How grading works in Marin County.

Start with the local scale

Marin County (San Rafael, Novato, Mill Valley and more) posts a color placard after each inspection: green means pass, yellow means a conditional pass with a follow-up required, and red means the business was closed until problems were fixed. Each violation is marked major or minor.

A score is not universal

Never compare results between cities. Some departments add points for violations, others use pass/fail, and a lower score can mean a better result.

Read beyond the latest result

Check the inspection date, each recorded violation, and any follow-up inspection. Closures and re-inspections are labeled in each restaurant’s history.