How grading works in Santa Clara County.

Start with the local scale

Santa Clara County (including San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, and Mountain View) uses a color placard. Green means Pass. Yellow means Conditional Pass: significant violations were found and a follow-up inspection is required. Red means the business was Closed. Violations marked major are the most serious.

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.