Check the suspension action, restoration application and later agency record to determine whether a Chicago food-establishment license was restored. A later inspection result is one step; restoration shows in a separate recorded action. The licensee may apply for restoration with a signed compliance statement. Under Chicago Municipal Code § 7-42-060, the Health Department must reinspect within two business days after it receives that application; the code calls for restoration when that reinspection shows full compliance. The two-day rule is a reinspection clock; reopening depends on what that reinspection finds.
Chicago suspension, restoration application and reinspection records
| Record or action | What it answers | What it leaves open |
|---|---|---|
| Violation notice and inspection report | Which items were found, their classification and correction date | That the license was suspended or later restored |
| Suspension or partial-closure action | What the Health Department ordered closed and when | That a later visit lifted the action |
| Restoration application with compliance statement | That the licensee asked to resume under § 7-42-060 | That the department accepted full compliance |
| Reinspection and subsequent agency action | What the department found after the application, and whether restoration was recorded | A different business’s current license status |
Section 7-42-030 calls for written violation notice, an inspection report, a correction date and priority, priority foundation or core classification. Section 7-42-035 addresses immediate suspension for an imminent health hazard, including an uncorrected priority item at the end of an inspection. The department may instead allow additional correction time if it determines that the priority violation does not pose an imminent health hazard. Read the actual notice to see which action it took. A licensee may request a written extension before the correction period expires, and immediate suspension remains possible where the code allows it.
Read the scope of any order carefully. A held-for-inspection order can concern food or equipment rather than the entire establishment license. Under § 7-42-065, the Commissioner may allow an unaffected portion to remain open after a suspension only if that partial operation would not jeopardize health or safety. Revocation is a separate track from restoration of a suspended license.
Requesting Chicago restoration records from CDPH, BACP or Administrative Hearings
Start with the Chicago Department of Public Health’s food-inspection search and match the establishment and inspection date. The search covers inspection results; license-restoration decisions are recorded elsewhere. For the ordinary result fields and violation lookup, see the Chicago inspection guide.
If the public result leaves the license action unresolved, use the City’s public-records request entry and describe the establishment, address, license number if known, and dates. Request the CDPH inspection report, suspension notice or order, restoration application and reinspection, plus any dated record of the restoration action. The portal identifies CDPH as custodian of food and restaurant inspection reports. It separately lists Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) for business-license disciplinary history and enforcement documents, and Administrative Hearings for any applicable hearing notices or orders. Choose the department that holds the particular record; a hearing or separately posted restoration order exists only in some cases.
For the narrower question of which violation was corrected at a later visit, use the reinspection and follow-up guide. That item-by-item comparison helps you read the reinspection, while the restoration record answers the license question.
Read the dates in order: notice, application receipt, reinspection and recorded license action. The two-business-day rule starts with the department’s receipt of the restoration application. A visit before that application, or an inspection listing without the later action, leaves the restoration question open.
If the question is a new license rather than a restored one, the Chicago license-application inspection guide explains the City’s account-number status tool and how License and Not Ready results appear in public data.
The online code publisher warns that its text may lag official City legislation, so confirm the controlling text and any establishment-specific action with the City or the responsible department. Chicago Municipal Code (2026 S-74) and City pages checked September 29, 2026.