How are restaurants graded in Alameda County?

Alameda County uses a Color Placard (Green/Yellow/Red) evaluation method for food safety inspections, administered by Alameda County Department of Environmental Health.

Who handles fire safety inspections in Alameda County?

Fire safety for commercial kitchens in Alameda County is overseen by Alameda County Fire Department.

How many food facilities are in Alameda County?

Alameda County has approximately 7,200+ permitted food facilities.

Local Results

Alameda County Restaurant Inspections & Health Scores

Name: Alameda County Restaurant Inspection Data
Creator: Alameda County Department of Environmental Health

The Score Behind Every Table.

Data verified: April 2026

CaliforniaColor PlacardCalCode

Alameda County — Fire Safety & Food Safety

Food Safety: Alameda County Department of Environmental Health

Fire Safety: Alameda County Fire Department

Home to Oakland's legendary food scene and Berkeley's progressive dining culture — 7,200+ facilities inspected under a pass/fail system with no publicly posted grades.

The Score Behind Every Table.

Food Safety

Evaluation

Color Placard

Public Posting

No mandate

Inspection Frequency

Risk-based

Facilities

7,200+

Fire Safety

Fire Code

CFC

Cleaning Standard

NFPA 96

Cleaning Frequency

Per NFPA 96 Table 12.4

Authority

Alameda County Fire Department

Color Placards

Alameda County follows CalCode with a pass/fail inspection framework. Inspectors evaluate facilities against the California Retail Food Code and issue pass, conditional pass, or closure determinations. No numeric scores or letter grades are calculated or publicly posted.

Green

Pass — facility meets food safety standards

Yellow

Conditional Pass — corrections required

Red

Closed — imminent health hazard

Fire Safety

Fire Authority

Alameda County Fire Department

Berkeley has independent health AND fire authority. Oakland Fire: (510) 238-3281. Berkeley Fire: (510) 981-5900. Alameda County Fire serves unincorporated + some contract cities. City of Oakland Fire, City of Berkeley Fire (independent AHJ), Fremont Fire, Hayward Fire, and others are separate city AHJs.

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 suppression systems required for all commercial cooking hoods. Semiannual by licensed fire protection contractor.