clair County to another location·View the Illinois public health rules overview
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