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Santa Cruz County, Arizona

The Score Behind Every Table.

Data verified: April 2026

ArizonaFour-Tier RatingAAC R9-8 (ADHS)

Santa Cruz County — Fire Safety & Food Safety

Food Safety: Santa Cruz County Health Services

Fire Safety: Nogales Fire Department / Santa Cruz County Fire Districts / Arizona State Fire Marshal

US-Mexico border food safety — Santa Cruz County kitchen leaders navigate cross-border commerce, bilingual communities, and ADHS inspections in Arizona's southernmost county.

The Score Behind Every Table.

Food Safety

Evaluation

Four-Tier Rating

Public Posting

No mandate

Inspection Frequency

Risk-based

Facilities

150+

Fire Safety

Fire Code

IFC (AZ)

Cleaning Standard

NFPA 96

Cleaning Frequency

Per NFPA 96 Table 12.4

Authority

Nogales Fire Department / Santa Cruz County Fire Districts / Arizona State Fire Marshal

Four-Tier Ratings

Santa Cruz County follows the ADHS statewide four-tier rating system: Excellent, Satisfactory, Needs Improvement, and Unacceptable. Based on the 1999 FDA Food Code. Contact: 520-375-7900.

E

No critical violations. Facility demonstrates strong food safety practices.

S

Minor violations noted but no immediate health risk.

N

Multiple or significant violations requiring corrective action.

U

Critical violations posing immediate health risk.

Fire Safety

Fire Authority

Nogales Fire Department / Santa Cruz County Fire Districts / Arizona State Fire Marshal

Nogales has its own fire department. Rural areas including Tubac and Patagonia rely on county fire districts and the Arizona State Fire Marshal.

Hood Cleaning Standard

NFPA 96 Table 12.4 sets the interval by what the kitchen cooks: monthly for solid fuel, quarterly for high-volume cooking, semiannually for moderate volume, annually for low-volume or seasonal cooking.

Suppression Inspection

UL-300 wet chemical systems required. Service providers available from Tucson (60 minutes) or locally.

  • UL-300 wet chemical suppression system required in all commercial cooking hoods
  • Semi-annual suppression system inspection and certification
  • Hood and duct cleaning per NFPA 96 schedule
  • K-class portable fire extinguisher within 30 feet of cooking equipment

Official Inspection Portal

Search Santa Cruz County restaurant inspections

Santa Cruz County Government

Source: Santa Cruz County Health Services

Inspection Authority

Agency

Santa Cruz County Health Services

Code Basis

AAC R9-8 (ADHS)

Also in Santa Cruz County

See how other cities in Santa Cruz County handle inspections.

ScoreTable

The Score Behind Every Table.

All data from official public health and fire authority records only · founders@getevidly.com

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