North Carolina’s Food Establishments Inspections dashboard is a set of summary views, not one establishment’s inspection report. Its activity, findings, score and establishment charts count different things. Before comparing two numbers, write down whether each counts inspections, violations, visits or establishments, and which filters were selected. For a particular dated visit, use the responsible county’s record instead.
Choose the view that answers your question
The portal has two category tabs: Inspection activities and Inspection findings. Within them, choose the report whose unit matches your question:
| Report | What its labels distinguish |
|---|---|
| Activities → Inspections | Field activities include inspections, reinspections and visits. The glossary says a visit is not a complete inspection or health rating. |
| Findings → Violations | Violation counts and point deductions. |
| Findings → Sanitation Scores & Establishment Performance | Score distribution counts Inspections; the performance pie counts Establishments that improved, declined or did not change. |
| Findings → Establishment Metrics | County breakdowns of establishment and score metrics. |
The activities glossary limits its reinspection definition to permit-holder-requested inspections during a designated period. Use that meaning for this dashboard; ask about the event type in a different system before equating the two. The reviewed performance glossary does not explain the comparison formula or baseline. A category therefore cannot identify which reports changed or certify one restaurant’s condition.
Keep the filter state beside every number
Suppose a reader selects 2025 and sees a score chart and a performance pie. No observed 2025 count is reproduced here. In a notebook, make two rows. For each chart, record the tab and report title, Calendar Year, Month, County, Establishment Type and Status choices shown, plus the date you viewed it and the unit printed on the chart. If a control says All, write All rather than silently assuming every item in a different report has the same scope.
Only then compare like with like. A county change or a different establishment-type choice can alter the population. A month filter can turn an annual-looking heading into a narrower slice. Even when the filters match, an inspection count and an establishment count remain different measures. Dividing or subtracting them will not reconstruct individual reports or show whether a specific place improved.
If a displayed result surprises you, keep the screen’s labels in your notes instead of copying a bare number. Check the glossary for the exact report and repeat the view with the same choices before citing it. When preparing your own chart, label the numerator, denominator, period and exclusions. Keep any calculation you make separate from the values the publisher displays. A total you compute requires its own explanation and should not inherit an official label automatically.
Move from a statewide pattern to a county record
For an individual Durham location, start from the county’s Environmental Health page and its linked food-establishment list. Match the name and address with the displayed State ID and establishment type, then set an appropriate date range. Open a dated event to read its items and marked details; do not transplant a statewide chart’s category onto that row. The county listing also warns that a grade does not apply to every establishment type. A blank grade therefore needs its own explanation, not an assumed failing score.
The Wake County inspection-search guide shows how a county lookup and State ID help match a local result. A separate North Carolina institutional-food guide addresses a different record type; it is not a substitute for the dashboard’s denominator. Keep the correct agency and facility type attached to the record you are reading.
If the dated item you need is missing from the visible list, Durham County’s public records page provides a route to search available county records or describe an existing record for a request. Include the establishment’s identifying details, the relevant date or range and the document sought. That is a request path, not a promise that a particular report exists, is complete or can be released. The linked route is for readers who need the underlying file; submitting a request does not guarantee release.
For a county-level example built from the same kind of records, see Wake County restaurant inspection scores by town.
The state dashboard, county list and a county record answer different questions. None certifies current food safety from a historical score, a missing grade, or an aggregate change category. Official pages and glossary observations were checked October 5, 2026; no named facility result or current operating status was verified.