For a restaurant in Benton or Franklin County, start with the Benton-Franklin Health District inspection page and follow its link to the public report search. Match the establishment before comparing dated inspections. The district’s published follow-up rules use red-item points; the portal’s displayed Score & Grade field has not been verified as that red subtotal.
Confirm which facility the record describes
The district’s Food Safety program inspects more than restaurants: its stated scope includes grocery stores, convenience stores, and school food service. A familiar brand or building name is therefore only a starting point. Decide whether you need the restaurant, a store’s food operation, or a school kitchen, then match that operation and location to the record. When an entry is unclear, ask the program which facility it represents before combining its history with another listing. A similar name alone does not establish that two records belong together.
Open the dated report, not just the permit entry
The district’s search portal offers a search box, date range, and purpose filter with Routine, Follow-up, and Pre-Operational choices. Its establishment card separates the name-linked permit entry from View most recent Inspection Result. Open the result for the dated observations, then check for a later visit before treating an older finding as unresolved.
Both reports in the example below display the visit date and purpose, Score & Grade, Observations & Corrective Actions, Additional Comments, and numbered checklist items. Read each item’s IN, OUT, or N/A marking alongside the observation and correction note. Save the address, visit date, purpose, and item text for the establishment you actually meant to check. The site’s guide to reading inspection findings explains why a cited item and its later correction should remain separate dated facts.
What one later follow-up actually records
During an AI-assisted remote check on October 5, 2026, we searched Basin City Hot Spot and read two dated reports. This was a record lookup, not a restaurant visit or meal. The permit history for Basin City Hot Spot identifies 7380 Road 170, Mesa, WA 99343. Open that history to reach both dates; the most-recent-result link alone leads to the October visit.
The July 14, 2026 Routine report records item 04 after a worker took payment and then put on gloves for ready-to-eat food without properly washing hands. Its corrective action says the worker stopped, washed properly, and put on gloves before returning to food handling. Item 17 cites chicken skewers at 125°F and mini tacos at 130°F in hot holding; the report says they were reheated to 165°F for at least 15 seconds and returned to hot holding. Item 25 records nonfood-grade bleach used for warewashing. Its correction note calls for stopping use and obtaining the correct bleach by the next operating day; that July report alone does not show whether the replacement was later obtained.
The October 3, 2026 report is explicitly labeled Follow-up. Its checklist marks 04, 17, and 25 “Corrected.” It separately marks 17A OUT / COS and describes three trays of bone-in wings at 130°F, reheated to 165°F for at least 15 seconds and returned to hot holding. Read the checklist and observations together: a Follow-up can document corrected items and still contain another finding from that visit. It does not say what prompted the October inspection, prove continuing compliance, or establish a closure or reopening order. Do not treat the portal’s Score & Grade display as the policy’s red-point subtotal without verification.
Where the follow-up rule changes
The district’s Food Safety Enforcement Policy is Rev. 2, effective May 23, 2023. This published edition excludes temporary food establishments.
| Event | Published red-point rule | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Routine, complaint, or other inspection | 35 or more requires follow-up | Follow-up |
| Follow-up | 25 or more, or one repeated red violation worth 10 or more, fails | Next action |
| Any inspection | 85 or more starts probation through the next two routine inspections; another 85 or more on probation suspends the permit | Permit action |
Red risk-factor items 1–27 need immediate correction or an approved schedule. Blue items 28–50 generally need correction before the next routine inspection or on an approved schedule. Neither is a letter grade. If a report lacks a red subtotal, do not substitute Score & Grade or declare a policy failure.
A follow-up is not a reopening order
Under the published policy, an imminent hazard requires stopping operations and notifying the district. District-required closure needs written approval before reopening; suspended-permit reinstatement requires an approved risk control plan. Keep the inspection, follow-up, action, and authorization in order. The site’s closure and permit-suspension guide helps distinguish those documents. A later inspection alone does not establish permission to resume operations.
When the online history does not answer the question
The district says online reports are available from January 2019. That is an archive starting point, not a promise that every record is online. The portal can open with a narrower date range, so check the range before concluding there is no history. The district says posting usually finishes by midweek, as late as Thursday night and occasionally Friday afternoon. A very recent visit may therefore need another check.
For a missing or older report, the district says complete inspection reports can be viewed at its Environmental Health office. Its public-records page also describes requests in person, in writing, or electronically. Identify the establishment, address, date range, and the inspection or enforcement document needed. No request was submitted for this guide, and no delivery time is promised here.
A dated inspection is not a guarantee of current food safety.
Sources and public report example checked October 5, 2026.