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.

What's Covered Here

This page covers restaurants and other food-service businesses inspected under Marin County Environmental Health Services's restaurant program. Small markets, bodegas, and corner stores that sell food are usually inspected under a separate retail food program, which most areas don't publish as open records. If a store you're looking for doesn't turn up in search, that's the most common reason — it may be a real, licensed business that simply isn't part of this particular inspection program.