The health code violations inspectors cite most often are about the kitchen’s surfaces, equipment and building: worn or dirty non-food surfaces, floors and walls, plumbing. The violations most closely tied to foodborne illness, such as food held at the wrong temperature, unprotected food, pests and handwashing, come up less often but are far from rare. In New York City, 41% of first inspections in the past year found a food temperature problem and 36% found pest conditions.
We counted every violation on routine inspections from October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026 in five cities’ open data, pulled October 24, 2026: New York City (first inspections of each grading cycle), Chicago (routine restaurant inspections with a result), King County (routine inspections of restaurants and other general food service), Boston (restaurant visits) and LA County (routine restaurant inspections). Austin’s open data has scores only, with no violation detail, so it is left out. The figures are our own count; a second, separately coded count gave the same numbers.
Most common violation types, five cities side by side
Each cell is the share of inspections that cited at least one violation in that group. Item names differ by city, so we grouped them; the rules are at the end of this article.
| Violation group | NYC | Chicago | King County | Boston | LA County |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surfaces and equipment | 77% | 61% | 26% | 52% | 83% |
| Facility upkeep and plumbing | 27% | 65% | 7% | 50% | 72% |
| Food temperature | 41% | 11% | 16% | 15% | 22% |
| Food protection and labeling | 36% | 22% | 14% | 25% | 32% |
| Pests | 36% | 18% | 5% | 19% | 13% |
| Handwashing | 10% | 17% | 8% | 21% | 19% |
| Knowledge, permits and paperwork | 14% | 32% | 12% | 13% | 33% |
| Other | 7% | 23% | 7% | 43% | 35% |
| Inspections counted | 16,035 | 4,788 | 10,605 | 11,615 | 19,611 |
Read the columns within a city rather than across. Cities record violations differently: 47% of King County routine inspections found no violation points at all, while almost every LA County inspection lists at least one item. What holds everywhere is the order: surfaces, equipment and the building lead, and food temperature, protection and pests follow.
The top five items in each city, as written on the report
Share of inspections citing the item, with the group we placed it in.
New York City
- Non-food contact surface or equipment made of unacceptable material, not kept clean, or not properly sealed, r: 54% (surfaces and equipment)
- Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.: 29% (pests)
- Cold TCS food item held above 41 °F; smoked or processed fish held above 38 °F; intact raw eggs held above 45: 26% (food temperature)
- Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when: 25% (surfaces and equipment)
- Food, supplies, or equipment not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation,: 25% (food protection and labeling)
Chicago
- 55. PHYSICAL FACILITIES INSTALLED, MAINTAINED & CLEAN: 48% (facility upkeep and plumbing)
- 47. FOOD & NON-FOOD CONTACT SURFACES CLEANABLE, PROPERLY DESIGNED, CONSTRUCTED & USED: 30% (surfaces and equipment)
- 49. NON-FOOD/FOOD CONTACT SURFACES CLEAN: 27% (surfaces and equipment)
- 51. PLUMBING INSTALLED; PROPER BACKFLOW DEVICES: 20% (facility upkeep and plumbing)
- 58. ALLERGEN TRAINING AS REQUIRED: 18% (knowledge, permits and paperwork)
Seattle and King County
- 3400 – Wiping cloths properly used, stored; sanitizer concentration: 10% (surfaces and equipment)
- 4100 – Warewashing facilities properly installed, maintained, used; sanitizer concentration; test strips avail: 8% (surfaces and equipment)
- 2110 – Proper cold holding temperatures; greater than 45 degrees Fahrenheit (F) (7 degrees Celsius (C)): 7% (food temperature)
- 0600 – Adequate handwashing facilities: 7% (handwashing)
- 0100 – PIC present, demonstrates knowledge and performs duties to maintain AMC; certified manager on staff unl: 6% (knowledge, permits and paperwork)
Boston
- Controlling Pests (Pf): 14% (pests)
- Nonfood Contact Surfaces (C): 14% (surfaces and equipment)
- Floors, Walls and Ceilings-Cleanability (C): 13% (facility upkeep and plumbing)
- Cleaning Ventilation Systems, Nuisance and Discharge Prohibition (C): 12% (facility upkeep and plumbing)
- Repairing-Premises, Structures, Attachments, and Fixtures-Methods (C): 11% (facility upkeep and plumbing)
Los Angeles County
- FLOORS, WALLS AND CEILINGS PROPERLY BUILT, MAINTAINED AND CLEAN: 48% (facility upkeep and plumbing)
- EQUIPMENT/UTENSILS APPROVED: INSTALLED; GOOD REPAIR; CAPACITY: 44% (surfaces and equipment)
- NON-FOOD CONTACT SURFACES CLEAN: 42% (surfaces and equipment)
- PLUMBING: FIXTURES, BACKFLOW DEVICE, DRAINAGE: 30% (facility upkeep and plumbing)
- EQUIPMENT, UTENSILS AND LINENS: STORAGE AND USE: 29% (surfaces and equipment)
Critical violations only
Each city has its own term for the violations most likely to cause illness. We used each city’s own marker where the data has one.
| City | What counts as critical | Inspections with at least one | Most common |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York City | Items flagged Critical in the data; NYC Health describes critical violations as carrying at least 5 points (How We Score and Grade) | 88% | Cold food held above 41°F (26%); food-contact surfaces not sanitized (25%); food not protected (25%) |
| Chicago | Items 1 to 29, the “Foodborne Illness Risk Factors and Public Health Interventions” section of the city’s checklist (Chicago Department of Public Health) | 43% | Handwashing sinks supplied and accessible (16%); food-contact surfaces cleaned and sanitized (13%); Chicago food service sanitation certificate (11%) |
| King County | Red critical violations (King County inspection reporting) | 33% | Cold holding above 45°F (7%); handwashing facilities (7%); person in charge knowledge (6%) |
| Boston | Three-asterisk items, which the data tags as Priority (P) items under the FDA Food Code | 32% | Hot and cold holding (10%); backflow prevention (7%); food separation and packaging (4%) |
| LA County | The violation file has no severity field | Not counted | Not counted |
The 88% in New York City reflects how many NYC items are flagged critical, not dirtier kitchens. Within each city, temperature control, food protection, handwashing and sanitizing make up most of the critical list. Outside New York City, New York State uses its own item codes, listed in our guide to New York State critical violation codes.
What this means when you read an inspection report
- Expect to see surface, equipment and facility items on most reports. They matter for upkeep, but they are the least direct risk to the food on your plate.
- Look first for temperature, food protection, pests and handwashing items, and for each city’s critical marker. Our guide to reading food inspection violations walks through a report.
- Check whether the next visit shows the item corrected. A score alone hides which violations cost the points; see what counts as a good score and the inspection score reader.
- For city detail, see New York City, Chicago, King County, Boston and LA County, or the score scales in 22 programs.
How we grouped the items
| Group | What we put in it |
|---|---|
| Pests | Rodents, insects, flies, harborage and pest control |
| Handwashing | Handwashing sinks, hand washing, hand drying, bare-hand contact |
| Food protection and labeling | Food not protected from contamination, cross-contamination, separation, labeling and original containers, approved source, adulterated food |
| Food temperature | Hot and cold holding, cooling, reheating, time as a public health control |
| Knowledge, permits and paperwork | Person in charge, manager and food handler certificates, training, permits, required records and plans |
| Facility upkeep and plumbing | Floors, walls, ceilings, plumbing and backflow, ventilation and lighting, toilets, garbage, hot and cold water |
| Surfaces and equipment | Food-contact and non-food-contact surfaces, sanitizing, warewashing, wiping cloths, equipment and utensils. Items that cover both food and non-food surfaces, such as Chicago items 47 and 49, also go here |
| Other | Items that fit more than one group or none: thermometers and temperature measuring devices, date marking, thawing, toxic substances, hair restraints, and LA County’s combined “premises; personal/cleaning items; vermin-proofing” item |
Limits: Boston’s data has no visit type, so its visits include follow-ups. NYC counts are first inspections of each grading cycle. Each percentage counts an inspection once per item or group, however many times that item was cited. A sixth city, Cincinnati, is analyzed separately in Cincinnati inspection results and its most cited violations.