How scoring works
Maricopa County's letter grades are voluntary — most establishments don't participate. But every inspection records violations in three classes defined by the FDA Food Code. We turn those into two transparent, reproducible signals.
Violation classes
- Priority — directly increases the risk of foodborne illness (e.g. employees not washing hands when required).
- Priority foundation — conditions that lead to priority violations (e.g. no soap at the hand-wash sink).
- Core — general maintenance and sanitation (e.g. a missing hand-washing reminder sign).
Some mobile-food violations cite the Maricopa County Environmental Health Code (MCEHC) instead of the FDA Food Code; these appear as “County code” violations.
Equivalent grades (°)
When an establishment's most recentinspection carries a county grade, we show it. When it doesn't — most establishments don't participate, and some stop participating — we apply the county's own published grading matrix to that latest inspection's violation counts and show the result marked with ° — for example B°. We never carry an old county grade forward past newer inspections: the badge always reflects the most recent scored visit — a routine inspection or re-inspection. Advisory visits and suspension actions appear in the history but carry no grade, so they never change the badge. Same rules, same thresholds, applied consistently to everyone:
| Grade | Priority | Priority foundation |
|---|---|---|
| A | 0 | 0 |
| B | 0 / 1 | 1–4 / 0–2 |
| C | 0 / 1 / 2 | 5 / 3–4 / 0–2 |
| D | Anything worse — or legal action for a pattern of non-compliance | |
The health score (0–100)
Each routine inspection and re-inspection gets a score:
100 − 15 × priority − 5 × foundation − core (max 10)
An establishment's overall score is the time-weighted average of every scored inspection we hold for it, with a one-year half-life — so recent inspections matter roughly twice as much as those a year old. Older visits fade steadily rather than being dropped at a fixed cutoff. Advisory and review visits are shown in the history but never affect the score.
Hard floor:an establishment with an immediate suspension or a D-equivalent inspection in the last 6 months is capped in the “Poor” band regardless of its average — recent serious problems shouldn't be papered over by an otherwise good record.
Data source & freshness
All data comes from Maricopa County Environmental Services public records, which cover a rolling 3-year window. The county posts results after an internal review of about three days. We re-check restaurant records on a rolling basis — usually within a week — but this is a target, not a guarantee: a backlog or an interruption in our nightly sync can make it longer. Every establishment page shows when we last checked it and links to its official county record.
PlateScore is independent and not affiliated with Maricopa County. Scores are computed estimates intended to make public data easier to understand — not an official rating.
Corrections and removal requests
Two kinds of information appear on an establishment page, and they are corrected in different places.
The county's record — inspection dates, violations, grades and permit status — belongs to Maricopa County. We republish it and cannot change it. If it is wrong, ask Maricopa County Environmental Services to amend it; once they do, our copy updates the next time we re-check that permit, and every establishment page shows when that last happened and links to the official record.
Our own additions— the computed health score, an “also operating here” alias, a cuisine or service-format label, a recognition cited on the Top 100 or Top Tables, or the grouping of permits under a hotel or venue — are ours, and we correct or remove them when they are wrong. Email platescore-support@googlegroups.com from an address connected to the business, give the establishment name and permit number, and say what is wrong. We check against the source, aim to reply within seven days, and note the change on the page where it matters.
We do not remove accurate public inspection records on request. They are public information about a business, published by the county, and leaving some out would make every other page less trustworthy.