Following up on what the city of Houston did a year or so ago (thanks to some prodding by KHOU-11), KHOU reports Harris County will now be posting health department restaurant inspections online as well:
Now you can find the reports on the almost 6,300 retail food establishments in unincorporated Harris County and the 20 smaller cities in which HCPHES conducts food inspections.
Each restaurant is inspected one to six times a year.
Dr. Herminia Palacio, Executive Director of HCPHES, said, “While an inspection is simply a snapshot of the conditions of a food establishment at a particular point in time, we are excited about bringing this capability to Harris County residents. This new service will help them make informed choices about a food establishment prior to dining there.”
Here’s how it works “0” means no violations
Each violation is worth a number of demerits.
So, the higher your score, the more problems or violations a restaurant has.
The county says a score of more than 20 is a problem. “If the situation is really bad we have the ability to go get a court injunction or to commence the process of either suspending or revoking the permit of an establishment,” said one county worker.
Here’s the link to the county’s page where you can search inspections.
