New York City · DOHMH facility prep · ZIP 100–149
How to get the building ready before a New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene inspection. This page is the facility side: walk-in temperatures and gaskets, hand sinks, grease, the hood, pest gaps, lighting, plumbing leaks, and floors, walls, and ceilings. It does not promise a letter grade.
The Health Department inspects food service establishments and posts a letter grade. Its restaurant grades page says inspectors check that restaurants follow food safety rules, violations carry points, and a lower score is a better grade. Health Code Chapter 23 is the scoring rule. The grading FAQ uses the same point bands.
| Grade | Points | When it is issued |
|---|---|---|
| A | Fewer than 14 (0–13) | Initial inspection or reinspection in that cycle |
| No letter yet | 14 or more on the first visit | Reinspection is scheduled no sooner than 7 days later. Under 14 points on that visit is an A. |
| B | 14–27 | Issued on the reinspection |
| C | 28 or more | Issued on the reinspection |
Article 81, §81.51 says the letter grade card is posted so people can see it before they walk in. It is not defaced, camouflaged, or hidden. If the Department orders the restaurant closed, it does not issue a grade card.
Walk the kitchen with a thermometer and a flashlight. The numbers below are from Article 81. Food-handling steps such as cooking temperatures and hand washing during service are still the operator’s job. This list is the equipment and the room.
§81.18: the refrigerator must hold potentially hazardous food at or below 41°F. Keep gaskets clean and intact, and replace a torn one. Do not block the air. Fans stay clean and running. Shelves are food grade and easy to clean. The thermometer is accurate to ±2°F and reads the warmest air in the box. A walk-in floor that is flushed with water, or that takes melt water, is non-absorbent and sloped to a drain. An outdoor box stays locked and closed to pests.
§81.21: hot and cold potable running water in food preparation, food service, ware washing, and in or next to toilet rooms. A hand sink is no more than 25 feet from any of those work areas. Doors and equipment do not block it. The sink is not a dump sink. A self-closing faucet, if you use one, runs at least 15 seconds without a second push. Soap, single-use towels or a dryer, and a trash can sit at the sink. The towel supply does not require opening a drawer. A wash-hands sign is posted at every hand sink, in English and in the languages the crew reads.
§81.20: discarded grease and oil go out under the law that applies to that waste. Sewage and liquid waste, including refrigerator and ice-machine condensate, go to the sewer so they do not sit on the floor or feed pests. Equipment used to store food hot or cold, or to process food, does not drain straight into the sewer. Those lines are indirect, with no backflow from the sewer. A leak under the pot sink is both a plumbing problem and a pest condition.
§81.19: the kitchen is ventilated so heat, steam, condensation, vapors, odors, smoke, and fumes do not build up. Rooms where those start have mechanical ventilation. The hood is built so grease and condensation do not collect on walls or ceilings and drip into food. Intake and exhaust ducts are kept so they do not pull dust and smoke back in. Filter and belt checks are maintenance. Duct cleaning and the fire-suppression inspection are separate jobs.
§81.23: the restaurant stays free of rodents, insects, and the conditions that support them. That includes piled refuse, cracks, gaps, and holes, plus standing water, grease, food residue, and open food containers. Every door that opens to the outside has a sweep or brush, or a gap no larger than one-eighth of an inch. The permit holder contracts with a pest professional licensed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, keeps that contract on site, and can show a copy that covers at least monthly preventive service.
§81.19: at least 540 lux (50 foot-candles) on surfaces where people cut, slice, grind, or saw. At least 215 lux (20 foot-candles) at buffet and salad-bar surfaces, inside reach-in and under-counter refrigerators, and 30 inches above the floor at hand washing, ware washing, equipment storage, and in toilet rooms. At least 108 lux (10 foot-candles) at 30 inches above the floor in walk-ins, dry storage, and other rooms while they are being cleaned. Bulbs over food or clean utensils are shatter-resistant or shielded, with end caps, so broken glass cannot fall into food.
§81.20: potable water is on, fixtures are connected and drained, and the supply is protected from backflow. Condensate, sink water, and cooking liquids go to the sewer instead of onto the floor. §81.23 treats standing water as a condition that supports pests. A store-side leak is a maintenance call. A landlord riser or a roof the store cannot access is not the store’s equipment.
§81.17(e): floors in food storage, food preparation, utensil washing, walk-ins, dressing rooms, and restrooms are hard, smooth, durable, non-absorbent, and easy to clean. No cracks, holes, or gaps at the wall or around pipes. Carpet is not allowed in food preparation. Mats come up for cleaning. Walls, ceilings, doors, and the inside of a walk-in are smooth, non-absorbent, light colored, and free of holes at the joints and around pipes. Hoods, vents, and light fixtures stay clean and working.
AACG Maintenance is the monthly store visit: refrigeration, HVAC, hood and exhaust, drains and grease, doors and hardware, paint and finishes, and electrical. A fix under 30 minutes on that visit is labor-free. The rows below say when the visit is the right call and when it is a different vendor.
| Facility problem | What to fix | Who handles it |
|---|---|---|
| Walk-in above 41°F, torn gasket, blocked fan, or no thermometer | Close the door, replace the gasket, clear the airflow, and confirm a ±2°F thermometer in the warmest air | The store logs temperatures. The monthly visit checks walk-in temperatures, gaskets, and the evaporator drain. Replacing the box is quoted separately. |
| Hand sink too far, no hot water, blocked, or missing soap, towels, or a sign | Put a working sink within 25 feet, restore hot and cold water, and stock soap, towels, and the sign | Store staff restock soap and towels every shift. A plumbing repair on the store side can go on the visit. A landlord valve the store cannot reach is outside the plan. |
| Grease on the floor, a drain backing up, or an equipment drain tied straight to the sewer | Stop the overflow, keep an indirect drain where Article 81 requires one, and get grease out of the floor | The visit checks under-sink traps and flushes floor drains. Grease interceptor pumping is quoted separately. |
| Hood dripping grease, or the line full of smoke | Clean baffle filters and grease cups, and confirm the fan is drawing. Do not wait on a drip into food. | The visit checks filters, grease cups, and make-up air. Hood duct cleaning and the fire-suppression inspection are not included. |
| Daylight under an outside door, holes around pipes, standing water | Close the gap to one-eighth of an inch or less, or fit a sweep. Seal holes. Remove standing water. | Doors, hardware, and small finish repairs are on the visit. The DEC-licensed pest contract required by §81.23 is a separate agreement. |
| Dim prep light, or a bare bulb over food | Meet the lux levels in §81.19 and shield any bulb that can shatter over food or clean utensils | Electrical is on the visit checklist. Lamp replacements under 30 minutes on that visit are labor-free. |
| Active leak or condensate pooling | Repair the store fixture and route the water to a drain so it cannot contaminate food or feed pests | Drains are on the visit. A building riser, roof, or boiler the landlord controls is not the store plan. |
| Cracked floor, hole at the wall, carpet in prep, open ceiling joint | Repair with a hard, smooth, cleanable surface. No carpet in food preparation. Close holes at pipes. | Paint and finishes are on the visit. A rebuild that is more than a short repair is quoted. |
AACG Maintenance, powered by Fixt, is Basic $745, Standard $945, and Premium $1,495 per store per month. Manhattan adds $25. On-site visits use New York ZIP codes 100–149. Start plan opens Stripe. The quantity is the number of stores. A free first-visit survey is available, or you can request a quote. The quote form does not charge a card.
$745 / store / month
Start plan$945 / store / month
Start plan$1,495 / store / month
Start planHealth Code Chapter 23 says the Department issues an A when the establishment receives fewer than 14 points on the initial inspection or the reinspection in that cycle. The Health Department grading sheet describes the same band as 0 to 13 points. A lower score is a better grade.
Chapter 23 says the Department does not issue a letter grade when the initial inspection is 14 or more points. It schedules a reinspection no sooner than 7 days later. A reinspection under 14 points is an A. On that reinspection, 14 to 27 points is a B and 28 or more points is a C.
Article 81 says a refrigerator must be able to keep potentially hazardous food at or below 41°F and must hold it there. Gaskets must be clean and intact. The unit needs a thermometer accurate to plus or minus 2°F, placed so it reads the air in the warmest part of the box.
Article 81 says a hand washing sink with hot and cold potable running water must be within 25 feet of any food preparation, service, or ware washing area. The path stays clear, and the sink is for hand washing only. Soap, single-use towels or a dryer, a trash can, and a wash-hands sign are required.
No. The AACG visit checks hood filters, grease cups, make-up air, under-sink traps, and floor drains. Hood duct cleaning, fire-suppression inspections, and grease interceptor pumping are quoted separately. Article 81 also requires a pest contract with a professional licensed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. That contract is not the maintenance plan.
Basic is $745, Standard is $945, and Premium is $1,495 per store per month. Manhattan stores add $25. On-site visits use New York ZIP codes 100-149. Start plan opens Stripe, and the quantity is the number of stores. The quote form on the plan page does not charge a card.