Restaurant owner FAQ
Questions restaurant owners ask
Short answers to what Florida restaurant owners ask after a pest citation or closure. Each links to a guide with the full detail.
The answers below are general information about how Florida restaurant inspections work, not legal advice. Your inspection report and your local office have the final word on your case.
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Questions people ask
What does violation code 35 mean?
It is the pest category on a Florida restaurant inspection. Its lines start with 35A and describe what the inspector saw, such as live or dead roaches, rodent droppings or flies. See cited for pests.
I got a warning. Am I in trouble?
A warning means you have a deadline to correct the problem before a call-back visit. If it is corrected by then, the matter closes. Start treatment and cleanup now, not the day before.
What is a call-back inspection?
A follow-up visit to check that the problems on the report were corrected. After a closure, the call back is what lets you reopen. See preparing for your re-inspection.
Why was I closed instead of warned?
Closures are for conditions the inspector judges to be an immediate threat, such as live roaches or rodent activity in food areas, or a problem that was still there after a warning. See how to reopen fast.
How much is the fine?
If an administrative complaint is filed, Florida law allows fines of up to $1,000 per offense, plus a required food safety course at your expense. Not every citation leads to a fine.
Can I keep serving while I fix a warning?
Yes, a warning does not close the restaurant. A closure does, until a re-inspection passes.
How do I choose a pest control company?
Check license and insurance, restaurant experience, a written plan, callbacks between visits, and a service report after every visit. See how to choose.
How does the quote form work?
You tell us what happened, where, and how soon you need help. Up to 3 licensed pest control companies that serve your county can contact you by phone or email. We do not send texts, and it is free for restaurants.
Who pays for this?
Not you. Pest control companies pay us to receive quote requests. Restaurants never pay to use this site or the quote form.
Do you share my details with anyone else?
Only with the pest control companies, up to 3, that receive your request, and only so they can contact you about it. Read the privacy policy.
Related
Cited for pests on a restaurant inspection: what happens next
What a Florida pest citation (violation code 35) means, how warnings, call-back visits, administrative complaints and fines work, and what to do this week.
Closed for roaches or rodents: how to reopen fast
Your Florida restaurant was closed by emergency order for pests. What the order means, the order of work that gets a passing call back, and how to ask for it.
Preparing for your re-inspection
A checklist for the day before a Florida restaurant call-back inspection after a pest citation or closure: treatment, cleanup, sealing, paperwork and staff.
How to choose a commercial pest control company
What a Florida restaurant should ask a pest control company: license and insurance, contract terms, service frequency, logbooks and what a good provider leaves on file.