Georgia restaurants are scored out of 100 on one statewide inspection form. A score of 90–100 is an A, 80–89 a B, 70–79 a C, and 69 or less a U (unsatisfactory). Points come off in fixed amounts: 9 for each subcategory-1 risk-factor item marked out, 4 for each subcategory-2 item, 1 to 3 for each good retail practice item, and 2 more when a risk-factor problem repeats from the last routine visit. Most counties publish reports on the Department of Public Health’s statewide inspection search; Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale use their own portal.
Where to find a Georgia restaurant’s inspection report
- For most of Georgia, open DPH’s statewide inspection search and search the restaurant name. Fulton County’s “Latest Restaurant Scores” page and Cobb & Douglas Public Health’s inspection scores page both lead to this same system.
- For a restaurant in Gwinnett, Newton or Rockdale County, use the GNR inspection portal. DPH notes these three counties are outside the statewide search.
- Open the report, note the date and the visit type (routine or follow-up), and read the items marked out of compliance.
At the restaurant itself, the most recent report has to hang within 15 feet of the front or main public door, 5 to 7 feet off the floor, where it can be read from 1 foot away. At a drive-thru, at least the top third must be visible from each window (Rule 511-6-1-.02(1)(d)). The addendum with detailed findings is available from the restaurant on request.
Georgia’s A, B, C and U grade bands
Rule 511-6-1-.10(2)(l) sets the bands. DPH revised its food service rules on February 12, 2025, to adopt the 2022 FDA Food Code (DPH food service page).
| Score | Grade | Rule wording |
|---|---|---|
| 90–100 | A | Food safety excellence |
| 80–89 | B | Satisfactory compliance |
| 70–79 | C | Marginal compliance |
| 69 or less | U | Unsatisfactory compliance |
How many points each Georgia violation costs
- Risk factor and public health intervention items, subcategory 1: 9 points (Rule .10(2)(h)).
- Risk factor and public health intervention items, subcategory 2: 4 points.
- Good retail practice items: 1 to 3 points each.
- Repeats: 2 more points when one or more risk-factor violations in a category repeat from the previous routine inspection, and 1 more for a repeated good retail practice category (Rule .10(2)(m)).
“Repeat” means the same provision was cited on the previous routine inspection. DPH’s marking instructions (revised February 27, 2025) say a new problem found on a follow-up visit isn’t marked as a repeat. Correction deadlines are fixed too: priority items at the inspection or within up to 72 hours, priority foundation items within up to 10 calendar days, and core items within 72 hours (Rule .10(2)(i)–(j)).
What it takes to move from an A to a U
Because every deduction is a fixed number, you can work backward from a score. The table applies the rule’s point values to sample reports; the scores are our arithmetic from those values.
| Items marked on the report | Points off | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| One 9-point risk factor | 9 | 91 | A |
| One 9-point and one 4-point risk factor | 13 | 87 | B |
| Two 9-point risk factors in different subcategories | 18 | 82 | B |
| One 9-point risk factor repeated from the last routine visit, plus one new 9-point item in another subcategory | 20 | 80 | B |
| Two 9-point and one 4-point risk factor in different subcategories, plus two 1-point retail items | 24 | 76 | C |
| Three 9-point and one 4-point risk factor in different subcategories | 31 | 69 | U |
The rule doesn’t say whether two violations under one lettered subcategory are charged twice, so these examples use separate subcategories.
A restaurant can post an A with a 9-point risk-factor violation on the same report, so the letter alone hides that finding. A U takes at least 31 points off, for example three 9-point items plus one 4-point item, or eight 4-point items. When you compare two restaurants, open the reports and count the 9-point items rather than comparing letters.
What happens after a C or U grade in Georgia
- A C or U on a routine inspection leads to a follow-up, which is a complete inspection. After a C, the health department decides when to return. After a U, the follow-up must happen within 10 days (Rule .10(2)(c)).
- The follow-up score and grade go on a new report, which also lists the last two grades and scores (Rule .10(2)(n)). If only an informal check is possible, the restaurant keeps its previous grade (Rule .10(2)(o)).
- If a U isn’t raised to at least a C within 10 days, the restaurant may be asked to close voluntarily until everything is corrected. A U on two routine inspections in a row means it will be asked to close (Rule .10(2)(p)).
- A C or U adds at least one more routine inspection over the next 12 months (Rule .10(2)(b)).
- The same violation on three routine inspections in a row can lead to permit suspension or revocation (Rule .10(2)(m)), and an imminent health hazard allows an immediate suspension (Rule .10(1)(b)). Our guide to Georgia permit suspension and reopening records covers how to read those decisions.
How often Georgia inspects a restaurant
Routine inspections follow the establishment’s risk type: Type I once a year, Type II twice a year, and Type III (operations that need a HACCP plan) three times a year (Rule .10(2)(a)–(b)). A new restaurant gets its first routine inspection within 60 days of opening. After three A grades in a row, the health department may cut Type II to one routine inspection a year and Type III to two, until a lower grade comes back.
Georgia health districts and where each one points you
County environmental health offices inside 18 public health districts run the inspections. The table lists the 10 districts that cover Atlanta, Savannah, Augusta, Athens, Columbus and Macon.
| District | Counties | Where reports are posted |
|---|---|---|
| 3-1 Cobb & Douglas (Marietta) | Cobb, Douglas | Statewide search; see our Cobb County guide |
| 3-2 Fulton (Atlanta) | Fulton | Statewide search, through the Fulton page; see our Fulton County guide |
| 3-3 Clayton (Jonesboro) | Clayton | Statewide search |
| 3-4 Gwinnett, Newton, Rockdale (Lawrenceville) | Gwinnett, Newton, Rockdale | GNR portal; see our Gwinnett County guide |
| 3-5 DeKalb (Decatur) | DeKalb | Statewide search; see our DeKalb County guide |
| 9-1 Coastal (Savannah) | Chatham, Glynn and 6 more | Statewide search |
| 6 East Central (Augusta) | Richmond, Columbia and 11 more | Statewide search |
| 10 Northeast (Athens) | Clarke, Oconee and 8 more | Statewide search |
| 7 West Central (Columbus) | Muscogee and 15 more | Statewide search |
| 5-2 North Central (Macon) | Bibb, Houston and 11 more | Statewide search |
Food trucks that move between counties follow the same grades; our Georgia food truck inspection guide explains which county holds those records, and our food service vs manufacturing records guide covers businesses that Georgia Agriculture inspects instead of DPH.
Georgia’s certified food safety manager rule
Most Georgia food service establishments need at least one employee with supervisory and management responsibility who is a Certified Food Safety Manager (Rule 511-6-1-.03(3)). A restaurant has 60 days to get one after its permit is issued, after an ownership change, or after its manager leaves, and the original certificate is posted in public view. Mobile units that don’t process food, places serving only non-TCS food that needs limited preparation or TCS food already prepared in another permitted establishment, and temporary events are exempt. The rules set no statewide food handler card. Our food manager certification comparison shows how this rule compares with other states, and the scoring systems comparison sets Georgia’s scale beside other programs.
Georgia DPH rules and district pages checked October 30, 2026.