How are restaurants graded in Merced County?

Merced County uses a Three-Tier (Good / Satisfactory / Unsatisfactory) evaluation method for food safety inspections, administered by Merced County Department of Public Health.

Who handles fire safety inspections in Merced County?

Fire safety for commercial kitchens in Merced County is overseen by Merced County Fire Department (CAL FIRE/Merced County).

How many food facilities are in Merced County?

Merced County has approximately 850+ permitted food facilities.

Local Results

Merced County Restaurant Inspections & Health Scores

Name: Merced County Restaurant Inspection Data
Creator: Merced County Department of Public Health

The Score Behind Every Table.

Data verified: April 2026

CaliforniaThree-Tier RatingCalCode

Merced County — Fire Safety & Food Safety

Food Safety: Merced County Department of Public Health

Fire Safety: Merced County Fire Department (CAL FIRE/Merced County)

A growing Central Valley county home to UC Merced — navigating food safety with limited resources.

The Score Behind Every Table.

Food Safety

Evaluation

Three-Tier Rating

Public Posting

No mandate

Inspection Frequency

Risk-based

Facilities

850+

Fire Safety

Fire Code

CFC

Cleaning Standard

NFPA 96

Cleaning Frequency

Per NFPA 96 Table 12.4

Authority

Merced County Fire Department

Three-Tier Ratings

Merced County uses a three-tier evaluation system: Good (0–6 points), Satisfactory (7–13 points), and Unsatisfactory (14+ points — reinspection required). Points accumulate based on violations found.

Good

0–6 violation points. Facility demonstrates strong compliance with minimal violations found.

Satisfactory

7–13 violation points. Facility meets minimum requirements but has notable violations requiring correction.

Unsatisfactory

14 or more violation points. Reinspection required. Continued non-compliance can lead to enforcement action.

Fire Safety

Fire Authority

Merced County Fire Department (CAL FIRE/Merced County)

City of Merced Fire: (209) 385-6891. CAL FIRE MVU for unincorporated. Most commercial kitchens in Merced city = city fire AHJ. CAL FIRE contract county. City of Merced Fire Dept is separate AHJ within city limits. City of Los Banos and Atwater Fire are separate 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.