Use Contra Costa Health’s official food facility inspection search with the restaurant’s licensed name or street address. Confirm the facility and city, then open each dated inspection rather than relying on a single summary row. Read violations, correction information, and later follow-up together.
The official Food Facility Inspection Search states the online coverage date directly on the search screen. At the September 21, 2026 review, it described a rolling five-year inspection window. Record the coverage date shown when you search because it changes over time.
Search by name, then use the address to confirm the facility
- Copy the restaurant’s street address, city, and ZIP code.
- Enter the licensed facility name. Add street name, city, or ZIP code if the result list is broad.
- Match the address before selecting a facility. Keep branches and former operators separate.
- Open each available inspection and preserve the date, visit type, violations, and correction information.
- Read later follow-up or closure records before describing the restaurant’s current status.
A storefront name can differ from the licensed facility name, and the same chain can have several Contra Costa County locations. A name match without the address is not enough to attribute an inspection to the intended restaurant.
Read the dated history, not just the newest row
| Record item | What to verify |
|---|---|
| Facility identity | Licensed name, street address, city, and any facility identifier shown. |
| Inspection date and type | Separate routine inspections, complaints, reinspections, and enforcement visits. |
| Violation or observation | Read the report text and severity language used by Contra Costa Health. |
| Correction or follow-up | Determine whether the item was corrected during the visit or addressed on a later inspection. |
| Closure information | Check the county’s closure listing and any later reopening or follow-up entry. |
An inspection documents conditions observed at a specific visit. It does not guarantee current conditions, and an older violation should not be described as unresolved when a later county record documents correction.
Read the color placard and the visit behind it
Contra Costa Health posts inspection results on a color-coded placard at permanent retail food facilities, and mobile food facilities that prepare, cook or heat food receive one too (Contra Costa Health restaurant inspections). The county’s placarding FAQ ties each color to major critical risk factor violations, such as unsafe food temperatures, handwashing and cross-contamination:
- Green (pass): no more than one major critical risk factor violation was found.
- Yellow (conditional pass): two or more major critical risk factor violations were found.
- Red (closed): a critical risk factor was found and couldn’t be corrected immediately. The health permit is suspended and the facility can’t operate while the suspension stands.
- White: placard pending.
A yellow placard at a routine inspection leads to a re-placard inspection within 10 business days. If that visit finds one or fewer major critical violations, the facility earns green. If not, yellow stays posted until the next routine inspection, according to the county’s placard program sheet.
So the color in the window belongs to the most recent routine or re-placard visit, and it can stay up for months. Before you describe a restaurant by its placard, open the search record for that visit’s date and findings, and check whether a re-placard inspection followed. The placard color doesn’t list the violations; the report does.
Check the online coverage window
The search page publishes a date-based coverage statement rather than promising a complete lifetime history. If you need an older report, record the oldest date covered by the portal and contact Contra Costa Environmental Health (2120 Diamond Blvd, Suite 100, Concord; 925-608-5500) or use its public-records route for the missing period.
A blank result can also reflect a spelling variation, former business name, wrong city, or facility outside Contra Costa County. Try the street name or a shorter facility name once, then confirm jurisdiction instead of treating database silence as a clean record. If the address is across the line in Alameda County, use our Alameda County inspection search guide instead.
Use the county closure listing when the report mentions closure
The official search page links a summarized facility closure listing for Contra Costa County. Use it as a second route when a report or news item mentions closure. Match the facility address and dates, and look for the later inspection or reopening record before stating that a closure is current.
Save a reproducible Contra Costa search
Keep the search term, matched name and address, online coverage date, inspection dates and types reviewed, closure or follow-up entry, source URL, and access date. These fields let another reader repeat the search without mixing branches or presenting an out-of-window result as a complete history.
For general interpretation after the correct county record is open, use the restaurant health inspection report guide and the food inspection reports and violations guide. Contra Costa Health remains the source for the establishment-specific facts.
Last reviewed October 20, 2026.