Close to half of Schenectady County’s routine restaurant inspections found at least one critical, or “red,” violation: 133 of 297 (44.8%) between October 1, 2025 and September 30, 2026, against 27.1% for New York outside New York City and above Albany (17.7%), Rensselaer (23.7%) and Saratoga (35.6%). A quarter of inspections (25.3%) found two or more reds. Most restaurants got one routine inspection in the year, and the data shows a follow-up within 60 days after just one of the 133 inspections with a red.
These are our counts from the New York State Department of Health dataset Food Service Establishment Inspections: Beginning 2005 (rows updated October 22, 2026, inspections through October 16). Schenectady reports skip grades and scores and list red (critical) and blue (other) items.
| Schenectady County, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026 | Result |
|---|---|
| Routine restaurant inspections | 297 at 252 restaurants |
| At least one red violation | 133 (44.8%); state outside NYC 27.1% |
| Two or more red violations | 25.3%; state 10.6% |
| Average reds when any were found | 2.3 |
| No violation of any kind | 14.1%; state 24.2% |
| Restaurants inspected only once (routine) in the year | 209 of 252 |
| Any inspection within 60 days of a red | 1 of 133 |
How to find a Schenectady County restaurant inspection
Schenectady County Public Health Services’ Food Services page says its Environmental Health unit issues food permits, conducts routine inspections and responds to complaints. Its “View Restaurant Inspections” link opens the state’s Last Inspection list filtered to the county.
- Use that link, or open Food Service Establishment: Last Inspection and choose SCHENECTADY in the County filter.
- Find the restaurant by name or street. The Municipality column separates SCHENECTADY from ROTTERDAM, GLENVILLE and NISKAYUNA.
- Look at the critical-violation count first, then critical violations not corrected and noncritical violations; the Violations field names each item.
- Note the inspection date: 209 of the county’s 252 restaurants had a single routine visit in the year.
For a copy of a report or a complaint, contact the Environmental Health Services Division at (518) 386-2818, Schaffer Heights, 107 Nott Terrace, Suite 300, Schenectady.
Cross-contamination and damaged cans lead Schenectady’s red items
Item 2C, cooked or prepared food exposed to cross-contamination from raw food, appeared in 54 of 297 inspections, four and a half times the state rate. Item 1D, cans that leak or are swollen, rusted or severely dented, appeared in 43, eleven times the state rate.
| Red item | Schenectady County | State outside NYC |
|---|---|---|
| 2C Cooked food exposed to raw food | 18.2% | 4.0% |
| 1D Swollen, leaking or badly dented cans | 14.5% | 1.3% |
| 4A Toxic chemicals stored where they could contaminate food | 12.5% | 3.8% |
| 5A Cold food above 45°F | 9.1% | 3.6% |
| 6A Hot food below 140°F | 8.8% | 3.0% |
| 1H Food from an unapproved source or spoiled | 8.4% | 3.6% |
| 5C Cold food left at room temperature | 6.1% | 7.0% |
Among blue items, 8A (food not protected during storage, preparation or service) appeared in 57.9% of inspections against 26.5% statewide, 11B (dirty wiping cloths or cloths kept out of sanitizer) in 32.0% against 7.5%, and 9B (eating, drinking or smoking in food preparation areas) in 18.2% against 2.5%. The guide to New York State critical violation codes describes every red item in the table above.
City of Schenectady at 53.5%, then Niskayuna, Rotterdam and Glenville
| Municipality (state listing) | Inspections | Red rate | No violation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schenectady | 142 | 53.5% | 12.0% |
| Niskayuna | 25 | 44.0% | 16.0% |
| Rotterdam | 71 | 38.0% | 11.3% |
| Glenville | 53 | 34.0% | 22.6% |
Even the lowest of the four sits above the state’s 27.1%. Niskayuna’s 44.0% comes from 11 reds in 25 inspections.
Schenectady’s annual visit and two re-inspection records
Of 252 restaurants, 209 had one routine inspection in the year and 41 had two. After the 133 inspections that found a red, one had another inspection within 60 days, and 26 had any later inspection by October 16, 2026. The dataset lists two re-inspection records for the county all year. Only one inspection ended with a red still uncorrected, so the reds on these reports were almost all marked fixed during the visit.
Where a restaurant did have a second routine inspection, a red the first time was followed by another red 21 times out of 24. The sample is small. Read it next to the inspection date, since most Schenectady rows describe the only routine visit of the year.
What Schenectady County requires of restaurants
- At least one person at each food service establishment must hold an approved food safety training certificate, submitted with the first permit application and again with every yearly renewal. Saratoga County has no such requirement yet.
- Most food service establishment permits cost $215 a year, more for seating over 100 or a frozen dessert machine. Catering permits cost $365 a year, mobile permits $190 and temporary event permits $90 per event.
- Event permits need at least two weeks to process, longer when a new kitchen or mobile unit needs plan review. Operating in Schenectady County takes a Schenectady County permit, even with a valid permit from another county.
Applications go through the county’s online Citizen Portal, linked from the Food Services page.
How we counted
We kept routine inspections (type “Inspection”) of permits described as Restaurant, Restaurant/Catering Operation, Tavern or Food Service Establishment, dated October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026, one inspection per operation per date. A return visit is any later inspection of the same operation within 60 days; the next-inspection comparison uses the next routine inspection through October 16, 2026. The dataset lists active permits, so restaurants that closed drop out.
See how other counties compare in our county-by-county comparison for New York outside New York City, including neighboring Albany County. For a complaint, call the number above or use the state’s food complaint page.
New York State Department of Health data and Schenectady County Public Health Services pages checked October 25, 2026.